On Thursday, August 2nd, 2007, Humble Ark presented Culture live at the Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach, Va to a beautiful crowd of Roots Reggae-loving fans. The night started with Seko of BlackStarLiner Sound spinning some fine roots reggae. From the old to the new, BSL kept the early vibes nice. Next up was Session Rockers featuring Black Culture and The Green Thumb horns, an 8 piece Reggae Band from our very own 757. Black Culture and Session Rockers ran through a 45 minute string of their strongest tunes including Man Up, Mr. Bond, Plant Plant and Make An Effort. Black Culture’s voice was in fine style, Session Rockers were tight as ever and the horns punched in to get the crowd moving. They ended their set by breaking tradition to play a cover song, paying tribute to the late great Joseph "Culture" Hill with a great version of Rally Round Jahoviah’s Throne. Look for them around town and check for more info at www.MySpace.com/SessionRockers  Steve Martinez continued the nice vibes alongside The Stable Roots Band blazing through 3 hot tracks. The band was tight and Steve’s voice came through crisp and clean.

Now came the main event. Culture. The band we had all come to see. This time, with a curious nature as to what we would get now that Joseph "Culture" Hill had passed on to Zion. Knowing that Kenyatta Hill, Joseph’s son, would be leading the charge and also knowing that Culture would not be moving forward unless Kenyatta was up to the challenge of not only filling his father’s shoes, but also bringing something fresh to the waiting fans, I figured we were in for something special. My instincts were nothing short of correct. Kenyatta flew on stage chanting "JAH JAH see them a come, but I-n-I a conqueror" with such command and power that I think it caught many of us off guard. His voice is just about an exact match to a younger Joseph Hill. If you closed your eyes, you could pretty much be fooled into thinking it was Joseph. But it wasn’t. It was Kenyatta. Standing Tall and Firm in the face of adversity. Albert Walker & Telford Nelson’s harmonies enveloped Kenyatta’s every word with a sweetness likened only to the purest sugar cane.

Culture proceeded to show the Jewish Mother they came to put it on by flying through a sting of older hits including "JAH Rastafari", "Love Shines Brighter", "Iron Shapeth Iron", as well as newer hits like "Tribal War", "She Waan Money" and "Addis Ababba". Stopping only for Kenyatta to pay homage to his father and let Virginia know how much Joseph meant to him. Having seen Culture more times than I can count or remember over the years, I knew the format of their set pretty good. It was a pleasant surprise to hear how the band had re-worked a few songs with "Pull-Ups" and "Levels". ‘Behold’, a song off of the album Baldhead Bridge, garnered a quick "Pull Up" from the crowd, and Kenyatta obliged. Zion Gate hit very close to home for the fans, but I’m sure it hit even closer to home for Kenyatta. The show continued with many more great tunes like the Ganja Anthem "International Herb", the prophetic "Two Sevens Clash", "I Am Not Ashamed", "Natty Never Get Weary", "Stop This Fussing and Fighting", which was a great standout tune from the older Culture days, and ended the night with "The Conquering Lion Shall Break Every Chain"

All skeptical thoughts of how Kenyatta would do were put to bed this evening. He has truly shown that he is worthy of carrying on the works of JAH and not only picking up where his father left off, but forwarding the music in a fresh direction. The next time Culture passes through your area, have no concerns over Joseph being gone and rest assured that Kenyatta will bring the vibes and carry the torch of Roots Reggae in this new generation.