March 29, 2021 • 21 mins
This Chapter's richly woven narrative takes listeners on a journey through the streets of Jamaica, capturing the essence of its vibrant culture and the darker shadows of its societal challenges. The story unfolds with a morning walk through the city, where an encounter with local hustlers escalates into a tense confrontation, underscoring the harsh realities faced by those perceived as outsiders or different. This incident serves as a microcosm of broader societal issues, as the narrative examines the role of the dons in maintaining social order, their influence extending from local communities to international perceptions of Jamaican culture. The episode presents a nuanced exploration of the complexities of life in Jamaica, where tradition and modernity collide, and the struggle for acceptance and progress persists.
Rootsland "Reggae's Untold Stories"
Rootsland is produced by Henry K Productions Inc. in association with Voice Boxx Studios in Kingston, Jamaica.
Introduction by: Michelle "Kim" Yamaguchi
Guest Vocals by: Patrick "Curly Loxx" Gaynor
Featured song: Halfpint - “Bully You a Bully”
Home | ROOTSLAND Reggae Music, Podcast & Merchandise "Wear Your Culture"
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:12):
Henry K.
Henry K.
Seduction Rastafari is lovebecause righteousness.
Broadcasting live and directfrom the rolling red hills on the
outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica.
From a magical place at theintersection of words, sound and
power, the red light is on.
(00:34):
Your dial is set the frequencyin tune to the Rootsland podcast
stories that are music to your ears.
Good morning, Jamaica.
You're tuned into JBC radio.
And what a show last night atthe harbor.
(00:54):
The place rocked and grooved,courtesy of Bob Andy.
He surely wasn't joking, andit surely wasn't what he was smoking.
Coming up this morning, stillsome fallout from Margaret Thatcher's
recent visit to the island.
Some in the reggae communityare demanding that the british prime
minister and the UK take a tougher
stand and impose harsher sanctions
onSouth Africa's apartheid regime.
(01:20):
We have the poet Muta Baruchain studio for you.
And you can bet, you can justbet he's got something to say.
Yeah, man.
Yeah, man.
I would usually leave thehotel by 715 to walk over to Bob's
place.
We would try to get going asearly as possible to avoid the morning
traffic.
Holborn Road is still prettyquiet that time of morning when roadside
stalls come to life and food carts
begin setting up for the long day.
(01:48):
There's a gentle rhythm to themornings in Kingston.
Everything in Jamaica had rhythm.
The sound of the landscapersraking up the leaves, brooms sweeping
the concrete entrances of the local
businesses danced like jazz cymbals
andhelped me keep my stride on the morning
walk.
But this morning, somethingwas about to break it.
(02:13):
Yo, GX.
GX.
Yo, GX.
There were a few guys acrossthe street trying to get my attention.
They were standing next to asmall cart that sold drinks and cigarettes.
I didn't recognize them, butfigured they were part of Texas crew.
They were on Holborn Road.
Yo.
(02:34):
I thought they were justsaying hello, so I kept moving, but
they were calling me over.
I didnt have time to deal withthis and something inside me said,
keep moving, but I didnt want to
come off as rude.
I did pass this way everymorning, so I turned around and went
back.
Jakes, the name they werecalling out was a generic term I
used to hear on the north coast of
Jamaica.
(02:57):
In Negril.
Local hustlers would throw outrandom names to get the attention
ofpassing tourists.
Sometimes it was Jim or Joe orJohn, but their favorite was Jake's.
I never did figure out itsorigin, but it caught on and they
were sticking with it.
As I got closer, I could seeby their expressions, they were agitated.
(03:20):
Maybe since I hadn't walkedover sooner, they thought I was ignoring
them.
No bright smiles or cheerymorning greetings from this bunch.
One of them stepped out infront of the other two in cut off
jeans and a white tank top.
He was tall and thin and hisbody language became more aggressive
as I approached.
A metallic clicking sound grewlouder and I can see it was coming
from a silver butterfly knife that
he was playing with.
(03:46):
The sound is very distinct.
It's made by flicking theknife with the wrist, causing the
butterfly handles to counter rotate,
either revealing or concealing the
blade.
The noise is designed to beintimidating and it worked.
Yo sir, you never hear man Icall you.
It's like you want disrespect man.
Like when I exist.
(04:08):
No, that's not the case.
I'm sorry, I thought you werejust saying good morning and I'm
ina rush to get to work.
You work here?
What kind of work you do?
Ya fuck bout it?
Ya fuck bout it.
I thought he was joking around.
I had no idea what he wasasking and no idea how to answer.
I looked at him, puzzled, andturned to walk away, trying to avoid
a situation.
(04:31):
But he put his hands on myshoulder to keep me from going anywhere
and he repeated himself.
Your fuck about it.
He stepped closer.
The sound of the knife becamelouder and he he wanted an answer.
I suppose in hindsight Ishould have asked him what he meant,
but I was nervous and panicked.
(04:51):
It seemed like a simple yes orno answer.
How bad could it be if I gotit wrong?
It was a 50 50 shot and Irolled the dice.
At the very last second Idecided to hedge my bet.
Instead of yes or no.
I answered sometimes bombokla,sometime, sometime.
(05:13):
Wrong answer.
By now he was right in my face.
I could smell the weed on hisbreath momentarily.
He looked confused.
He wasnt expecting thatanswer, but after a quick glance
athis cronies and a short lunge forward,
the knife was at my neck.
I completely froze.
(05:34):
He forced the point of theblade up into my chin.
Somehow he must have found thesoftest part of my body.
I could practically feel itpoking through the bottom of my mouth.
I was sweating and felt dizzy.
If you come anywhere near hereagain with that shit, you're dead.
You hear me?
Blood clot, you will get bullets.
(05:56):
Now get the fuck out of here.
I turned and walked backacross the street, scared, confused,
humiliated.
I never even checked to see ifthere were any cars coming.
I didn't want to turn my headin either direction.
I didn't want to know ifanyone was watching.
The rest of the day, I was ina daze, going through the motions.
(06:18):
I had no recollection ofanything that happened after that
moment.
I just wanted to get back tothe hotel, to my room.
But I was wondering, was iteven safe there?
Yes, safe.
Safe.
So safe you wouldn't believe.
It wasn't till the end of theday, after I finished my first beer
with Tex, that I even began to comprehend
what happened earlier.
(06:39):
As Tex explained, henry, yousee, in.
Jamaica, we don't like homosexual.
We call them Batiman here.
You know, it's a christian country.
We cultured to not deal withthat kind of lifestyle, you know?
Now, you know, Tex is a businessman.
I don't care what people do intheir private life.
If it don't affect me, I don'tmatter that.
But most of them, you out onthe road, they are dark and ignorant.
(07:02):
Tex.
So that's what this was about.
Those guys threatened mebecause they thought I was gay.
That's crazy.
I didn't even understand whatthey were asking.
He threatened to kill you,man, because he's weak.
And he was looking for someoneweaker to show that he's the bigger
mandehead.
Just like every bully lookingfor someone vulnerable, you know,
someone different to pick on.
(07:25):
That's how predators work.
You have to learn the game.
Henry Tex did know his country.
At the time, most of Jamaicadidn't tolerate homosexuality.
In fact, it was, and still isillegal according to jamaican law.
It may surprise you to learnthere are more than 80 countries
in theworld where it is illegal to be gay,
including Uganda, Nigeria, and Russia.
(07:49):
One country that is also onthe and happens to be a tropical
paradise destination.
A country where being gay isillegal in the eyes of the law and
an evil sin in the eyes of the people.
I think most Canadians thinkof Jamaica as being a winter vacation
paradise.
But there's also a high levelof homophobic violence that exists
insociety itself.
(08:09):
Anti gay sentiments wereexpressed at many of the island's
religious pulpits, and that's in
acountry that has more churches per
capita than just about any place
inthe world.
However, what would prove tobe most destructive to the island
reputation and the biggest obstacle
tothe progress of jamaican music?
The presence of anti gay lyrics.
(08:30):
Sometimes violent ones thathave pervaded dancehall songs and
culture.
This was a heartbreakingrevelation to many reggae fans around
the world.
It seemed to be in directconflict with the ideals, principles,
andinclusive message that traditional
rootsreggae had become so beloved for.
During that time, period newsstories and mainstream papers and
tv shows covered in some detail the
more brutal and violent lyrics.
(08:55):
A story appeared on the frontpages of the Village Voice, and the
front page said, boom.
Bye bye.
And it detailed the homophobiathat exists in Jamaica.
Our laws, the laws of our country.
Sebogar is a crime.
In every square mile I canfind about four or five churches
inthese churches or churches of God,
they preach.
(09:19):
Homosexuality is a crime.
Public reaction globally wasswift and fierce.
There were commercial boycottsof dance hall shows, and major labels
quickly distanced themselves from
the jamaican artists embroiled in
the controversy.
Although they were differentbranches, they came from the same
tree.
So reggae music.
(09:41):
Dancehall's older brother wasgiven some of the blame.
Irreparable damage was done toJamaica and the one love, one heart
brand.
The sad thing is, the wholething could have been avoided if
these greedy, impulsive record labels
and executives that released these
songs would have thought more about
the long term credibility of an entire
genre rather than the quick money
made on a couple of singles.
(10:05):
Rastafari is love.
Togetherness, oneness, unity,unconditional love.
Fighting for the rights of thepeople, for the poor, the sick, the
elderly, the needy.
That's what Rasta is about.
Loving and caring and sharing.
Love and hate can never be failed.
(10:32):
It's the streets, my youth.
It's survival.
Survivor of the fittest.
You see that youth, Viper?
He didn't care whether you areor wasn't a batyman.
He didn't care about the truthor any kind of facts.
It's the one with the loudestvoice that get heard.
You see that youth, Viper?
He disrespect the order, andnow you have to deal with it.
(10:53):
What do you mean, I have todeal with it?
I didn't like the way that sounded.
You don't have a choice, Henry.
All talking done text was notlike most gangsters in Jamaica.
Maybe if his turf was in oneof Kingston's more violent ghettos,
in adarker corner of the city, he would
be less tolerant, less open minded,
ifhe'd even still be alive.
(11:17):
But on Holborn Road in NewKingston, near the international
hotels,trendy cafes and boutiques, his business
catered to mostly uptown Jamaicans
andtourists from all over the world,
people of different races, religions,
nationalities and sexual preferences.
Tex learned early that hispersonal prejudices didn't mix with
his business priorities.
(11:42):
So he learned to tolerate hisclients, even if he didn't agree
withtheir lifestyles.
Although I don't think hewould admit it over time, tolerance
became friendship.
Might I say Tex was one of thefirst progressive gangsters.
Tex was on autoplay nightafter night, again and again, repeating
his mantra, his Weltin Schung, his
philosophy of life in three simple
maintaining the order.
(12:15):
The streets, he explained,exist in a fragile state of equilibrium,
adelicate balance of volatile elements
that can erupt at any time.
There is one thing that keepsthat from happening, one thing that
keeps the peace from becoming chaos.
On the streets, one word morepowerful than God.
It's the word order.
(12:37):
And maintaining it, anelaborate web that starts and ends
with one man, the top man, the godfather,
the one they call the don.
When did I ever refuse an accommodation?
The title of don derives fromLatin for master of the household.
(12:58):
It became part of themainstream vernacular thanks to the
popularity of Hollywood mafia movies
that created these larger than life
characters.
It turns out, really weren'tthat much larger than life, because
real mob bosses like Al Capone, John
Gotti or El Chapo, with their lavish
lifestyles and cold blooded tactics,
seemed to capture the collective
imagination just as much as Don Corleone
or Tony Montana.
(13:26):
That includes in Jamaica,where the local gangsters obsession
withthe godfather style criminal culture
created a roll call of legendary
dons whostill control the garrisons of Kingston
to the streets of Brooklyn, and also
populate some of the federal penitentiaries
along the way.
The question is, why do donsexist in the first place?
(13:50):
What makes dons so popular, sorevered and beloved that people are
willing to put their lives on the
line?
For them to find answers, youhave to look no further than the
communities where they come from,
control and consolidate power, usually
the inner cities, housing schemes,
tenements, ghettos, parts of the
world that are underserved, marginalized,
forgotten.
(14:17):
And in the absence of anylegitimate government or social structure
to care for the people, a power vacuum
is created that often ends up being
filled by the one strong enough and
smart enough and brutal enough to
take it.
The dons pave roads, buildschools and infrastructure for lighting
and sewage.
(14:38):
The dons give small businessesloads of to people who don't qualify
anywhere else and protect the communities
where the police won't come.
The dons provided, and beforelong, they were more powerful than
the police and the politicians.
Eventually, they owned thepolice and politicians.
(14:59):
Why?
According to texts, theymaintain the order.
The dons have their generals,the generals have their capos, and
the capos have their loyal soldiers
likeTex, who take their orders, do what
they are told, no questions asked,
andall remains good in the world for
at least one more day.
(15:24):
Now, I had to take my orderfrom Tex and do what I was told,
noquestions asked.
Cause the guy from thismorning, his name was Viper.
And since he disrespected meon Texas turf, and that was a disrespect
to Tex.
When Tex heard, he wentballistic and had a little talk with
Viper.
(15:44):
Now, tomorrow, when I went towork, Viper would have to apologize
to mepublicly in front of his crew.
You have to face him and makethat pussy beg for forgiveness.
Are you serious?
I don't want to deal withthese guys.
I mean, even if he is sorry,can't we just leave it at that?
(16:04):
No, man.
This is the streets.
You have to deal with certainthings according to the laws of the
streets.
You know this.
What if I don't want to text?
Then I'm going to have to beatViper to sickness, and it's all going
to be on your head.
So you know that.
What kind of guilt trip is that?
I didn't want anyone getting hurt.
So the next morning, I did asTex said.
(16:25):
I guess he realized howapprehensive I was.
He sent one of his soldiers,Robbie G.
To follow me.
Robbie was waiting outside the Indies.
I wasnt sure if he was therefor protection or to make sure I
didnt back out.
Robbie G.
Was the jamaican version of J.
Wellington wimpy.
This is going to be much moredifficult than usual.
(16:45):
Robbie always had some kind ofdeal brewing and needed to borrow
money.
Now that he promised to payback when he had his big payoff.
Which of course never came dueto a thousand reasons.
That, of course were never his fault.
But Robbie had a greatnegotiation tactic.
He would harass you nonstop tothe point of submission.
(17:07):
And then you would pay himjust to leave you alone.
Henry, watch out, you.
Hey, remember that thing Itold you about that business opportunity?
Don't tell Tex.
The moment of the apology cameand went.
It was anticlimactic, to saythe least, which was fine with me.
When Viper saw me, he ranacross the street and immediately
held outhis hand as a gesture of peace.
(17:31):
A strikingly different tonefrom yesterday.
I did notice something elsestrikingly different.
He had a bruised and swollen face.
Yo, Gx.
Jono.
Sorry.
My youth may never meant anykind of disrespect.
It was a joke.
A joke we was making.
It's all good.
No worries.
Yo, Henry.
Just make sure everything goodwith text, man.
(17:51):
Tell Tex misunderstanding.
It was a misunderstanding, youknow, really sorry.
And just like that, it was done.
Queld and the viper crawledback into his burrow.
(18:12):
When people hear the termstreet justice, it usually invokes
images of vigilante beatings or high
profile shootings with bodies covered
in bloodstained sheets.
I guess those are the imagesthat make the evening news or headlines
that sell papers.
What Tex taught me is thatevery day, in every scheme, every
garrison and ghetto, there's a constant
series of negotiations, truces, liaisons
that don't involve violence or guns
or murder, but carefully orchestrated
parlays arranged between power brokers
and overbosses.
(18:52):
Gangster generals who, likemost hardened soldiers that have
seen battle, would prefer to avoid
a war.
Turns out, on the streets ofKingston City, like the rest of the
world, killing is easy.
Keeping the peace is the real challenge.
And just like that, order wasrestored on Holborn Road.
(19:16):
I certainly had peace of mind,but even that had a cost.
Now I owe Tex a favor and hecollected what he was owed.
Remember my youth?
Id soon find out.
My payback included arrangingbackstage passes for me and Tex to
attend the upcoming reggae Sunsplash
festival in Montego Bay, booking
aluxury suite at the Seawinds Hotel
located on the grounds next to the
venue, and taking a high risk road
trip across the island with a trunk
load of stinky indigo bud.
(19:48):
And if we made it there in onepiece, Texas plan also involved a
rendezvous in Montego Bay with a
young singer that he met in Kingston
andhad been clamoring about introducing
me tofor weeks.
Spoiler alert, the singer hada voice I had heard before.
(20:14):
Rootsland podcast is producedby enriching association with Vicebox
Studios.
Make sure the item click thelink below.
Make sure you click the linkbelow like share and subscribe.
So join the Roots gang andRoots land.
Yes Rasta.
(20:35):
Don'T worry about a thingcause every little thing is going
tobe alright.
Depth.
Henry K.
Henry K.
Seduction Rastafari is lovebecause righteousness.
Broadcasting live and directfrom the rolling red hills on the
outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica.
From a magical place at theintersection of words, sound and
power, the red light is on.
(00:34):
Your dial is set the frequencyin tune to the Rootsland podcast
stories that are music to your ears.
Good morning, Jamaica.
You're tuned into JBC radio.
And what a show last night atthe harbor.
(00:54):
The place rocked and grooved,courtesy of Bob Andy.
He surely wasn't joking, andit surely wasn't what he was smoking.
Coming up this morning, stillsome fallout from Margaret Thatcher's
recent visit to the island.
Some in the reggae communityare demanding that the british prime
minister and the UK take a tougher
stand and impose harsher sanctions
onSouth Africa's apartheid regime.
(01:20):
We have the poet Muta Baruchain studio for you.
And you can bet, you can justbet he's got something to say.
Yeah, man.
Yeah, man.
I would usually leave thehotel by 715 to walk over to Bob's
place.
We would try to get going asearly as possible to avoid the morning
traffic.
Holborn Road is still prettyquiet that time of morning when roadside
stalls come to life and food carts
begin setting up for the long day.
(01:48):
There's a gentle rhythm to themornings in Kingston.
Everything in Jamaica had rhythm.
The sound of the landscapersraking up the leaves, brooms sweeping
the concrete entrances of the local
businesses danced like jazz cymbals
andhelped me keep my stride on the morning
walk.
But this morning, somethingwas about to break it.
(02:13):
Yo, GX.
GX.
Yo, GX.
There were a few guys acrossthe street trying to get my attention.
They were standing next to asmall cart that sold drinks and cigarettes.
I didn't recognize them, butfigured they were part of Texas crew.
They were on Holborn Road.
Yo.
(02:34):
I thought they were justsaying hello, so I kept moving, but
they were calling me over.
I didnt have time to deal withthis and something inside me said,
keep moving, but I didnt want to
come off as rude.
I did pass this way everymorning, so I turned around and went
back.
Jakes, the name they werecalling out was a generic term I
used to hear on the north coast of
Jamaica.
(02:57):
In Negril.
Local hustlers would throw outrandom names to get the attention
ofpassing tourists.
Sometimes it was Jim or Joe orJohn, but their favorite was Jake's.
I never did figure out itsorigin, but it caught on and they
were sticking with it.
As I got closer, I could seeby their expressions, they were agitated.
(03:20):
Maybe since I hadn't walkedover sooner, they thought I was ignoring
them.
No bright smiles or cheerymorning greetings from this bunch.
One of them stepped out infront of the other two in cut off
jeans and a white tank top.
He was tall and thin and hisbody language became more aggressive
as I approached.
A metallic clicking sound grewlouder and I can see it was coming
from a silver butterfly knife that
he was playing with.
(03:46):
The sound is very distinct.
It's made by flicking theknife with the wrist, causing the
butterfly handles to counter rotate,
either revealing or concealing the
blade.
The noise is designed to beintimidating and it worked.
Yo sir, you never hear man Icall you.
It's like you want disrespect man.
Like when I exist.
(04:08):
No, that's not the case.
I'm sorry, I thought you werejust saying good morning and I'm
ina rush to get to work.
You work here?
What kind of work you do?
Ya fuck bout it?
Ya fuck bout it.
I thought he was joking around.
I had no idea what he wasasking and no idea how to answer.
I looked at him, puzzled, andturned to walk away, trying to avoid
a situation.
(04:31):
But he put his hands on myshoulder to keep me from going anywhere
and he repeated himself.
Your fuck about it.
He stepped closer.
The sound of the knife becamelouder and he he wanted an answer.
I suppose in hindsight Ishould have asked him what he meant,
but I was nervous and panicked.
(04:51):
It seemed like a simple yes orno answer.
How bad could it be if I gotit wrong?
It was a 50 50 shot and Irolled the dice.
At the very last second Idecided to hedge my bet.
Instead of yes or no.
I answered sometimes bombokla,sometime, sometime.
(05:13):
Wrong answer.
By now he was right in my face.
I could smell the weed on hisbreath momentarily.
He looked confused.
He wasnt expecting thatanswer, but after a quick glance
athis cronies and a short lunge forward,
the knife was at my neck.
I completely froze.
(05:34):
He forced the point of theblade up into my chin.
Somehow he must have found thesoftest part of my body.
I could practically feel itpoking through the bottom of my mouth.
I was sweating and felt dizzy.
If you come anywhere near hereagain with that shit, you're dead.
You hear me?
Blood clot, you will get bullets.
(05:56):
Now get the fuck out of here.
I turned and walked backacross the street, scared, confused,
humiliated.
I never even checked to see ifthere were any cars coming.
I didn't want to turn my headin either direction.
I didn't want to know ifanyone was watching.
The rest of the day, I was ina daze, going through the motions.
(06:18):
I had no recollection ofanything that happened after that
moment.
I just wanted to get back tothe hotel, to my room.
But I was wondering, was iteven safe there?
Yes, safe.
Safe.
So safe you wouldn't believe.
It wasn't till the end of theday, after I finished my first beer
with Tex, that I even began to comprehend
what happened earlier.
(06:39):
As Tex explained, henry, yousee, in.
Jamaica, we don't like homosexual.
We call them Batiman here.
You know, it's a christian country.
We cultured to not deal withthat kind of lifestyle, you know?
Now, you know, Tex is a businessman.
I don't care what people do intheir private life.
If it don't affect me, I don'tmatter that.
But most of them, you out onthe road, they are dark and ignorant.
(07:02):
Tex.
So that's what this was about.
Those guys threatened mebecause they thought I was gay.
That's crazy.
I didn't even understand whatthey were asking.
He threatened to kill you,man, because he's weak.
And he was looking for someoneweaker to show that he's the bigger
mandehead.
Just like every bully lookingfor someone vulnerable, you know,
someone different to pick on.
(07:25):
That's how predators work.
You have to learn the game.
Henry Tex did know his country.
At the time, most of Jamaicadidn't tolerate homosexuality.
In fact, it was, and still isillegal according to jamaican law.
It may surprise you to learnthere are more than 80 countries
in theworld where it is illegal to be gay,
including Uganda, Nigeria, and Russia.
(07:49):
One country that is also onthe and happens to be a tropical
paradise destination.
A country where being gay isillegal in the eyes of the law and
an evil sin in the eyes of the people.
I think most Canadians thinkof Jamaica as being a winter vacation
paradise.
But there's also a high levelof homophobic violence that exists
insociety itself.
(08:09):
Anti gay sentiments wereexpressed at many of the island's
religious pulpits, and that's in
acountry that has more churches per
capita than just about any place
inthe world.
However, what would prove tobe most destructive to the island
reputation and the biggest obstacle
tothe progress of jamaican music?
The presence of anti gay lyrics.
(08:30):
Sometimes violent ones thathave pervaded dancehall songs and
culture.
This was a heartbreakingrevelation to many reggae fans around
the world.
It seemed to be in directconflict with the ideals, principles,
andinclusive message that traditional
rootsreggae had become so beloved for.
During that time, period newsstories and mainstream papers and
tv shows covered in some detail the
more brutal and violent lyrics.
(08:55):
A story appeared on the frontpages of the Village Voice, and the
front page said, boom.
Bye bye.
And it detailed the homophobiathat exists in Jamaica.
Our laws, the laws of our country.
Sebogar is a crime.
In every square mile I canfind about four or five churches
inthese churches or churches of God,
they preach.
(09:19):
Homosexuality is a crime.
Public reaction globally wasswift and fierce.
There were commercial boycottsof dance hall shows, and major labels
quickly distanced themselves from
the jamaican artists embroiled in
the controversy.
Although they were differentbranches, they came from the same
tree.
So reggae music.
(09:41):
Dancehall's older brother wasgiven some of the blame.
Irreparable damage was done toJamaica and the one love, one heart
brand.
The sad thing is, the wholething could have been avoided if
these greedy, impulsive record labels
and executives that released these
songs would have thought more about
the long term credibility of an entire
genre rather than the quick money
made on a couple of singles.
(10:05):
Rastafari is love.
Togetherness, oneness, unity,unconditional love.
Fighting for the rights of thepeople, for the poor, the sick, the
elderly, the needy.
That's what Rasta is about.
Loving and caring and sharing.
Love and hate can never be failed.
(10:32):
It's the streets, my youth.
It's survival.
Survivor of the fittest.
You see that youth, Viper?
He didn't care whether you areor wasn't a batyman.
He didn't care about the truthor any kind of facts.
It's the one with the loudestvoice that get heard.
You see that youth, Viper?
He disrespect the order, andnow you have to deal with it.
(10:53):
What do you mean, I have todeal with it?
I didn't like the way that sounded.
You don't have a choice, Henry.
All talking done text was notlike most gangsters in Jamaica.
Maybe if his turf was in oneof Kingston's more violent ghettos,
in adarker corner of the city, he would
be less tolerant, less open minded,
ifhe'd even still be alive.
(11:17):
But on Holborn Road in NewKingston, near the international
hotels,trendy cafes and boutiques, his business
catered to mostly uptown Jamaicans
andtourists from all over the world,
people of different races, religions,
nationalities and sexual preferences.
Tex learned early that hispersonal prejudices didn't mix with
his business priorities.
(11:42):
So he learned to tolerate hisclients, even if he didn't agree
withtheir lifestyles.
Although I don't think hewould admit it over time, tolerance
became friendship.
Might I say Tex was one of thefirst progressive gangsters.
Tex was on autoplay nightafter night, again and again, repeating
his mantra, his Weltin Schung, his
philosophy of life in three simple
maintaining the order.
(12:15):
The streets, he explained,exist in a fragile state of equilibrium,
adelicate balance of volatile elements
that can erupt at any time.
There is one thing that keepsthat from happening, one thing that
keeps the peace from becoming chaos.
On the streets, one word morepowerful than God.
It's the word order.
(12:37):
And maintaining it, anelaborate web that starts and ends
with one man, the top man, the godfather,
the one they call the don.
When did I ever refuse an accommodation?
The title of don derives fromLatin for master of the household.
(12:58):
It became part of themainstream vernacular thanks to the
popularity of Hollywood mafia movies
that created these larger than life
characters.
It turns out, really weren'tthat much larger than life, because
real mob bosses like Al Capone, John
Gotti or El Chapo, with their lavish
lifestyles and cold blooded tactics,
seemed to capture the collective
imagination just as much as Don Corleone
or Tony Montana.
(13:26):
That includes in Jamaica,where the local gangsters obsession
withthe godfather style criminal culture
created a roll call of legendary
dons whostill control the garrisons of Kingston
to the streets of Brooklyn, and also
populate some of the federal penitentiaries
along the way.
The question is, why do donsexist in the first place?
(13:50):
What makes dons so popular, sorevered and beloved that people are
willing to put their lives on the
line?
For them to find answers, youhave to look no further than the
communities where they come from,
control and consolidate power, usually
the inner cities, housing schemes,
tenements, ghettos, parts of the
world that are underserved, marginalized,
forgotten.
(14:17):
And in the absence of anylegitimate government or social structure
to care for the people, a power vacuum
is created that often ends up being
filled by the one strong enough and
smart enough and brutal enough to
take it.
The dons pave roads, buildschools and infrastructure for lighting
and sewage.
(14:38):
The dons give small businessesloads of to people who don't qualify
anywhere else and protect the communities
where the police won't come.
The dons provided, and beforelong, they were more powerful than
the police and the politicians.
Eventually, they owned thepolice and politicians.
(14:59):
Why?
According to texts, theymaintain the order.
The dons have their generals,the generals have their capos, and
the capos have their loyal soldiers
likeTex, who take their orders, do what
they are told, no questions asked,
andall remains good in the world for
at least one more day.
(15:24):
Now, I had to take my orderfrom Tex and do what I was told,
noquestions asked.
Cause the guy from thismorning, his name was Viper.
And since he disrespected meon Texas turf, and that was a disrespect
to Tex.
When Tex heard, he wentballistic and had a little talk with
Viper.
(15:44):
Now, tomorrow, when I went towork, Viper would have to apologize
to mepublicly in front of his crew.
You have to face him and makethat pussy beg for forgiveness.
Are you serious?
I don't want to deal withthese guys.
I mean, even if he is sorry,can't we just leave it at that?
(16:04):
No, man.
This is the streets.
You have to deal with certainthings according to the laws of the
streets.
You know this.
What if I don't want to text?
Then I'm going to have to beatViper to sickness, and it's all going
to be on your head.
So you know that.
What kind of guilt trip is that?
I didn't want anyone getting hurt.
So the next morning, I did asTex said.
(16:25):
I guess he realized howapprehensive I was.
He sent one of his soldiers,Robbie G.
To follow me.
Robbie was waiting outside the Indies.
I wasnt sure if he was therefor protection or to make sure I
didnt back out.
Robbie G.
Was the jamaican version of J.
Wellington wimpy.
This is going to be much moredifficult than usual.
(16:45):
Robbie always had some kind ofdeal brewing and needed to borrow
money.
Now that he promised to payback when he had his big payoff.
Which of course never came dueto a thousand reasons.
That, of course were never his fault.
But Robbie had a greatnegotiation tactic.
He would harass you nonstop tothe point of submission.
(17:07):
And then you would pay himjust to leave you alone.
Henry, watch out, you.
Hey, remember that thing Itold you about that business opportunity?
Don't tell Tex.
The moment of the apology cameand went.
It was anticlimactic, to saythe least, which was fine with me.
When Viper saw me, he ranacross the street and immediately
held outhis hand as a gesture of peace.
(17:31):
A strikingly different tonefrom yesterday.
I did notice something elsestrikingly different.
He had a bruised and swollen face.
Yo, Gx.
Jono.
Sorry.
My youth may never meant anykind of disrespect.
It was a joke.
A joke we was making.
It's all good.
No worries.
Yo, Henry.
Just make sure everything goodwith text, man.
(17:51):
Tell Tex misunderstanding.
It was a misunderstanding, youknow, really sorry.
And just like that, it was done.
Queld and the viper crawledback into his burrow.
(18:12):
When people hear the termstreet justice, it usually invokes
images of vigilante beatings or high
profile shootings with bodies covered
in bloodstained sheets.
I guess those are the imagesthat make the evening news or headlines
that sell papers.
What Tex taught me is thatevery day, in every scheme, every
garrison and ghetto, there's a constant
series of negotiations, truces, liaisons
that don't involve violence or guns
or murder, but carefully orchestrated
parlays arranged between power brokers
and overbosses.
(18:52):
Gangster generals who, likemost hardened soldiers that have
seen battle, would prefer to avoid
a war.
Turns out, on the streets ofKingston City, like the rest of the
world, killing is easy.
Keeping the peace is the real challenge.
And just like that, order wasrestored on Holborn Road.
(19:16):
I certainly had peace of mind,but even that had a cost.
Now I owe Tex a favor and hecollected what he was owed.
Remember my youth?
Id soon find out.
My payback included arrangingbackstage passes for me and Tex to
attend the upcoming reggae Sunsplash
festival in Montego Bay, booking
aluxury suite at the Seawinds Hotel
located on the grounds next to the
venue, and taking a high risk road
trip across the island with a trunk
load of stinky indigo bud.
(19:48):
And if we made it there in onepiece, Texas plan also involved a
rendezvous in Montego Bay with a
young singer that he met in Kingston
andhad been clamoring about introducing
me tofor weeks.
Spoiler alert, the singer hada voice I had heard before.
(20:14):
Rootsland podcast is producedby enriching association with Vicebox
Studios.
Make sure the item click thelink below.
Make sure you click the linkbelow like share and subscribe.
So join the Roots gang andRoots land.
Yes Rasta.
(20:35):
Don'T worry about a thingcause every little thing is going
tobe alright.
Depth.
Popular Podcasts
Boysober
Have you ever wondered what life might be like if you stopped worrying about being wanted, and focused on understanding what you actually want? That was the question Hope Woodard asked herself after a string of situationships inspired her to take a break from sex and dating. She went "boysober," a personal concept that sparked a global movement among women looking to prioritize themselves over men. Now, Hope is looking to expand the ways we explore our relationship to relationships. Taking a bold, unfiltered look into modern love, romance, and self-discovery, Boysober will dive into messy stories about dating, sex, love, friendship, and breaking generational patterns—all with humor, vulnerability, and a fresh perspective.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com