Appreciation. As I get older (and older and older), I find that the importance to appreciate the moment that you're in is something that is increasing in value. From something as simple as the current calm to an inevitable storm; to something as crucial as my daughter, who I once held in one hand, now being damn near as tall as I am - if you enjoy something right now ENJOY it! If you appreciate someone right now, TELL THEM! Things change very quickly and, even if they change for the better, you will never have it exactly as you have it RIGHT NOW. When we bridge that gap and head towards the reason that we're hear today, things are certainly no different. Not too long ago, I can remember an era where Greensleeves Records (annoying, I thought at the time) released riddim albums at a rate of... maybe 10:1 to actual artists that they had signed. Who would have known that, just a few short years later, the practice would be gone (so would Greensleeves, basically) due to the fact that actual riddims are of a dwindling concept and what has replaced them, particularly on the Dancehall side is something other than Dancehall. Similarly, while we may've complained about struggling to keep up with the personal release schedules of certain individuals on the album side, I'd give up a bit to go back to those times. Sizzla, who I've been writing about quite a bit as of late, presents all type of fitting examples in this space. The once hyper-active legend of August Town can go an entire year without releasing a single album (and while, REALLY, such a thing doesn't come as a big surprise (everyone gets older and slows down - the blog you are currently reading is a perfect example of that) it is still noteworthy) and when he does come up with something, it sounds NOTHING as it did in his most devastating of halcyon days [years]. The same line of thought would apply to just a few others in some aspects (I do struggle, and do so MIGHTILY, however, to think of someone whose work has deviated as much as Sizzla's has) with the prevailing line of thinking being that, things have changed SO much and will never go back to the way they are and DAMN! I MISS IT! Although, with that being said, there're still somewhat healthy lines to the past that we stumble across occasionally and, just as it is of a supreme level of significance to acknowledge and appreciate the current moment, it's just as crucial as we ENJOY and celebrate times like these.
We were presented with such a "time" just a couple of years ago in the form of an album by the name of "Living Testament". That set came courtesy of the very active (and interesting) Trinity Farm Music (with Go A Chant Productions) and was dubbed the final recorded album from the great Vaughn Benjamin and Akae Beka. It was fantastic and would even go on to take our top honours in 2024 as the Album of The Year. Despite the fact that it was called the final complete work of Benjamin (and I'm not suggesting that it isn't, the album we're talking about today could have very well been recorded after "Living Testament"), there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that today's situation was on the horizon but, as I said, I made the most of that release and I still am (currently POUNDING 'Holding the Amen Key') ["Among the ministers of The King's High Court"]. I think that we got spoiled by Akae Beka. Even when the pacing of others slowed down a bit, they were still quite active and would go on to reach a point where, despite making a brand of music that would probably be incapable of being any further from "mainstream", their music had begun to attract a wider level of attention and deservedly so. Some of the later Akae Beka sets have been SCALDING.
Akae Beka & Higher Bound Productions
So the prospects of getting my paws on a new one, regardless of when it was recorded, were damn appetizing and they always will be. Vaughn Benjamin -- PHYSICALLY (and only physically) -- left us in late 2019 but because of the type of work that he left behind, it hasn't seemed so. Not only have their been more releases but the older material remains just as enjoyable to listen to and to work through in order to find the true meaning and inspiration of one of the very few undeniable geniuses I have ever come across. It's still as challenging and rewarding as ever from songs that're... decades old at this point. Benjamin's work is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Along with missing certain sounds and situations that have faded away over the years, I also miss the delightfully infrequently frequent way we ran into certain entities. If you look at Midnite and then Akae Beka, in particular, Benjamin would record with certain labels that you either wouldn't see AT ALL without him or others that you would run into they got more of the spotlight on their output via their releases with him. You think of outfits such as Rastar, Fifth Son Records (a personal favourite of mine). Iaahden, Natural Vibes.... and. of course, Afrikan Roots Lab and Rastafaria. Without the physical presence of Vaughn Benjamin, you worried about some of these labels and some of them, CLEARLY, have exited the business, while others have DELIGHTFULLY stuck around (and this is, of course, without mentioning the likes of the Zion I Kings). Another body that would have been in that lot would definitely be Higher Bound Productions. I'm going to be a bit circular here but I will bring myself back and do so quickly: Headed by one Ishence, whether you realize it or not, HBP has been very productive in their time and even without Akae Beka. The US based imprint has worked with the likes of Ancient King ["Ethiopie"], Danny I, Ras Abja ["Songs Fa Jah"] and even the reclusive Army (whose "Dredlocks Time" may just be the single finest album Higher Bound has ever done) through the years so, if you pay any attention at all to Virgins Islands Roots music, chances are pretty decent that you've ran into their work somewhere along the way. Even if you're not, the fact that they've also released FOUR full Akae Beka/Midnite sets, should have popped up on your radar at some point during the last twenty years or so. There was the FUN "Bless Go Roun" ["Rinse out the dirty cup!"] (always fondly remember that album and then I go back and have a listen and it's even better than I recall) from 2007, which preceded "Ark A Law" by three years. Solid and impressive they both were, Benjamin & Higher Bound hit higher heights three more years on when they sent out the GORGEOUS "Free Indeed" (simply one of the best albums Benjamin has ever done for anyone in my opinion) and kept the quality high with the most recent entry, 2019's 'Hail The King".
And let's talk about "Free Indeed" & "Hail The King" for just a second. We started a new series called "Signatures". It's most recent entry, #14, was for Bushman; but the very first was for Akae Beka. If you are unfamiliar, Signatures is just a compiling of my favourite songs from a given artist and, apparently, my favourite Akae Beka songs include one song each from "Free Indeed" & "Hail The King", respectively. Those two songs, 'Hemp Scroll' & 'New Race' were NECESSITIES for that list. It would have been incomplete without either! So, when you take ALLLLL of that and add on top their most recent history, if/when the new Akae Beka album, that I presumed but didn't know was on its way, were to come from Higher Bound, not only would I have no problem with that at all, I'd also be pretty damn excited about it... even more than usual. LUCKY ME! The early part of the second third of 2026 now delivers to us an Akae Beka album of full music that I've never heard [!], "World Tap In"! BOOM! The feeling going into these records, for me, is always an interesting one. You may not think that Akae Beka makes a brand of Roots music that is necessarily exciting but that's where I'm at! I am downright THRILLED to be diving into a new album and, again, when it comes aligned with such a proven source, it magnifies it even more. Even the album cover (biggup Marcus Wilson) gives me that wonderful nostalgic feeling! LET'S GET INTO IT!
Along with, obviously, that of of Vaughn Benjamin (who also serves as producer along with HBP), "World Tap" also features the work of a lineup of venerable players of instrument such as Ras L, Kenyatta Itola and the great Tuff Lion, all of whom have a long line of working with Akae Beka/Midnite throughout the years. So, at least on paper, if you were coming to this album expecting something of a deviation, you most certainly will not get what you're looking for. For the rest of us, however, we get precisely what we want out of "World Tap In" which gets up and going courtesy of what, kinda/sorta, would be its initial single (it's the only song present here that I heard a tiny bit of before it launched), the wholly destructive 'Kingdom'. The way this song comes in... it makes me tingle! The hair on my arm stands up when I hear that damn pulse because I can only imagine what is to come atop it in a second. The song sits as a table-setter. It sets the stage for what is to follow in direction and I don't have to go too far to tell you what direction that is (you know exactly what this song is about) and does so with a very OPEN and inviting style. Let's stick with that for just a second: You'll find, literally, thousands of Roots songs that are more suitable for people who may not be typical fans of the genre than 'Kingdom' ["Kingdom of Jah remain"] and are maybe easing their way into it but this is the litmus test for what is to follow. If you like 'Kingdom', I think there's a pretty good chance that "World Tap In" is for you. FORTUNATELY FOR ME, I absolutely love it. I hear so much natural emotion in this tune with this man singing about his King that it proved to be a downright HUMBLING start to this release. The responsibility for keeping the quality up following the opener goes to a song which, RIDICULOUSLY, threatens to outpace 'Kingdom', the multi-multi-faceted 'World Volatile'. On one hand, you've heard Benjamin do something like this before. He will get into topics centered around financial matters and such themes (the one that immediately came to my mind was "All I's On You' from "Beauty For Ashes") and though they typically aren't (they never are) CLOSED off and straight-forward), I don't know if he's ever done one as all-encompassing as this stunner.
"World volatile just to make decision
Leaders with constituencies of millions
For the wellness of the land and who have dominion
Changes at a rate beyond human comprehension
To ease the vibes and cool the tension
Mass-media inna the world must make distractions-
To prevent unrest inna the nation central
A leader to face the stiff faceness of the situation-
At the market of ideas, where they making their mention
Market stumble, fall down and stock prices regression
It's like to where to seek in the world for stable vision
The ideal human-commercial interaction
Where, just fairness appeals to the participants
World volatile just to make decisions
Leaders with constituencies of millions"
Now you take that and leave it there and you have a song that is sort of a financial commentary but, later, Benjamin, on the same damn track, comes in with:
"Of augmentation and it's about diminution
It's who get reduce-ed and who get augmentation, addition
THIS IS INTENSE, WORLD COMMERCIAL COMPETITION
Nations has never before gone on a mission to secure their place on the world platform
SPORTSMAN DEXTERITY, POWER, SPEED AND FORM
IN THE SCIENCES IS WHERE IT GOES ON
THE ROYALTIES REGARDING THE PATENT AND THE LAWS
THE REWARD FOR DILIGENCE - THE CAUSE FOR APPLAUSE [!]
Then in come the generation of the mystic radiant
The same racist concepts can't hold dem yah stagnant
WHERE LOVE IS NOT STOLEN
WHERE IS RECIPROCAL-
HAILE CIVIC DUTY, LOVE OF COUNTRY, LOVE OF WOMAN AND MAN, BOY AND GIRL
THIS LOVE WOULD MAKE THE ONE LOVE TOTAL"
I mean... what do you even do with that?? Where do we go from here after he goes and does something like that? Maybe we should all just pack it in and go and find something else to do! Until we figure it out: 'World Volatile' is one of my favourite songs on this album (with respect to the 'Kingdom' and a certain plant that I'm going to tell you about in a second) as it is this TOTAL battering ram of ideology that challenges you as a listener in ways that only Akae Beka's music can (go from analyzing stocks to talking about the power of appreciation....). I should also mention the riddim which is on the VERY simple side but is GORGEOUS! Next in is the delightful bounce of 'Asking Some More'. I'm predicting that this one will get lost. It will be heard and enjoyed on a superficial level but if you grind it down, even a little your gift is brilliance. It just is. Where I am currently with 'Asking Some More' is that it is a track on the importance of education and awareness. Of course, I'm not strictly speaking about the type of knowledge attained in a classroom (although there's nothing wrong with that); this is a more experience based - instantly applicable - type of insight. Benjamin approaches this one from all angles including, wonderfully, a historical one.
"Nameless Ethiopians, remotest men of all-
Came to the west inna handcuff, inna chain and ball
Inna modern contemporary, standing tall
BECAUSE OF AMNESIA, WE DON'T RECALL"
And then there's the "plant" I alluded to before, the MAMMOTH 'Sycamore Tree'. There is a certain FORCE behind Benjamin's vocals here that I'm struggling to recall hearing previously on this level. There're points during 'Sycamore Tree' where his voice gets a little raspy and it almost seems like he's a little pissed off (maybe 'Sha-tee') ["Deputy & legacy"] but when you check it out, 'Sycamore Tree' is a biblical tune, almost entirely. I make this case for other artists but so rarely for Akae Beka because he doesn't change it much; but, at least here, the delivery adds so much to the vibes here and it absolutely TRAPPED me as a punchline/headliner for "World Tap In"...
"FROM THE OLD LION LAND, WHERE THE VIBE FIERY"
I have found 'Hemp Scroll'. I have located 'New Race'. 'Sycamore Tree' THRILLS as the single finest moment on the album. By comparison, the vocals of the tune behind it, 'As We Will', are much lighter than 'Sycamore Tree' but they also work in its case. It almost reminds me a little of the title track from "Free Indeed" ["Work of light and word of truth that King Selassie I reveal"] as far as its sound. 'As We Will', in its direction is a fairly broad life observation. It's about the balance of all things -- good & evil, heavy & light --and how they play a role in the things we do and the decisions we make. It comes from a spiritual source, obviously, but you could well apply facets of the song into tangible, everyday life. I thought I had a pretty solid idea of what 'Across The Eons' could be about and I was fairly close (for a change) as it sits as both a praising piece and one which attempts to link the present with the past ["Reaching across the eons to hold hands, to break bread and give thanks"]. It does have a more directly biblical heart, particularly later on but, again, you could just as easily take it to mean that the foundation and teachings set by our ancestors can be helpful to us all these years later. So, if you do take the effort, you could also give it a more grounded significance. Oh and 'Across The Eons' is also kinda beautiful but I'll talk about that more in a minute. I'll also mention 'Cover InI' right here because I've been stuck on it for the better part of an hour now. 'Cover InI' is a pure praise and nothing else and it is simply glorious. I want to emphasize the "simply" part of that statement because it doesn't even attempt much else (which is rare for Vaughn Benjamin) and he says a couple of things during the song which definitely caught my attention and did so in a very, again, plain and uncomplicated way. "I keep The King in front I face continually", he says and the goes on to talk about both the rewards of doing so and the struggle to maintain that type of FOCUS. Speaking of "focus", that is the secondary thought I have regarding 'Cover InI'. He also says, "Higher man over material sensibility"; essentially saying that there are many things (and people) that can distract you from The Source but the greatest joy is not straying and not falling for them. BOOM!
As always, you go into an album and you're very curious about the title track and 'World Tap In' is no exception. This one took me a minute... and then another minute and then another one and that is largely due to its sound. Maybe its just me but I hear a lot of things going on in the background on 'World Tap In'. There's a certain GRUMBLE behind it (it sounds like someone is doing something, physically, in the background but doing it in a way while trying to stay on the melody) that can be a bit distracting and, for as aggressive as the song comes off, for his part Benjamin doesn't match it. He just goes about his business. His business in this instance is awareness. It is the idea that if we TRULY cut through a lot of the bullshit that we are served that our successes can soar. He goes SO FAR as to even get biological ["Pure water, clean air and all that thing"] in his image of upliftment so, if you dare to get through the sonics here (and maybe (probably) that was only an issue for me), a diamond awaits. Like You, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from 'In Your Hands' and it did give me that but it also delivered something more unanticipated. There's something very VINTAGE about it. It's that beautiful, old school, disheveled and kind of messy Midnite sound and I mean that in a good way. It's what I used to run away from when I was younger and what became addictive for me when I was finally able to appreciate this work. I LOVED finding a song like this one "World Tap In".
Going back, I was also pretty happy to find the downright hypnotic 'Your Needs' as well. If you've ever seen an Akae Beka performance, perhaps you've seen Benjamin in some type of rapture, lost in his sound and, presumably, some type of JOY. I get that when I listen to 'Your Needs'. Just the sound of it and how his delivery hardly changes (WHAT he says changes, obviously, but not much in HOW he says it) signals to me that he was REALLY feeling the vibe here. What he does with it is to speak about how everyone has a role to play in building prosperity ["The people that hold things to together. Make systems work, run efficiency; and training and order. What are your needs?"]. 'Your Needs' is RIPE with ideology and I think it'll end up being one of the songs I listen to most from "World Tap In". Finally, the album goes out on a very high note, with one of its legitimate champions, the mystical and curious 'Freedom Route'.
"The long march is on
Sounds like boots are on the move
The displaced people seeking rest and food and mood
Pace yourself
The journey's long
Take your palce among the strong
Pray that goodness lead in front
Greater numbers from month-to-month
Politicians who are rude and flaunt-
Take your hopes and dash dem down
Turn your smile into a frown
Turn their thorns into a crown
Jah be with who makes it out
All about the freedom route
All along the freedom route
Jah be with who makes it out"
I won't go into it too much (because I'm about to right now) but the closer has such a LOVELY sound to it. It is so nice to hear! Its 'route', in my opinion, is about how we all need to be willing to help one another and to also be able to receive and ASK for help when we need it, ourselves. There is a journey that we must all make and MAYBE you can make by yourself but your chances improve greatly when you have someone standing next to you and in front of you and behind you...
Okay! I do want to very briefly elabourate on what I just mentioned and refrained from mentioning several times throughout this review. Musically, "World Tap In" is exquisite. It is REALLY good but, because of its subtleties and simplicities, I don't think that this album will ultimately be appreciated for just how pleasing of a listen (on the most casual of levels) that it actually is. I go back to the "Bless Go Roun" set and it's seriously approaching those levels and, it's a better album than "BGR" was in my opinion. Credit goes to Higher Bound Productions there because they made them both.
Overall, because we don't know when or even if we'll get another opportunity like this (although I think we will and I'm REALLY hoping that someone out there is working on putting together a 'greatest hits' type of release for Akae Beka) (but I doubt it), I'm definitely making the most of "World Tap In" and, outside of this review, I'm looking forward to enjoying and digging into all of these songs for years to come. That is a gift that is most unique to the music of Akae Beka. Sure, it can be pleasing and fulfilling and gratifying at once but the way Vaughn Benjamin made music... it almost came with a time-delayed function. Much of his work will carry even more value years on from now. "World Tap In" is not only another winner from Akae Beka and Higher Bound Productions, it's also another VERY healthy collection of music to add to a catalogue that is truly immortal and I got EXACTLY what I was hoping for and DAMN I'M HAPPY!
Appreciation. As I get older (and older and older), I find that the importance to appreciate the moment that you're in is something that is increasing in value. From something as simple as the current calm to an inevitable storm; to something as crucial as my daughter, who I once held in one hand, now being damn near as tall as I am - if you enjoy something right now ENJOY it! If you appreciate someone right now, TELL THEM! Things change very quickly and, even if they change for the better, you will never have it exactly as you have it RIGHT NOW. When we bridge that gap and head towards the reason that we're hear today, things are certainly no different. Not too long ago, I can remember an era where Greensleeves Records (annoying, I thought at the time) released riddim albums at a rate of... maybe 10:1 to actual artists that they had signed. Who would have known that, just a few short years later, the practice would be gone (so would Greensleeves, basically) due to the fact that actual riddims are of a dwindling concept and what has replaced them, particularly on the Dancehall side is something other than Dancehall. Similarly, while we may've complained about struggling to keep up with the personal release schedules of certain individuals on the album side, I'd give up a bit to go back to those times. Sizzla, who I've been writing about quite a bit as of late, presents all type of fitting examples in this space. The once hyper-active legend of August Town can go an entire year without releasing a single album (and while, REALLY, such a thing doesn't come as a big surprise (everyone gets older and slows down - the blog you are currently reading is a perfect example of that) it is still noteworthy) and when he does come up with something, it sounds NOTHING as it did in his most devastating of halcyon days [years]. The same line of thought would apply to just a few others in some aspects (I do struggle, and do so MIGHTILY, however, to think of someone whose work has deviated as much as Sizzla's has) with the prevailing line of thinking being that, things have changed SO much and will never go back to the way they are and DAMN! I MISS IT! Although, with that being said, there're still somewhat healthy lines to the past that we stumble across occasionally and, just as it is of a supreme level of significance to acknowledge and appreciate the current moment, it's just as crucial as we ENJOY and celebrate times like these. 
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