Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry To Create Self-Reliant Community In Jamaica To Get Away From “Babylon Madness”
Reggae music icon Lee Scratch Perry says he has a huge sustainable development plan for Jamaica, which includes the creation of an off-the-grid community, to enable him to get away from what he has described as “this Babylon Madness”.
The eccentric Scratch, who is hailed as one of the most important creative, artistic and musical figures to emerge in the latter half of the 1900s, currently resides in Switzerland with his wife and children.
Often described as a complex and contradictory man, the Grammy award-winning 84-year-old has the distinction of producing more than 1000 recordings during his career, which spans more than half-a-century.
These include some of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ best early recordings – including the Soul Rebel and Soul Revolution albums and Small Axe, Duppy Conqueror, Jah Live, Punky Reggae Party, and Rastaman Live Up singles.
Perry is said to have conceptualized beat-making strategies which had never been undertaken in a studio before, including recording garden implements for beats, burying microphones under trees to get a different sound, even blowing ganja smoke over the tapes and even running tapes backwards.
With respect to his new venture, Scratch, who was born in Kendal, Hanover, says he will be documenting the entire process on video, from land selection to completion which he will share on YouTube.
“I AM SOON GOING TO JAMAICA TO START A SELF -RELIANT COMUNITY TO ESCAPE THIS BABYLON MADNESS! I want to make a YouTube channel that follows every step from the beginning: Choosing the land…preparing it for permaculture and farming…building a new art house and studio…and everything happening on the way,” he wrote recently on his Instagram page.
On his accompanying photo he superimposed the words: “Now the world feels dark and dreary, and this endless fight has made your heart grow weary, you see there’s no end in sight, and you know you need a new life. I have a plan.”
According to the music legend, he is now seeking the services of one person, who is also desirous of fleeing the Babylonian system, to accompany him on the mission.
“I think it would be a good opportunity for a young man who wants to escape as well and start a new life on this paradise island FOR GOOD and who is very well familiar with social media and enthusiastic to make this idea become very successful. I can only take one person to stay with us and follow me with the camera showing step by step the creation of the future,” the Hanover native added.
Perry also said he is open to partnerships so that he can purchase a large expanse of land, to enable all involved to live in peace and not be bothered by external forces.
He explained: “Also, I’m looking for people who are interested to either invest with me together or get a peace from the land to build their own cottage, so I could buy a much bigger piece of land. The bigger the land the better chance we have to be left in peace from the outside controlled society!”
Indicating that he would be needing volunteers to “help prepare the land in the next step” Scratch also called for his followers’ opinions on his proposed project, and for interested persons to contact him privately.
“SENDING TO YOU ALL MUCH LOVE, PEACE, BLESSINGS AND PROTECTION TO BE ABLE TO STAY STRONG IN THIS CRAZY TIMES!” he concluded.
Scratch who is very fond of the resort town of Negril, has not disclosed where on the island he would be undertaking the venture, but residents of Hanover are hoping that the Upsetta will look keenly at doing as a legacy project in the community of Kendal, where he was born, and still has relatives.
“I think it is a good idea. Kendal has a great source of water over there coming from Rock Spring, ever-flowing coming from the mountains there. Water is one of the key things in farming and for any livelihood, people need water to survive,” Justice of the Peace ad parish historian Collin Johnson told DancehallMag.
“The soil is good; the weather condition is good so to start there would be a good benefit for Hanover and make his task easier. All great cities around the world were built around water,” he added.
Angela Haye, Executive Director of the Hanover Educational Institute, said that Perry’ vision was a great one, which could set an example to be emulated by other Jamaicans in the diaspora.
“We are hoping that the place of his birth, Kendal, will be one of the sites that he considers, because it is virgin territory; it has a lot of resources, springs rivers, organic soil, that I think he would need to establish such a facility. It would be a great legacy for him to leave for the people of his community, and by extension Hanover and Jamaica. So we are hoping this is where his mind is and we would welcome such a development,” she said.
The still-in-demand Perry is revered in Europe, where he constantly toured pre-COVID. In December 2019, he released his 12-track Heavy Rain album which debuted at number one on the Billboard Reggae Albums Charts and went on to become his first number one album in his 60-year career, also making him the oldest artiste to top the table.
Perry has one Grammy win which he copped in 2002 for the Reggae album, Jamaican E.T. He has four other Grammy nominations one in 2014 for Back on the Controls; in 2010 with Revelation; in 2008 with Repentance, in 2007 with The End Of An American Dream.
The I Am A Mad Man singer has even sparked the interest of mega luxury clothing brands including the iconic Italian fashion house, Gucci.
In May 2019, he featured as one of the models for Adidas Originals’ DON’T ASSUME campaign, which featured an eight-piece football-inspired collection consisting of Adidas Originals SPRT tracksuit, goalkeeper jerseys, shorts and a paneled hooded sweatshirt.
Back in 2010, Scratch collaborated with Supreme on two t-Shirt designs featuring his written word and his original artwork.
Scratch is an admirer of incarcerated deejay Vybz Kartel, whom he proclaimed to The Gleaner to be Jamaica’s best deejay ever, in 2017, but who would have to “repent and change his ways so God can give him another chance at freedom”. He is also a fan of Dancehall artiste Alkaline, whom he said was the best in Dancehall that year, so much so that he had to “bring him to Negril to perform” at his stage show.