Yasus Afari to release poetry album ‘Golden Spoon Maroon’ in November.
The synergy between VPAL Music, an arm of US-based VP Records, and Yasus’ SenYAcum Edutainment is timely as it signals the label’s support of Jamaican poetry and an acknowledgement that every song is a poem set to music. The forthcoming release of the disc, with tracks such as Golden Spoon Maroon, Plain and Simple, What a Sinting and Mama Africa We Love You, is galvanized by the recent inclusion of poetry in the Grammy Awards 2023.
“So far, Spotify has pronounced that poetry is the new frontier while Live Nation has stated its intention to live stream poetry events. Google’s recent celebration of the beloved cultural icon Miss Lou in her Centenary Year and Amanda Gorman’s impressive success internationally is further proof that global poetry is on the ascendancy,” Afari asserted.
“With the demise of dancehall music, the resultant stance by Jamaica Broadcasting Commission and the international takeover of Jamaican reggae music … poetry now offers another grand opportunity to calibrate, realign and reset Jamaica’s musical and cultural compass so that Jamaica can continue to advance the welfare of the entire human race,” Afari told The Gleaner.
In addition to being an accomplished dub poet, Yasus has been making strides with the success of the Jamaica Poetry Festival which was staged recently at the AC Marriott Kingston Hotel in August. The event featured performances by jazz great Monty Alexander who was recently conferred with the Order of Jamaica by the Government of Jamaica, singer Skip Marley, Yasus Afari, Marjorie Whylie, Prof Mervyn Morris, George Elliott Clarke and nine-year-old Canadian/Jamaican prodigy Jazmin Headley, among others.
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