ROOTS WARRIOR SOUND honors YABBY YOU – Born August 14, 1946 🇯🇲🎙️✨🙏🏽🕊️
Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Vivian Neville Jackson, better known as Yabby You, aka Jesus Dread—a mystical voice of roots reggae, a fearless producer, and a spiritual rebel whose music still echoes with divine urgency.
🎤 From Waterhouse to Prophetic Sound
Born in the tough ghetto of Waterhouse, Kingston, Yabby You left home at age 12 and worked in a metal foundry until malnutrition and illness left him partially crippled. His physical suffering deepened his spiritual vision. Unlike most of his Rastafarian peers, Yabby You believed in Jesus Christ as divine, earning him the nickname “Jesus Dread”.
In 1972, after a thunderstorm and a heated debate about Haile Selassie, he claimed to hear angelic voices chanting “Be-you, yabby-yabby-you.” That mystical moment inspired his first single, “Conquering Lion”, recorded with King Tubby, Horsemouth Wallace, Familyman Barrett, and Earl Chinna Smith—all playing for free. The track became a roots anthem and gave birth to his name.
🎧 Essential Albums & Productions
• Conquering Lion (1975)
• Deliver Me From My Enemies (1977)
• Walls of Jerusalem aka Chant Down Babylon Kingdom (1976)
• Beware (1978)
• African Queen (1982)
• Fleeing from the City (1985)
• Jah Will Be Done (1997)
• Jesus Dread 1972–1977 (1997, Blood & Fire)
• Deeper Roots Vol. 1 & 2 (2012–2014, Pressure Sounds)
• Dread Prophecy (2015, Shanachie)
🎛️ Dub Master & Producer
Yabby You was a dub visionary. His collaborations with King Tubby, Scientist, and Prince Jammy produced some of the deepest, most spiritual dub ever recorded:
• King Tubby’s Prophecies of Dub (1976)
• Beware Dub (1978)
• Yabby You Meets Michael Prophet at Dub Station (1981)
• Yabby You Meets Sly & Robbie & Tommy McCook (1982)
He also produced and mentored artists like:
• Michael Prophet (his protégé)
• Wayne Wade (Black Is Our Colour)
• Tony Tuff, Trinity, Big Youth, Willie Williams, Patrick Andy, Dicky Burton, Junior Brown, and The Gladiators
💥 Anecdotes & Legacy
Yabby You’s music was filled with apocalyptic imagery, biblical prophecy, and spiritual resistance. He often recorded while walking with crutches, driven by faith and fire. His riddims—like Jah Vengeance, Run Come Rally, Judgement Time, and Deliver Me From My Enemies—were heavy, haunting, and holy.
He once said:
“I don’t follow man. I follow the truth. And the truth is in the music.”
His song Deliver Me From My Enemies was featured in the cult film Babylon (1980), and his label Prophet Records became a sanctuary for conscious reggae.
Yabby You passed away on January 12, 2010, from a brain aneurysm. But his voice still chants down Babylon.
🎙️ ROOTS WARRIOR SOUND salutes Yabby You
You were a prophet in sound. A mystic in rhythm. A rebel in spirit. Happy Birthday, Yabby You. Your lion still conquers.
#YabbyYou #JesusDread #RootsWarriorSound #ConqueringLion #KingTubby #DeliverMeFromMyEnemies #vivianjackson #WallsOfJerusalem #DubProphet #Rastafari
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BLESSED EARTHSTRONG IN ZION VAUGHN BENJAMIN
Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Vaughn Andre Benjamin, born August 13, 1969.
He was the mystical voice of Midnite and Akae Beka, whose lyrical depth, spiritual wisdom, and prolific output reshaped the landscape of modern roots reggae.
Born in Antigua and raised in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vaughn was more than a singer—he was a prophet, a poet, and a vessel of Rastafari consciousness.
#vaughnbenjamin #akaebeka
#midnite #rootswarriorsound
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NOVEMBER 23
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE ORIGINAL DON GORGON : CORNELL CAMPBELL !! 🇯🇲🎙️⭐️
#cornellcampbell #rootswarriorsound
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NOVEMBER 23
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE QUEEN OF REGGAE : MARCIA GRIFFITHS !! 🇯🇲⭐️🎙️
#marciagriffiths #rootswarriorsound
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NOVEMBER 10
HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN HEAVEN DELROY WILLIAMS !! 🇯🇲🎙️⭐️🙏🏽
#delroywilliams #rootswarriorsound
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NOVEMBER 10
BLESSED EARTHSTRONG BERNARD COLLINS 🇯🇲🎙️⭐️ #bernardcollins #TheAbyssinians #rootswarriorsound
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October 19
⭐️Honoring the Legacy of Peter Tosh on His Birthday ! 🇯🇲⭐️🎙️🙏🏽 #petertosh #rootswarriorsound
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I do not own the copyright to these songs, I’m just posting them for fun and for the love of reggae music! If my videos cause any issues, feel free to contact me and I will take them down ! ONE LOVE 🇯🇲🙏🏽🎸🎤✊🏼