Macka B

Christopher MacFarlane, better known as Macka B, (born 1966) is a British-born Jamaican reggae artist, performer and activist with a career spanning thirty years and one of Britain's most influential dancehall DJs.

As a practicing Rastaman, Macka B's music is based around the political and spiritual message of the religion, with an often light and humorous touch. Working with the Mad Professor, he combined dancehall and dub styles of reggae, although he has avoided a more commercial crossover approach. He takes his name from the Judean rebels against the Greeks, the Maccabees.

Life

Born in Wolverhampton to Jamaican parents, as a child Macka B was influenced by the reggae of the Lord Barley sound-system playing at a blues party next to his parents' house; he also played violin and sang in the choir at school. He went on to take a technical apprenticeship at the Ever Ready factory. When the factory closed and he was laid off, he began to devote more time to practising his toasting skills, influenced by earlier Jamaican toasters U-Roy, I-Roy, Big Youth, and especially Prince Far I.

Soon Macka B formed the Exodus sound system with friends and became a Rastafarian. His 1982 trip to...

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