Words by Natalie Weiner—
Raging Fyah is among the bands helping to bring roots reggae back into the Jamaican mainstream, spreading “the message and sound of love” through traditional riddims that still connect to today’s issues. They’ve just put out a video for their song “Running Away,” first released in 2011 on their debut album, Judgement Day. The video tells the story of a young girl who just wants her father to come to her birthday party (and not “run away” from his responsibilities… you get the idea). And we see a few familiar names in the credits, too—including contributing editor Tami Tsansai, a makeup artist when she’s not putting us up on style, fashion and dub poetry musicals.
Filmed around the Bull Bay area of St. Andrew, the video is set in the Wickie Wackie community, an important music and arts hub in Jamaica since the 1960s, and the site of several LargeUp TV episodes. Raging Fyah actually organizes a series of monthly showcases there called “Wickie Wackie Live,” designed to support local musicians and artists, which recently returned from a hiatus. Here’s a video of their performance at one of the most recent events.
“Running Away,” is upbeat and bouncy, but also has a strong Rastafari message—check it out below: