2Baba and Majek Fashek update a nineties hit

The original song is taken from Majek Fashek’s Spirit of Love album, released in 1991. At the time, both singer and album were fan favourites.

Since his heyday, however, Majek Fashek’s music has fallen out of the spotlight. Much of the news coverage around the reggae-man cover drug use and destitution. And attempts to return him to recording music have mostly failed.

Nonetheless, his legacy as a musician has remained unsoiled, as younger reggae acts frequently acknowledge both his influence and the quality of his music. His success in the early nineties saw him featured on the popular American TV show 'Late Night with David Letterman'.

Before his music career derailed, the then ambitious reggae star caught the eye of the New York Times. “[H]e is a charismatic, accomplished performer,” the paper wrote in 1990, “with a gift for catchy riffs and a promising hybrid style, one that started in standard reggae but has added the bustling cross-rhythms of Nigerian juju and a touch of hard rock.”

Since then, Majek has made few public performances, one of the more recent ones coming at the monthly Afropolitan Vibes concert. There he gave a good account of himself. And with the updated song featuring 2Baba and produced by Majek Fashek, a semblance of the good times may return.

At the very minimum, a new generation will hear what the maestro once sounded like. For 2Baba, it was quite an experience. “It's an honour to collaborate with one of Africa's greatest musicians of all time,” he said. “To go from admiring him from a distance to actually having the opportunity to record with him and contribute to his legacy is something I cherish.”