Reasoning with Tony Rebel

TR: The biggest message is that the universe, or the Earth is our home, so we should protect it. The people who are here are our brothers and sisters. We should protect them. If each one protects the next one, then everyone will be protected. So we should not destroy the environment by putting things out there that will destroy the ozone layer, cutting down the trees that will cause soil erosion and lack of rainfall and pollute the sea. We should try to keep our home as safe as possible and we should keep our brothers and sisters as safe as possible.

To do this, we must be kind. We must have love and we must exercise justice. I would dare speak about peace because you can't have peace without justice, so I would say the message is universal love to the family of humanity. Love and justice-we would love to see that spread across the earth like water.

LG: How do you come to terms when you may want to cast judgment on something, or you may not like what you see? How do you deal with that? You know you shouldn't say anything or do anything but it bothers you.

TR: Regardless of what you see out there or what you hear, it is a part of your world, so is not about what happened but how you feel about it. You can always change your feelings. Something might be bad and you can't say anything because you might just lose your life. So you're going to be diplomatic. It's not every time you can say things, and sometimes you have to wait until the right time to say them. Sometimes you just have to be a rebel and rebel and let them know that that's the truth! Because truth stands, you know?

I tend to be observant and careful about what I say because there is a message that can go across in a particular way and the people don't accept it because the timing is not right or you say it a certain way, so I try my best to make sure that I communicate in a loving and peaceful way so peoples' feelings are not hurt. But if you are doing something wrong, then you will be remorseful. Try to change, because who am I to judge? There's so much good in the worst of us. There's so much bad in the best of us that it doesn't become any one of us to be condemning the rest of us, so we have to just try and support each other. Try to help as much as we can so that we can have a better world-that is the objective.

We need where we live to be conducive to life. Now you're walking around and everything you smell is pollution. Everything you eat is something to help you dig your grave. We are not in synch with the universe and that is my kind of thing, because I think I'm an extension of the universe. The universe helps me, talks to me, looks through my eyes to see what is needed, and I say it in songs. That is why I say what I say. A lot of things that I am saying come out of me but it is from a difference source. I know because when I listen to my own songs, they inspire me! (laughs) You understand? I might be down and I listen to one and it just perks me up! And I say, "Wow, the message is more than me. I am just an instrument."

LG: You do a lot of work with children as well.

TR: I do.

LG: I've noticed that a lot of the problems that children go through, especially here in the inner-city, is coming directly from parents who are misinformed or don't have enough information. I think the key to helping youth is to educate parents or to educate adults. There should be more advocacy about educating adults. What do you think?

TR: I like that! It's a different twist to it. My concept is that if you need a true change in the world, then you should really start with the younger ones because sometimes the older ones are harder and not so easy to change. But life is an endless cycle of change-things can never be the same. The next generation that is coming after us will talk different, will dress different, will look different, so we must expect that kind of change.

I endorse that concept that maybe we should educate parents to grow their children in a particular way because what I think is that some of our fore-fore-fore-parents have domesticated their children and it has been coming down since that time until this time. So from a child is born, you tend to give, inject your values and your concept in this child.

LG: Yes, they're a reflection of you.

TR: Yes, you put attention in this child-this child cannot be themselves-that is why when a child is mature, about 18 or so, they tend to get a little different because they want to be themselves. I think the laws of nature will show you what is right from wrong... We should allow [children] to exercise their own concepts, because they have their thoughts, they have their own ideas and as Khalil Gibran said in one of his writings that we are really just carriers of these spirits. We know not whence they came, so we just bring them into the world but they have their own life, their own things to take care of. If we can realize that they are individuals and we must listen to them and try their way because their way might be right and we don't have to domesticate them the way that we were domesticated, I think that would be good. So maybe, the real thing is to re-educate a lot of parents.

LG: I don't want to keep you much longer but I did want to ask what we can expect of Tony Rebel in the future. What's on your plate right now?

TR: I don't want to be too much of a prophet. I am going to take it one day at a time and I am going to just do my best as I always do-try to continue to give good music, try to live, try to learn, try to enjoy life because I have life and I want to make the most of it. So I'll be learning just like you and I will put it in words and give it to the people and edutain the people! We educate while we entertain!

LG: Well you are truly an inspiration and thank you for a beautiful performance.

TR: Thank you very much.

For more information about Tony Rebel's music, Rebel Salute, Flames Productions, or tour dates, pleas

e visit http://www.tonyrebel.com/.

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Laura Gardner is the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of www.jahworks.org and is known for her in-depth interviews with top international reggae artists. Her work has published in the BEAT Magazine, Reggae Review Magazine, the KALX Radio Program Guide, as well as other reggae-based websites. She can be reached at editor@jahworks.org.