Iansá Magazine

By Maryam Azeeza Muhammad

The People’s Rebel Bass Against Babylon

Although Reggae music is regarded as a genre that has achieved wide commercial success in recent years, there is a stark contrast between where it is now and its radical, anti-establishment origins just decades earlier. Shaped by artists such as Bunny Wailer, Dennis Brown, and Lee “Scratch” Perry, reggae began as a love letter to anti-colonial struggle and unity among people across the diaspora. Drawing on ideological giants like Marcus Garvey and Leonard Percival Howell, many early reggae artists were influenced by Pan-African and Black nationalist values that inspired them to center African people and culture in all aspects of life, especially in that of divinity and spiritual practice. This birthed the movement now famously known as Rastafari. 

Functioning as a voice for the voiceless, the Rastafarian community made music that spoke truth to power when it came to the conditions of Black people throughout the world who were suffering under the boot of systemic poverty, racism, violence, and the ever-lingering echo of colonial control, otherwise known as “Babylon.” While the music might have seemed like nothing more than harmonies and rhythms to the untrained ear, the words being spoken over the basslines represented a call to action to build a liberatory world. It was under these circumstances that visionaries such as Augustus Pablo emerged, bringing a rebellious, yet righteous energy to the world via what is now widely known as “sound system culture.”

An Architect of Dub: Augustus Pablo

Born Horace Michael Swaby in St. Andrew Parish, Jamaica, Augustus Pablo was a musician who is credited with helping to usher in the era of dub music in the 1970s. A self-taught artist with a unique style, Pablo rose to prominence via his use of the melodica, a handheld free reed instrument similar in sound to a pump organ or harmonica. Prior to Pablo’s inclusion of the melodica in his music, it was primarily understood as a children’s instrument, and even considered a toy by most. In spite of this, Pablo used the melodica to introduce to the world what would later be known as the “Far East” sound, in which minor keys were used to make a distinct, deep-seated tune. Pablo along with other legendary reggae composers such as King Tubby and King Jammy, incorporated reverb-heavy melodies and harmonies alike.

But it was never just about the music. True to the roots of reggae, what was being made represented far more than just something to vibe to. It was a call for the people to rise up. Giving birth to tracks such as “No Justice Place” with Spliffy Dan and Hugh Mundell’s powerful anthem, “Africa Must Be Free By 1983” (a personal favorite of both my father and uncle), Pablo was responsible for many songs that were honest about the conditions of people across the African diaspora and often advocated for revolution as a cure to the disease of colonial domination. 

A visionary with remarkable foresight, Augustus Pablo understood early on that it was crucial to maintain creative control if he wanted to protect the integrity of his work. In a world that often sought to suppress Black voices, he recognized that going the traditional industry route was not for him—this led to the creation of Rockers International Records in 1976, an independent music label and a physical storefront in which he himself owned.

Guarding the Culture: 50 Years of Rockers International

Though Augustus Pablo sadly passed away in 1999, he lives not only through his music, but his spirit of self-determination and cultural preservation. Due to last-stage capitalism and the commodification of art, much of what we now know as reggae has shifted from a grassroots perspective to a more commercial approach. This shift has not only led to the watering down of reggae’s once radical message, but also a major decline in Black ownership of the genre overall. 

However entering 2026, the legacy of Augustus Pablo remains a defiant exception to this reality. In 2026, Rockers International Records celebrates its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of Black ownership and independence under the management of his two children Addis Pablo and Isis Swaby. The story of Rockers International is far more than just a nostalgic look at the time people consider to be reggae’s “golden era”; it is a roadmap for the future. 

In an age where digital streaming platforms and corporate interests often control the narrative and dictate what are can and cannot be, the continued independence of Rockers International exists as a stronghold and also a reminder that the heartbeat of reggae is, and must always be, sovereignty (in the spirit of not only Augustus Pablo, but His Imperial Majesty). As we look past 2026, the ‘Soundtrack of a Nation’ remains loudest when it is owned and operated by the people who created it.