Reggae legend Lucky Dube’s Prisoner album is getting a 60th anniversary edition to honor the late singer’s 60th birthday. Dube used reggae to bring attention to social issues that were happening in his native South Africa. He started his career recording mbaqanga, which was a form of Zulu pop music in his native tongue. By the time he released his fifth album, he had learned English and had fallen in love with the reggae sound.
Dube used music as activism. The South African government banned Dube’s 1984 album, Rastas Never Die because of the song “War & Crime” in it. The ban was a minor obstacle because Dube went on to record more than a dozen reggae albums, of which most were commercially successful. He became the biggest reggae artist in Africa and gained respect from an international audience, which earned him the Best Selling African Musician prize at the 1996 World Music Awards. Prisoner is considered his best album because of its fiery criticism of apartheid, and he was fortunate enough to see it end in 1994. Dube’s reputation grew, and he continued to release music until his untimely death in 2007 at the hands of carjackers in Johannesburg. The 60th birthday edition of Prisoner is a celebration of Dube’s contribution to music and humanity. The album will drop on November, 15th via Shanachie Records.
