Admiral Tibet’s family affair

We’re living in a serious time, woo/ Don’t let the devil blow your mind/ The time is so serious, cantankerous and dangerous/ Is only in the Father, you know, I put my trust/ The time is so serious, cantankerous and dangerous/ All over the world everyone is in heated rush. – Admiral Tibet, Serious Time.
Some 22 years after Serious Time was released, living legend Admiral Tibet’s words can still get thousands of people grooving and feeling his vibe from the roots up in the pouring rain.
And he thinks it’s because he writes “good” songs. But from the reaction of many – including last Sunday at the Digicel Reggae On The Hill concert – they may go so far as to say Admiral Tibet makes great, relevant, and conscious music.
Also known as Mr Reality, Tibet has been recording professionally since 1985, from his first song Babylon War to the beloved Leave People Business Alone and Serious Time.
He said: “When I see people react to my music like that after 20-something years, I feel elated knowing that these songs are still relevant. It gives me strength to continue writing good songs.
“If they weren’t good songs then they wouldn’t live on and I couldn’t come sing them today,” he told the WEEKEND NATION last Sunday immediately after his performance.
“It pays for any artiste to have good, true songs,” he added.
Tibet, who has avoided any slackness in his lyrics, explained that he wanted to pass his legacy on to his children, both of whom were his backup singers on Sunday’s stage.
“I am trying to encourage them to continue on because maybe there will be a time when I will ease back a little bit and I need them to keep the same kind of music, the same vibe.
“That would be one of my greatest moments – to see my kids come up and continue the conscious music, the positive music,” he said.
But there is still time for his children to take over from where he left off because Admiral Tibet is still a top seller and continues performing all over the world.
“I am touring even more right now because it’s like the older the songs become, it’s like the more work and more touring. I have shows all over America . . . Japan, Canada and so on, so there are still quite a few shows ahead of me.”