by Howard Campbell
NEW YORK – A true child of the 1970s, singer Pablo Rufs came of age in Jamaica when roots-reggae and Rasta had a strong bearing on the country’s youth. But though he was big into music, it was only recently that he began recording.
His song, President A Mash up The Resident, is a jab at President Donald Trump’s administration which he blames for most of the turmoil he believes has divided the United States.
The New York-based Pablo Rufs wrote the single which is produced by Antonio “Nami” Harmon.
“‘The President’ is a song that tries to put in perspective a bizarre time when one man tried to use the whole world for his personal gain with no regard for anyone. The manipulation of a bully pulpit for questionable ends,” said Pablo Rufs. “We live in a people world and that is our saving grace. Power to the people.”
Born Paul Chambers in Kingston, Pablo Rufs grew up in Harbour View, a middle-class community in the eastern end of Jamaica’s capital. He had a life-changing experience in April, 1966.
“I was about to turn eight when His Majesty Haile Selassie 1 visited Jamaica. That experience resonates with me to this day; Rastafari has been a part of me from those days,” he stated.
Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and other acts from reggae’s golden age of the 1970s influenced Pablo Rufs, but it was three years ago that his first song, Jamaica, was released. It is co-produced by Sly and Robbie and Rory Baker.
The President A Mash up The Resident, his second release, has done well in Big Apple reggae circles. Fed Up, his follow-up, is another hard-hitting message number.
Co-produced by Baker and Bunny Brown, it features Sly and Robbie and veteran keyboardist Franklyn Bubbler Waul.
