With this newest project, his second spin around the Satta track, the
CEO, who is actually a medical doctor by profession and born in Belize,
is reintroducing his label in a huge way after a two-decade absence
from the riddim-driven album-production scene. Manatee Records’ last
such project was the Virus Riddim album in the year 2000. Flowers, a
music aficionado, established his label in 1992 and has been fully
involved with the reggae and hip hop music community in Chicago, where
he is based. He has recorded and marketed many of the top-selling reggae
artistes, and his rich catalogue includes over 400 reggae titles. The
reggae-loving medicine man admits that he is happy with the reception of
‘Satta Massagana Rebirth Riddim’, which was released in April.
Flowers has high hopes for the project and has secured intense media
coverage in France, Africa, and Canada. In fact, he is so inspired that
he is even considering doing a deluxe and releasing his first version of
the Satta as well. “The songs are well written and bring positive messages of introspection, peace, and love to all,” he said.
An avid supporter of the many Afro-Caribbean music festivals for the
past 40 years, including the Chicago Music Awards and the Festival of
Life, Flowers has many fascinating tales about quirky coincidences that
paved the path to this rhythmical renaissance. It involves meeting up
back with persons he didn’t even know were part of the original
production or who have worked with his musical partner on other projects
in Jamaica while he was in Chicago.
“I had sent the riddim to Don Yute and didn’t hear back from him.
Seven months later, I called, and he said, ‘Father Doc, mi nuh get nuh
riddim from yuh’. I sent it back, and then I get a call from Sandy, who I
haven’t heard from in 27 years. She got my number from Don Yute, and we
rekindled that working relationship. I reached out to another artiste,
and he said, ‘Talk to my manager. He’s in Canada.’ And then he told me
that he was a young DJ spinning music when my Virus riddim was released
in 2000. I had no idea of that connection,” he said.
But balancing out the highs of reunions is an unexpected loss.
Gilbert Alamilla, also known as Mr Program, one of Belize’s young rising
reggae stars, was stabbed to death in October in Belize City in what
was described as a “bizarre incident”. Mr Program, who was known for the
song See I Rise, had recorded his song on the Satta Rebirth
[riddim] shortly before he died. “His death came as a shock to all of
us. His song is titled My Religion, and we are humbled [by] his song. See I Rise
was a hit throughout the Caribbean and the United States, and Mr
Program was expected to go far musically,” the Manatee Records CEO said.
For Flowers, the Satta rebirth is a global call for giving back to
the youth of today, and he is still revelling in a teaching moment when
he brought the riddim to the attention of the younger artistes. “Some of
them had never heard it before, and it was a moment just to see and
hear their response,” he recalled.
The ‘Doc’ sees it as significant that the ‘Satta Massagana Rebirth
Riddim’ is led by the mystic who wears the title of France’s most
popular Jamaican singer, Winston McAnuff. Armageddon is the
standout track from the veteran reggae artiste who Flowers said
appreciated hearing the new rendition of the Satta. It is quite a family
affair for the McAnuffs on this riddim. His son, Ishmel, one of
France’s reggae stars, and his daughter, Nadia, also represent. Ishmel’s
song, Who Build These Guns, features his sister Nadia, who is described as “a powerful dub vocalist”.
Repping for Jamaica are dancehall artiste Don Yute with No Stopping Me; TeearDropz, whose song Wake Up List is being embraced by radio in Jamaica; and Ras Ash 1st with the song Slave Trade. Trinidad’s Jah Defender is on the album to Chant Dem Down, and Belizean artistes include Drivah, Jah Art, Mikey Lion, and Shawn Adaan, as well as Belizean-American Kmino Contigo.
From Argentina hails Rastafarian star Fidel Nada. There is the
Mexican-American artiste Sgt Remo, and Jah Myhrakle and CK Pragmatic,
formerly known as Cement Kidd from the early ‘90s when he was signed to
Manatee Records, both represent New York. YoungWildApache, the youngest artiste on the riddim, has a collab with Sasha Musiquee, the title of which – Nice Again – sums up the reaction to the Satta Rebirth.
