Rastafarian firebrand Anthony B has released the single “Bad Beryl,” a tribute to Hurricane Beryl, the explosive storm that hit Jamaica last Wednesday with destructive winds of up to 110 mph and a life-threatening storm surge.
The storm’s passage left at least two people dead, damaged buildings, ripped off roofs and left thousands of homes without power.
The Fire Pon Roma DJ hopes the song will be a sobering lesson for the island’s youth, as he dedicates an entire verse to the carelessness of young people who continue to party and frolic despite the storm.
“I’m thankful the eye of the storm didn’t make landfall. I wrote this song to remind the youth of Jamaica that nothing that happens in life is a joke, it’s not all pretense. I don’t want to see anyone lose their life because of stupidity,” he said.
He was referring to videos that showed the careless attitude of some Jamaican youths, including one showing wayward youths “daggering” a skimpy-clad woman with the bonnet of a police car and engaging in a mock “ackie war” – hurling missiles at each other in the streets of Arnett Gardens.
“I see TikTok, YouTube videos, Instagram videos and people dancing up a storm and not taking it seriously at all. I know we’re fun people… but there comes a time when you have to take things seriously,” Anthony B mused.
Anthony B. is just glad that Hurricane Beryl didn’t cause mass deaths on the island.
“Watching the storm approaching Jamaica, I said a lot of prayers and sent a lot of strength to protect my people, so I first gave thanks to Father God because the storm redirected away from the island in the last few hours and downgraded from a Category 5 to a Category 4 so we were not as affected by it. We are lucky that the island was not hit so hard and there were no fatalities,” Anthony B. said.
The artist recorded the song in the middle of the night, a few hours after the storm had passed over the island.
The album will be produced under the Trainline Records label and will be released on all digital platforms within the next few days.
“We wrote this song at midnight just after the storm so that this song will live in our memories and history will remember its importance. Remember The Wild Gilberts in 1988? A lot of young people remember Gilbert because of that (Lloyd) Lavindia song. This song is a remembrance so that future generations can remember this experience of Beryl,” Anthony B said.
Anthony B, who will perform at this year’s Reggae Sumfest, will be filming a video for the project.
Beryl became the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record this Atlantic hurricane season.
