Kenyatta Hill

Kenyatta Hill’s debut single, “Daddy,” (Tafari Records), confronts the emotional pain and uncertainty he felt after the recent loss of his father. “While I was writing, I was sitting and crying, because I didn’t understand what was going on. I still don’t understand what’s going on, you just kind of have to go with the flow.”



Kenyatta’s father, Joseph Hill, was the front man of Culture, the legendary vocal trio whose 1977 record “Two Sevens Clash” helped define the roots reggae genre. Over the course of a prolific career spanning more than three decades, Hill’s music broadened the appeal of reggae, boasting particularly large fan bases in Africa and the UK. His skillful songwriting and exuberant performing style earned him an induction into the Reggae Walk of Fame and a Jamaican Independence Award.



In August 2006, while on tour in Berlin, Germany, Joseph Hill suddenly fell ill and passed away. Rather than cancel the rest of the tour, Kenyatta, who had served as Culture’s sound engineer since the age of fifteen, decided to step in for his father. “It was a challenge, because I never knew I could sing. I was a nervous wreck. There was pressure, because I had a big role to fill.”



Kenyatta seems to have used that pressure to his benefit, earning rave reviews as Culture’s new frontman at both the Tru-Juice Rebel Salute and Western Consciousness festivals in Jamaica earlier this year.



“Daddy” is his first solo effort, a poignant single backed by a masterful roster of musicians, including Sly Dunbar and Dean Fraser. It is part of an album comprised of Kenyatta’s own compositions as well as a few incomplete Culture songs, which he has endeavored to finish himself. “My father still has a message that needs to be sent out. There were a lot of lyrics not finished, so I said, I’ll try to finish them.”



The album was recorded in Jamaica, and produced by Lynford “Fatta” Marshall, whom Kenyatta calls “one of the best engineers in Jamaica. This is my first album and I wanted someone who was going to push me to the limit. He was definitely that person.”



Named for Jomo Kenyatta, the first Prime Minister of Kenya, Kenyatta is planning a world tour following the release of his album. As far as the record’s success, he leaves it up to his fans. “The people will have to decide whether or not I can fill my father’s shoes.”