There are a few iconic voices in Reggae but growing up in my household, no voice even compares to Lucky Dube.
Our family affiliation with Reggae was probably borne out of our love for the law Lucky Dube. The South African musician had a thing about his sound that always touched your emotional side. I still listen to his songs every now and then and one of my all time favourites was "Going back to my roots".
The connection with Lucky Dube went beyond music you see. To most African households at the time, his lyrics represented our truth and reality. He sang about terrible leadership, wars, family, alcoholism and various issues that affected our society.
Another reason why we all truly loved and accepted him and his music was because he was among the earliest African musicians that was internationally acclaimed. To a lot of us, he was our representative in the international scene back when African music wasn't as popular. He was a medium through which the dark continent connected to the world.
Outside Africa, lucky also made a big impression on Reggae music as a whole. He performed on various stages and events, wowing crowds with his amazing voice and style.
Lucky had this thing he'd do when the song hit a crescendo. He'd hit these really high notes using a falsetto and even just thinking about it gives me goose pimples. Reminiscing about him always brings back memories of my childhood and he was truly an icon.
Lucky Dube's unfortunate demise hit really hard and the whole continent mourned. His sound, however, is eternal and the words will reverberate in our senses forever.
