Lucky Dube
"Nobody can stop reggae
Nobody can stop reggae
Nobody can stop reggae
'Cos reggae's strong."
You can change the rhythm of playing reggae
But never ever change the message every time I play it a Babylon A wish me fe dead, a wish me fe dead"
That is the wonderful lyrics, of one of the greatest tunes of the South African Reggae legend, Lucky Dube. October 18, marks the 5th year anniversary of the murdered superstar in his country.
Through hard work, Lucky rose to be Africa's bestselling and outspoken reggae star, unfortunately, he didn't live long to enjoy his fruits of labour. Lucky, met his untimely death in an attempted car hijack.
In one of his interviews granted to me at Pole-Pole festival in Antwerp, Belgium, a couple of years ago, Lucky said, "I know that the fall of Apartheid, I was part of it in some way."
His music was just like an arrow piercing through the flesh of the bad ones and the light to those engulfed in perpetual darkness. Truly, some great people don't live long. In a relatively short period, Lucky recorded 22 classic albums in Zulu and English.
Even though Lucky is gone, his music will never die. His music is aired more than any African reggae star. May his soul rest in peace and music continue to inspire others like his daughter Nkule, and others to follow him.