A mastermind of spiritually-conscious reggae, Rastafarian Vaughn Benjamin brings forth music from the grave in his new Akae Beka single “Black Carbon”, featuring reggae revival catalyst Chronixx. Vaughn’s untimely passing in 2019 did not deter Akae Beka’s co-founding member Ron, brother of Vaughn, from releasing yet another beautifully-executed call to action with the late singer at the helm.
The fight for racial justice and equality is far from over.
“Black Carbon”, off Akae Beka’s forthcoming LP Polarities, is less of a song and more like an epic journey where the hero is in dire need of your help. Benjamin and Chronixx melodically croon how we are all of this earth and to this earth, we will inevitably return. “Every living organism is made of carbon,” chants Benjamin. We need to protect each other as we coexist in this “place under the sun”. With delicate, almost diaphanous flute over a rootsy beat, listeners of “Black Carbon” are transported across dimensions to a plane of existence yet to be known — one of acceptance for people of color. Adding a light flamenco guitar at the end stirs the cultural relativity even more, stating through the instrumental mixture that the extent of humanity depends on whether or not we will be able to work out our racial biases. Hopefully, we will… and soon.
“Vaughn chose the title soon after it was recorded,” producer Tippy states. “The element carbon, that all life emerges from, is what the song is about and in Vaughn’s verses, he explores the real world examples of carbon usually being black, like the carbon copy of a receipt and other forms of black carbon, like oil or coal that are both black, but become the brightness of fire and diamonds.”
The exemplary single is now available on all digital outlets and Akae Beka’s full-length Polarities is rumored to shortly follow. For more information or to listen to the single today, visit the links below.
Purchase or stream “Black Carbon” single:
Akae Beka – “Black Carbon”, feat. Chronixx
Links: Facebook | Instagram | Website
Share this article
or
Get music updates in your inbox