Linton Kwesi Johnson
Linton Kwesi Johnson (aka LKJ) (born 24 August 1952, in Chapelton, Jamaica) is a British-based Dub poet. He became only the second living poet to be published in the Penguin series. [1] His poetry involves the recitation of his own verse in Jamaican Creole over dub-reggae, usually written in collaboration with renowned British reggae producer/artist Dennis Bovell . Most of Johnson's poetry is political, dealing mainly with the experiences of being an African-Caribbean in Britain. However, he has also shown himself more than capable of writing about other issues, such as British foreign policy or the death of anti-racist marcher Blair Peach. His most celebrated poems were written during the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The poems contain graphic accounts of the often racist police brutality occurring at the time.
Johnson's best known albums include his debut Dread Beat An' Blood, Forces of Victory, Bass Culture and Making History. Across these albums are spread classics of the dub poetry school of performance - and, indeed, of reggae itself - such as Dread Beat An' Blood, Sonny's Lettah, Inglan Is A Bitch and Independent Intavenshan.
When written, Johnson's poetry makes clever use of the unstandardised transcription of Jamaican Creole.
Of late, Johnson has only performed live on an intermittent basis.
Johnson's record label LKJ Records is home to other reggae artists, some of whom made up The Dub Band, with whom Johnson mostly recorded, and other Dub Poets, such as Jean Binta Breeze.
Search for Linton Kwesi Johnson on iTunes
Demand a Linton Kwesi Johnson Concert
Dread Beat An' Blood LP and poetry book Inglan Is A Bitch poetry book
Jamaican-born dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson moved to London in 1963. A member of The Black Panthers, he soon started poetry workshops at school and developed the recitation of his own Creole verse over dub-reggae beats. In 1975, Bogle L’Ouverture published a collection of his poetry, Dread Beat An’ Blood, which was also the name of his first LP in 1978. In 1980, Race Today published his third book of poetry, Inglan Is A Bitch, which documents the woes of a 55-year-old West Indian immigrant.
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