WATCH THIS: Spragga Benz “Livication”

Spragga Puts Trust In The Most High, Says to H.I.M. Leave All Vengeance.

A spiritual tune from a consistently top-notch DJ who suffered a life-changing tragedy just over a year ago. On August 23, 2008, Spragga’s first-born son Carlton Grant Jr., aka Carlyle, was shot dead by police in Kingston, Jamaica . “By right the whole place shoulda red,” Spragga chants as Stephen “Ragga” Marley beats the Binghi drum. “But me still ah hold a higher meds.” Let it go…

The touching new tune captures the anguish of a grieving father who must make sense of a senseless tragedy. And if that’s not difficult enough, he must grapple with his grief like Tupac, with “All Eyes On Me.” Throughout his ordeal, Spragga has been fully aware that his every move is being watched—not only by his traumatized family but also by his legions of fans and fellow artists both in Jamaica and around the world, not to mention by law enforcement and a sensationalistic media that tends to portray ghetto residents in general and dancehall artists in particular in a negative light.

Flesh of my flesh: The late Carlton Grant Jr. and his father Spragga Benz.

But rather than playing into the stereotype and lashing out in vengeance, Spragga has been making strictly progressive movements in accordance with his Rastafarian faith. First he established the Carlyle Foundation to support education for deserving students in Jamaica (Carlyle was an honor student with a bright future ahead). Start-up funds for the foundation were provided by Life Fest, a concert held on Carlton’s birthday this past May. The DJ’s also been putting finishing touching on his long-awaited album Shotta Culture, produced by outernational hitmaker Salaam Remi, as well as a documentary film by the same name.

Not that it’s been easy to take the higher path. “Since that event,” the DJ sings on the tune, “everything’s been so different.” Still as a man of faith, Ras Benz knows progressive movements ah dweet every time. And he’s been receiving words of encouragement from folks like Linda Moore, a friend of the late Sean Bell, another victim of police violence, who wrote this comment after an earlier Boomshots post about Life Fest:

“Spragga, it’s good to see that you’re not fighting violence with violence. Going up against corrupted cops is not the way to do things. It’s already enough of our young people dying in the hands of the law, why shed more blood? I’ve been in a similar incident when my friend Sean Bell of New York was gunned down in the 50-bullet shoot out with the NYPD, also in the car with him was Trent Benifield and Joseph Guzman, all three was shot, but one fatally. It was said too, that Sean Bell had a gun and when other officers searched the car no gun was found. He was 23 at the time of his death but like all good and young men they always die young. My prayers are with you and your family. Stay strong and know that Justice will get SERVED.” As it was written, so let it be done.