Reggae Sundays: Ras Khalifa

Ras Khalifa was born in a small village in the mountains of Jamaica, West Indies in 1958. Working on his grandfathers banana plantation as a small boy, he embraced the Rastafarian culture at an early age and was strongly influenced by the philophies of Marcus Garvey. From a young age Ras Khalifa started to craft his style as he gained influence from artists such as Bob Marley, U Roy, John Holt, Gregory Isaacs, and Dennis Brown.

Ras moved with his family to London, England where his career began to flourish. At the age of 17 he began to perform at nightclubs throughout the United Kingdom. His musical stylings were closely indentfied with those of Bob Marley and, as a result, in 1987 he was drafted into the theater production company Flipside Productions and opened “Black Heroes in the Hall of Fame” a musical featuring black historical figures. Ras Khalifa performed in the role of Bob Marley.

Since his time in the UK he has released Taste My Love, Life In Zion, Crusin for a Brusin, and the live album Knowledge, a tribute album to Bob Marley.