Majek fashek biography of donald

Reggae music legend, Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fashek who passed on Monday night dominated Nigerian and African music scene for over two decades before his slide to infamy in the last decade of his life.

In Nigeria, he was one of the early proponents of reggae music which was first developed in Jamaica before it spread throughout Africa. Reggae is generally believed to be a revolutionary song used to express pain, struggle, address societal ills and call political leaders to order. This is evident in many of Bob Marley&#;s songs like &#;Buffalo Soldiers&#; and &#;Africa Unite&#; which are deeply political, revolutionary and radical.

From the beginning of his career as a member of Benin-based reggae group that included Ras Kimono and Amos McRoy Gregg in the s, Majek Fashek rose to become the best Reggae artiste to come out of Nigeria and one of the greatest from Africa after going solo in to release ‘Prisoner of Conscience’ his debut album which sold more than , copies in Nigeria alone. The album had the hit track &#;Send down the Rain&#; which earned him the sobriquet &#; the ‘Rainmaker&#;.

How he became the Rainmaker and Prophet:

Nigeria was also affected by the Sahel Drought of the s which peaked in the s and led to a 30 percent decrease in rainfall. The drought led to the deaths of about , people in the Sahel region from to In , after Majek’s ‘Send Down The Rain’ from his debut album, it rained and that marked the end of the drought. The song marked a significant moment for Nigeria and from that moment, Majek became the favourite of most Nigerians for that sentimental reason and they named him the ‘Rainmaker’

‘Send Down The Rain’ won him six PMAN Music Awards in , they include ‘Song of the Year’, ‘Album of the Year’, and ‘Reggae Artist of the Year’ among others. From when he released his debut album &#;Prisoner of Conscience’ to the peak of his career in the late s, Majek proved to the world that his knack for making huge hit

Veteran Nigerian music star Majek Fashek passed on yesterday June 1 and his death was confirmed in the early hours of this morning.

He was considered one of the original Nigerian artists to be drawn to the music of the Caribbean, specifically reggae.

He also mixed indigenous generes like fuji, jùjú into his style which he calls kpangolo.

Having grown up in a fervently religious and musical family, he was exposed to the imported sounds of Bob Marley at an early age, alongside the innovations of local stars such as Fela Kuti.

In the early days of his career in the s as a member of Benin-based reggae group Jastix, he went by the stage name Rajesh Kanal.

He joined Jastix with musicians Amos McRoy Gregg, Black Rice Osagie and later Ras Kimono. The group gained popularity as the in-house band on the NTA Benin show Music Panorama.

They also toured with fellow reggae group The Mandators. Jastix were also session musicians for upcoming reggae singer Edi Rasta, who would later be known as Evi-Edna Ogholi.

The Jastix disbanded in and Majek began his career as a solo artist with the performing name Majek Fashek.

He signed with Tabansi Records under which he released his debut album &#;Prisoner of Conscience.&#; The album established him as Nigeria&#;s top reggae artist.

The song &#;Send Down The Rain&#; became the most popular song of the year, and in he won six PMAN awards for &#;Song of the Year&#;, &#;Album of the Year&#;, and &#;Reggae Artist of the Year&#; among others.

Fashek&#;s next album &#;I&I Experience&#; was release

Majek Fashek (born Majekodunmi Fasheke in Benin, Edo State, in March ; died 1 June ) was a Nigerian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was best known in his home country for the album Prisoner of Conscience, which included the multiple award-winning single "Send Down the Rain". Also known as The Rainmaker, he worked with various artists worldwide including Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Cliff, Michael Jackson, Snoop Dogg, and Beyoncé.

Various translations of his name include "high priest who does not lie" and "powers of miracles, the high priest does not live", and he claims he was born with dreadlocks, the "holy" hairstyle of Rastafarianism.

Fashek first gained national fame on a television show in the early s, then toured for many years with The Mandators. In , he began a solo career and quickly became the biggest reggae singer in the country. His song 'Send Down The Rain' was especially popular. He won six awards at the PMAN ceremony and then signed to CBS Nigeria in before moving to Island Records' Mango imprint (a label more accustomed to marketing reggae internationally). His first album for the company included a cover version of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song".

He subsequently recorded several albums for various labels, including Rainmaker for Tuff Gong () and Little Patience for Coral ().

Who be Majek Fashek?