Well if you danced to the beats & discussed the deeds of the so-called Reggae Revival movement, you should at least know this!
Tuesdays session at Rototom’s Reggae University “Jah Ova Evil: the current roots movement in Jamaica” allured not only the presence of the four prominent Jamaican artists and Rastafarians, the guest members on its panel: Chronixx, Micah Shemaiah, Infinite and Exile di Brave; but you could spot more of the likes, such as Jamaican artist and lyricist Kabaka Pyramid and the social activist I-Nation– and surely many more, who joined the session dedicated to paying tribute to Alty Nunes aka Likkle Joe –J.O.E.-.
Already when Micah Shemaiah and Infinite played their acoustic version of Dennis Brown “Sitting and Watching” (http://youtu.be/aFOAlPbTGik) , a pre-sense, that something “moving” was going to happen within the next hour that the session was on, could be felt right at its beginning. But nobody expected to leave the University so enlightened about the movement of the Jamaican youth which is better known in the mouths of everyone as the “Reggae Revival” and what actually energised and keeps on energising it.
J.O.E. – Jah Ova Evil – is the key. The energy sparks from J.O.E., Little Joe, Alty Nunes.
But who is that boy that passed away 3 years ago? A boy who passed at the age of 24?
Although his life has been very short, Likkle Joe, as Chronixx reflects has “inspired within the whole [and] with his whole life, really, because he lived 24 years of music […]. It was the purity of his life as a musician that led to, what we have today […]. A lot of us were here from before that the ting […], that the whole unity […], and this ting called […]. “Jah Ova Evil” (J.O.E.) is actually in the name of Little Joe“.
Little Joe came from a rootsy and grounded family (his mom a musical teacher and a very well known in the field of dancing) but Infinite highlights: “Joe take the name Little Joe because he is like a likkle brother […] a small us, humble energy, whole mission […] but we saw a struggle that ended bottom because the souls that pass through these […] don’t get much light, you know”.
Micah Shemaiah who knew Little Joe from his early childhood as they played in the same music group wants to bring the audience closer to the harsh reality of the music business today and admits: “I don’t think that you fully understand what young artists in Jamaica go through, to make it here”. And he refers to “the opinion of J.O.E. by distinction” and explains that for the business -unlike for the youth- “it is not about quality, it is about making hits music”. For the youths “it is not about making hits, it is about filling your soul, understand? Music is about knowing what I have been experiencing and connecting cause you, obviously, anybody experienced stress in all kind of different things, zeen? So music is that vehicle that Jah give to share that expression and not in a dull but in a wonderful thought, in a thought you can dance and feel good together and get rid of everything we name separation. Music is not made for hit-making”.
Little Joe had that connection with the people -immediately he united with his band members and the audience-, and had that impact on people as Micah Shemaiah describes it “was like the magic that one do, it is like, [in that music group] we all can sing but when Joe sang the people […]”. And Micah Shemaiah continues: “and he always was in the back and we always put him in the front because he was so shy and he was so small at that time but we used to perform everywhere […] at that time we were very young, extremely […] but Joe always had a burning thing inside of him going to be out there on the world stage”.
Infinite translates the “Jah Ova Evil” into its meaning in present tense: “Joe changing the name to J.O.E. elevating himself as a vessel for the Most High, you know, combination of him as a single identity but trying to impact this music […]”.
And Exile Di Brave, classmate of Joe‘s only halfbrother, explains: “To me, Rastafari is an energy like the sun shining bright […] and when Little Joe was around us -[all guest panel members here] meet Joe in person- Rastafari energy sparked”.
It becomes clear that the Rasta youths of the current Roots movement, or if you so prefer, the Reggae Revival, Renaissance, or by whichever brand you want to call this movement really get their energy from the humble and pure motivations of J.O.E. “Jah Ova Evil“. Thus, Exile Di Brave reasonably summarises J.O.E.: “When Jah call the Warrior, you better answer!”. 
Infinite closes the session with: “So we give thanks for Little Joe, Selassie I know, zeen?”.
Everything else will fall into its place just as we will stand united. And it is one boy who will forever keep all the members of the youth movement unified. RIP Likkle Joe – you do live on in our hearts!
Written and photographed by Ilona Kepic
Video shot and edited by Ilona Kepic
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This article will be published in Spanish on reggae.es soon!
