But somehow, meeting Bob Marley seemed significant and special still to my seven-year old memory. Maybe it was that he took the time to crouch down low to get eye level with my brothers and I when he greeted us. Or perhaps it was that I could feel that I was in the presence of a “Natural Mystic”, who like my own father, was chosen to lead the people to freedom. So years later, when a global pandemic would reunite me with the music, the message, and the people Bob Marley so proudly represented, I knew to honor it. And this time, it came out in the form of a song entitled, Life is Calling You. And it truly was calling -- to me and everyone else who would finally have the time to listen.

I have been traveling to Jamaica for 25 years. Over time, it became my home away from home -- my refuge, a place to be still, a place to heal. From the beautiful beaches to the majestic mountains to the cities to the natural rootsy vibes of the country, somehow I felt at home everywhere. But Negril became home base. Over the years, my God-sister Free BenJamin and I would hop from one hotel to another on the 7-mile beach in Negril. We would often frequent two of our favorite places, Negril Tree House Resort and Jackie’s on the Reef, both of which are owned by African-American women. About six years ago, my sister and I decided to book our stay at another Black owned resort we had heard about called Travellers Beach Resort. Here, we met an amazing philanthropist who just happened to be the founder/owner of the resort. Winston Wellington, a Jamaican native, had a great love for Black history and education. And thus, he began taking me around to various schools in Westmoreland where I was able to perform Black history assemblies full of music and storytelling for children ages 5-17. The students marveled as I shared my family stories of triumph and bravery from the Civil Rights movement and they proudly proclaimed their own national heroes. They began to understand our shared journey for liberation from America to the Caribbean. From there, I became involved with Mr. Wellington’s non-profit organization N.E.E.T. (Negril Education Environment Trust). I was so impressed with all the work his organization was doing to help Jamaican youth and their families access a better life through education. Through Mr. Wellington, I began to frequent Negril 3 to 4 times a year to do motivational work with the student participants of N.E.E.T. It was so wonderful to come to Jamaica, not as a tourist, but as an educator, a storyteller and an agent of change.

Towards the end of 2019, I was making plans to do a school tour not just in Westmoreland but throughout the island. And then the pandemic happened.

As a result, most of us went inside. Like all of my other artist friends, I wondered what I was gonna do as I watched all of my performances for the year get canceled in one swoop. My work as a performing artist and educator came to a standstill. I had no idea what was next for me. Well, when in doubt, I go to Jamaica. So, in October of 2020, off I went back to Jamaica for a couple weeks. Two weeks turned into months, and soon I found myself settling into life in Jamaica. Since almost everything had become virtual, I didn’t have anything to rush home to. I could do any virtual workshops and performances from wherever I was. Like most people, I had a lot of time on my hands, to contemplate life, to explore what was next for me, and eventually to start writing music again. It had been seven years since I had put out any new music. So, in the fall of 2021, as the island began to open up a bit more, I began to explore the music scene in Negril.

I reached out to Lincoln Thomas, a gifted guitarist, composer and producer who had toured with much of Reggae music’s royalty for decades. When he and I met several years before the pandemic, he said he really liked my voice and hoped I would consider doing Reggae music someday. “Someday” had arrived, and I told him that I wanted to do a New Year’s Eve concert in Negril. I asked him if could get a band together for me. When Lincoln realized I was serious about getting into the music, he began to introduce me to his peers, some of Jamaica’s most gifted reggae musicians and producers throughout the island. I began preparing for a few live performances in Negril and Kingston. As I rehearsed with a new band, I decided to perform several of my R&B soul original songs as well as learn some reggae covers. I also began collaborating with Lincoln to work on some original reggae songs. We came up with about 5 different song ideas. I eventually chose one to start with and complete by the beginning of 2022, just in time to perform with the band at Roots Bamboo in Negril. In February, I traveled to Kingston to record the lead vocals for our new song, Life is Calling You. To my surprise, I watched as veteran musicians in the Reggae world showed up to the studio to play on my song. They were friends of Lincoln’s who came because he called. I met so many amazing artists, including the legendary Dean Frazer, who ended up laying down the horn section on our song.

Throughout the musical journey, I also felt the presence of my father so strongly. Many of the artists I met, particularly the elders, remembered my Dad very well. They respected him and remembered him as a warrior for the people, a truth teller and a natural roots man. They knew his walk was good and authentically “Rasta”. And I could feel that their love and generosity towards me was an extension of their love for Dad. On one occasion, I ran into Cat Coore from Third World. Cat’s face lit up when I told him who my Dad was. I knew that they knew each other for real. I remember Dad talking me to a Third World concert when I was young. I remembered that they were friends. On another occasion I met Marcia Griffiths of the legendary I Threes. She said she too knew Dad well. She told me that many years ago, Dad was working with Bob Marley’s mother Ms. Booker, to support her journey around health and nutrition. I felt special, knowing that my connection to Jamaica and reggae music was somehow inspired by seeds planted many years ago.

I returned home to Washington, DC in mid-February 2022. I called on my longtime friend, producer and music director, James McKinney, to arrange the background vocals and co-produce the song with Lincoln and I. We then sent the song to be mixed by renowned engineer Timothy Doyle (Tim Dub) in Canada. Free designed the beautiful cover art and from there the song was ready to go. On May 20th, we released Life is Calling You on all musical platforms. It was my first musical release in 8 years. And shortly thereafter, I found myself heading back to Jamaica to shoot my first music video ever, which ended up being produced by the gifted Richard Brown. Big up to Digital Wiz who edited the video and David L. McDuffie who shot the U.S. footage in the video.