
Interview with - Naph-Tali



Here is an interview with Naph-Tali (Reproduced from an article in the Boomshackalacka Magazine May 1992). Naph-Tali recalls “I first got involved with reggae music at school - playing drums with bands. I had lessons and then I got my mum to buy me a drumkit when I was eleven. It wasn’t my idea to be a singer - I started doing harmonies for a few people while I was still playing drums, and they liked my voice and told me I should try writing some songs. I’d already written some poetry, and so in 1984 I started turning it into songs. I was influenced by a lot of singers - Hugh Mundell more than anyone else, Don Carlos, Michael Prophet etc. “I was working with a community music programme teaching children to play percussion. I was also with various bands doing live shows, and I rehearsed with Coptic Roots. Then I met Keety Roots who was playing in another band at the time. He was starting to record some music, and asked me if I’d be interested in doing some vocals. It took me a while to start working with him, and he also put me in touch with Blacka, so I began working with Blacka first. “The first tune I did with Blacka was pretty commercial. It was a 12” on the Vibes label called ‘No Do Me Dat’ with an mc called Jesse James. The lyrics for it were already written, so all I had to do was sing on it. The next tune after that was more rootsy, ‘Hole Up Your Hand,’ also on the Vibes label. They were both released at the same time in 1988. “After that came a vocal track I did called ‘Creation’ on the ‘Vibes Studio Showcase’ LP. Also when I was working with Blacka we started doing dubplates for lots of different sound systems, including Jah Warrior. When Jah Warrior had some of their own productions released by Mr Modo, I got involved as a singer. We did a dub single ‘2000 Style’ in the summer of ‘89 and a few vocals on the LP ‘Warrior Dub’, which went out under the name ‘Zulu Warriors’ and hopefully we’ll be releasing more stuff in the future.” The next release from Naph-Tali came in early 1991, a Blacka production on his own ‘Roots Man Pro’ label called ‘Satan Disciples,’ which also featured two cuts by Xylon on the same rhythm. A deep-bass steppers featuring guitar by Keety Roots, the single was recorded at Saxon’s studio. Naph-Tali continues with what we can expect to hear from him in 1992 and beyond:



Naph-Tali continues; “Now I’m working with Keety Roots, and it’s what I’ve been waiting to do for a long time, because I’ve been able to spend a lot longer than usual on the music and the lyrics. At the moment we’ve done five tunes which are going to be released, a fast steppers called ‘Break The Chains’, a slower one ‘Maintain Control’ and three others, ‘Jah Song’, ’Separation’ and ‘Fire Burning’. They were co-written by Keety & me, and they’re due on a vocal & dub showcase LP due for release by early summer 1992. Hopefully these are just the start, and we’ll be working together a lot more in the future. “I want to arrange my own music too, both vocals & instruments. I’ve got a lot of my own ideas lined up which I’m not going to give away to anyone else until I can do it how I want to do it. I don’t want to work with too many producers at one time, so I’m going to carry on with Blacka, Keety Roots & Zulu Warriors for the moment.” Naph-Tali is known for being a conscious singer: “I wouldn’t sing anything else - if the lyrics aren’t constructive then I don’t see the point of singing them. Music can influence a lot of young people, so they react to what you give them, and I won’t give them anything slack - everything has to be righteous. A lot of the music that’s coming out now, what it’s doing to the youth is terrible, just preaching badness & violence.” “My music is aimed towards a lot of the Rasta community. Some people might not understand it, but older rastas will know where I’m coming from. Today you can’t even say who’s a rasta and who isn’t, ‘cos there’s a lot of people out there with locks who aren’t living the right way. It only takes one man with locks to do something bad and then society tars all rastas with the same brush. So my lyrics are trying to show people that even though I’m only young, true Rasta is still living.”