Macka B

Macka B emerged as one of Britain’s most pivotal dancehall toasters by steering the genre toward Rastafarian political awareness. His distinctive rough and gravelly delivery created an immediately recognizable voice, while Mad Professor’s production modernized dub reggae methods for the dancehall era and demonstrated that the styles could coexist. Although the bulk of his output centered on spiritual and social themes, he occasionally introduced lighter humorous novelty pieces. Rejecting commercial crossover ambitions, he remained faithful to reggae’s foundational sound and ethos. His 1986 album Sign of the Times endures as a landmark of British reggae, and he maintained his association with Mad Professor’s Ariwa label well into the new millennium.

Christopher MacFarlane, later known as Macka B, was born in Wolverhampton, England, in the West Midlands near Birmingham. During his youth he played violin and participated in the school choir, yet reggae stayed his central musical passion. After training as an engineer and completing an apprenticeship, factory closures left him unemployed. He then focused on sharpening his toasting abilities, drawing influence from pioneering reggae DJs including U-Roy, I-Roy, Big Youth, and especially Prince Far I. Together with friends he launched the Exodus sound system and embraced Rastafarianism. A 1982 visit to Jamaica immersed him in the burgeoning dancehall movement, after which he returned to England with renewed dedication. Winning an aspiring-DJs competition the following year led to radio spots and a collaboration with the band Pre-Wax, whose single “Maggie’s Letter” achieved local success.

Regular performances on area sound systems, notably Wassifa, brought further attention when a live tape reached London’s Fashion Records. This connection yielded his debut solo release, “Bible Reader,” in 1985, which performed solidly on the national reggae singles chart. Macka B soon joined Mad Professor’s Ariwa roster and delivered his first album, Sign of the Times, in 1986. Quickly embraced by British reggae audiences, it ascended to the top of the reggae album charts and earned praise in some circles as a masterpiece thanks to its inventive production and the artist’s agile rhymes paired with pointed social commentary. A steady sequence of comparable releases followed, beginning with 1987’s We’ve Had Enough.

The 1988 album Looks Are Deceiving featured the single “Unemployment Blues,” and that same year Macka B traveled to Jamaica for an initial session under producer Black Scorpio that produced the tracks “Love It in Jamaica” and “Slow Down Driver.” Back in England he issued Buppie Culture in 1989 and scored a major success with the Kofi duet “Dread a Who She Love,” which reached number one on the British reggae singles chart. He repeated the achievement with “Proud of Mandela,” a post-apartheid tribute included on 1990’s Natural Suntan. Further albums arrived in quick succession: Peace Cup in 1991 and Jamaica, No Problem? in 1992, both of which brought Best Male DJ honors in Britain, followed by the 1993 live recording Roots Ragga, a fitting label for his style at the time.

Here Comes Trouble, released in 1994, supplied one of Macka B’s largest successes with the globally popular “Squeeze Me,” which resonated especially strongly in Hawaii. Discrimination appeared the next year as another robust collection, succeeded in turn by Hold On to Your Culture and Suspicious. The 1999 semi-compilation Roots & Culture combined established hits with previously unreleased tracks, paving the way for the new studio album Global Messenger in 2000.