Growing up in Boston in the mid ‘80s, music was a huge inspiration for Tosh 1.
Whether it was the sultry sounds of his father, Peter Tosh’s spiritual sound, or the by the sultry and expressive hip-hop, it’s hardly surprising he would choose to combine both genres.
“I was a big fan of the early pioneers like KRS 1 and Public Enemy and EPMD,” says Tosh. “When they say music is the spice of life, I think that they really mean. It’s that outlet to express ourselves is the perfect and ideal way to share your feelings emotions and ideas with the world in an artistic form,” says Tosh.
A talented and energetic artist, who has uncanny sound to his late father, Tosh’s first official live concerts at the Paradise Rock club in Boston, a venue his father once graced over a decade ago, and at the Hut Tin Roof in Martha’s Vineyard, performing as a virtual unknown, a hyper-energetic Tosh 1 managed to stir audiences into an amazing frenzy.
His first remake of “You Can’t blame the youths” he proved to himself and fans that he was ready to awaken the spirit of his father and deliver the message to his generation.
After many years of training and honing his lyrical abilities, Tosh, who has an economics major, has truly become a master at his craft opened for some of the biggest names in the business. He has graced the stage with Sizzla, Gregory Isaacs, Shabba Ranks, Damian Marley, and performed live with Sinead O’Connor backed by Sly & Robbie and toured with Heavy Weight Dub Champion. He has also recorded with the son of the late great Dennis Emmanuel Brown, Daniel Brown and is looking forward to doing more collaborations.
Check out our interview with the artist.
What would you say is your musical mission?
“My mission is to deliver a message of Truth without compromise in the language I am most familiar with which is the language of struggle.
How did you start this musical journey?
“I was writing rhymes for fun at age 11. Once I got in school, I started to practice rhyming off the top of my head. Also, around that time I was just really into my father’s music and heavily into the message and I was really coming of age and learning the significance of what my father had left behind in the legacy. Around that time the twin towers fell too. September 11, which was the same day my father was murdered. I felt that calling to pick up where my father left off and I started singing my father’s songs and would get compliments that I sound like him and started performing and one of my first live performances was at the paradise club which was where my mother and father first met. Everything just fell into place. I started noticing consciousness which would happen in my life that led me on that path. When I create my music, I believe that I have a gift that people feel where I am coming from, and they feel my energy. I feel that when as soon I step up on stage my spirit goes out into the crowd and is communicating with people. People have come up to me and say I have changed their life. The first time I saw a performance and that is what my music is all about. Liberating the masses and getting them proactive.
Can you tell us more about the single?
I have a title track which is called Babylon Burning which I am going to be releasing as the next single. I would like to get some noteworthy reggae artists as well as some noteworthy hip-hop artists and collaborate with producers in reggae and hip hop. That’s my aim. I have linked up with Bunny Wailer, and he has shown some interest in doing some music with me as well as Horace Andy and my brother Andrew. I would like to work with some of the Marleys so will see how that pans out. I am scheduled to release the album in the fall. It’s pretty much about the current state of affairs. If you look around the world today you will see there is a system that is basically collapsing or failing. We need music to survive and we need that outlet to express ourselves and what we feel insider and music is the perfect and ideal way to share your feelings, emotions and ideas with the world in an artistic form. So, when they say music is the spice of life, I think that they really mean.
Where your economics major come in play?
My knowledge of economics and my knowledge of different systems. Capitalism, socialism and macroeconomics theories have taught me and nobody can sugar coat what is going on today. I plan to express my academic knowledge of what’s going on in the system today and share that with people with regard to how we got here. There have been so many events that have occurred during our generation. The value of the dollar dipped under the Canadian dollar, stock market crashed, 911. The signs physically are there as to what times we are living in. It has to if you are conscious as to what is going.
What are some of the tracks on album?
Man Up which is basically a get up stand type of vibe telling people to basically stand up for their rights. Get active and do what you have to do to make true progress as a people, as a unit. There is a track Blaze and Fire, Rastafarian Rules and Burial which is one of my father’s old songs. Ideally what I want to do with this album is infuse reggae and the hip-hop. I want to bring back a lot of the old school riddims of like the early 1980’s and faze it with that old school hip hop and create a brand-new sound.
Any Hip hop artists ideally you would like to feature?
I have to say one of the artists I would like to work with is Killer Priest. He isn’t super famous, but he is very deep and conscious and his music is inspiring. I would like to work with the Roots and the Wu Tan Clan. If we got together, we could make some magic happen musically.
What is the most important thing you have learned in this business?
I have learned to always expect the unexpected. Try to stay grounded and focused and true to yourself. Never let anybody compromise who you are for the sake of a dollar.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Peace of mind. Once you have peace of mind you have it. It’s when your mind and emotions become unbalanced that unhappiness happens.
What do you want to be your legacy?
Making my father’s name the household name it deserves to be.
