Humble Me

I have loved Jah9’s ‘9’ album since the first time that I listened to it. Her ‘jazz on dub’ style, as she calls it, is a mesmerizing and potent carrier for her message. The opening track, ‘Humble Mi’, stands out with its poetic depiction our connection to the divine. Music that I like frequently turns into an ear worm. One day, as ‘Humble Mi’ was playing back in my head, I heard how it might be reinterpreted over afrobeat. ‘Humble Me’ is my attempt at this: an afrobeat cover of ‘Humble Mi’ by Jah9 (Jah9’s website). You will notice that the outro to the song stays true to the original’s dub reggae style.

“There is so much to fear they say, so many unknowns
There are those who would scorch the face of the earth
In a selfish game of thrones
Some have learned of the mysteries
And are forcing the world to comply, but give thanks
The source of the sacred is encoded in I and I”

I found deep truth in the lyrics quoted above. There will always be those who use fear to manipulate others in their endless pursuit of power. Worse, they are willing to use spiritual warfare to deceive others into aiding them and to harm those who dare resist them. That said, we can draw hope from the last line of this phrase: we can depend on the divine in us to overcome adversity. Likewise,

“When I tune into the frequency
None of the stains of adversity
Distract from the real I know
Of the Power I’m connected to”

More importantly, perhaps, Jah9 tells us we are not passive participants in our relationship to the divine. We must let go of the idea that we are helpless. For me, this also means I need to burn the idea of original sin. The divine is not an external force that may or not be interested in our well being. In truth, it is an essential part of us and we an essential part of it. Moreover, I believe it connects us all in ways that are not always apparent. In the end, I believe that we are here in this physical realm to do spiritual work. In her words,

“As I let go of the expectations
I start to feel everything go dark
A new found sense finds its activation
Blazing wild fire from I heart
One mind ignited finds its way
And everything following is even greater
All I thought I knew melts away
When clay becomes creator”

This track has actually been in the pipeline for about five years. Initially, I did a take of the rhythm and some demo vocals. But because I was still just getting back into making music, I did not have the work flow or equipment in place to achieve my vision. After I released my debut single, ‘Sailing On’, I had the confidence again to go back and explore some of my unfinished songs. To be sure, more are on the way! I hope you enjoy my afrobeat cover of Jah9’s ‘Humble Mi’. Dance to it if that’s what you’re feeling. movement can be a path to internalizing the wisdom of the lyrics.