African Simba developed an interests in the performing arts at an early age. The first performance that he can remember was in a primary school nativity play. He could have been as young as five at the time, when he played one of the three kings of the East bearing a gift on his visit to the Christ on his birth. His interests in performing developed as he continued with school plays, joined the choir and then later joined the steel band as a drummer. His most memorable performance with the band was at the Commonwealth Institute in London.

African Simba's father was also a music lover and he listened to all types of music from High-Life, Ju-Ju and other deep African beats to Country and Western and Reggae Music. Simba listened and enjoyed all of these, but he fell in love with Reggae Music. There was something about it that was typically African, but related more to the Western Hemisphere of the world that he was rapidly growing up and developing in.

London was a very cosmopolitan city bringing together different peoples of the world. More importantly to African Simba though, it was bringing together different black people of the world, Africans from home, from different parts of the Continent, and those from different parts of the Caribbean, people who would probably not have met Africans from the Continent or those from the Caribbean if they had not come to Britain and had just stayed in their own countries.

It was within this mixture that African Simba started to acquire knowledge of issues like slavery and colonization of African people, which to a very small degree was talked about in secondary school but never highlighted. It was also during his early youth that such touching and revealing books and films such as 'Roots' by Alex Hailey were first being published and shown on national television.

Reggae Music also seemed to be the only form of music that was dealing with these and other social issues that Black/African people worldwide were suffering from. more info...

Early History:

Whilst at school, African Simba had chosen as a project to study the doctrine and livity of a group of people known as Rastafarians. These were people who were of African descent who had recognized the divinity of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, the First and who wished to be repatriated to their homeland Africa. They were also the inventors of Reggae Music who had been enslaved and 'carried-beyond' to the Caribbean to Jamaica.

African Simba became truly involved in the music at this stage in his early teens. Being a true born Nigerian, he was already used to 'Pidgin English' and when he was younger he was sometimes left with a child minder who was a Jamaican neighbor. It was her and her family who first introduced him to Jamaican 'patois' (a form of Pidgin English).

At the age of eleven, African Simba found himself practicing how to 'toast" This was a Jamaican way of rhythmically talking over the music (the roots of rapping) in patois (MC or Rapper now sometimes replaces the term Toaster) first of all mimicking famous toasters such as, JAH Thomas, Ranking Dread, Papa Toyan, Brigadier Jerry (the Teacher) and Daddy U-Roy (the Godfather). Mixing their styles and copying their lyrics was how he started, but then he started creating his own style and writing his own lyrics.

By this time African Simba had joined up with some local friends, Adrian Walton, Andrew Simmonds and Glynne Cumberbatch, who were a bit older than himself and had formed two small sound systems, Prince Apollo and Exodus. The two sounds soon became one, Exodus and African Simba, inevitably became the DJ.

African Simba also continued studying hard at secondary school. From a young age his teachers had recognized his intelligence and he was selected into the top classes for Math's, English and French. African Simba was also becoming very colour conscious as he grew and studied in a place and an era when racism was a major topic. The National Front and the racist Skinhead gangs were on the prowl in Britain and soon the race riots exploded all over England. Starting in St Paul's Bristol, moving to Toxteth Liverpool, Moss Side Manchester, Handsworth Birmingham and anywhere in London, where you found Black communities.

During this period African Simba became very outspoken at school, almost challenging the racist behaviour of some of his teachers, who in turn played on the fact that they knew his emotions and how he felt towards them. This would often lead to trouble and friction with School Heads. Rather than continue to experience the scourge of racism African Simba's parents decided to send him back home to his beloved Nigeria, Africa, a place where his spirit always wanted to be. By this time, African Simba had fully embraced the Rastafarian way of life and had began to shun aspects of the school curriculum in England and its' Eurocentric ideology, that he now realised was responsible for mis-educating his people and leading them into a state of further subservience and mental slavery. more info...

Future Developments:

Whilst in Africa African Simba's love for Reggae Music grew. He continued to practice toasting and it was here that he was given the nickname JAH Thomas after the famous Jamaican artist/producer.

He stayed in Nigeria for a further three years where he finished his secondary school receiving his WASC's (West African School Certificates - equivalent to the then GCE 0' Level and the present GCSE in England). In Nigeria he became more culturally aware of his people, their language, traditions and customs. This expanded his mind and as an Afrikan made him more whole. He returned to England at the youthful age of sixteen.

On his return African Simba joined with some fellow Rastafarian brethrens that he had sparred with before leaving England. They were in the early stages of forming a sound system by the name of Zulu Priest. Their names were Daniel 'Zulu' Brooks, Azariah 'Benji', Ivan 'Rakka' Levi and Malcolm 'Shadrack' Levi. They gave him the name Simba and he joined them becoming what? The DJ.

Zulu Priest were very serious (in the terms of Afrikan awareness and the teaching of Rastafari doctrine) but were also a very entertaining sound system, who to a great degree were imitating the style of a much more senior (and probably the most famous of all Rasta sound systems world-wide) sound JAH Shaka, a sound Africa Simba has chanted on (to hear the origional recording click here) . Some people thought they were just copycats while others recognised their ability to be unique and entertaining. People loved their music and their original 'dub-plates' that they would play and they loved hearing Simba on the microphone.

Zulu Priest became quite famous within their locality playing at a lot of memorable functions and attracting a young Rastafarian crowd. Sadly in the late 80's/early 90's, they ceased playing together as a sound system.

During the time with Zulu Priest, Simba was introduced to a great musician by the name of Dub Judah who was extremely multi talented and who had knowledge of production and studio engineering. He embraced the young soundmen and introduced them to studio recording. Here Simba took full advantage of the situation and soon showed off his skills which interested Dub Judah. In 1991, Simba recorded a song entitled 'Give Thanks', which was released on the B-side of 'I Give Jah', a song by fellow vocalist Taboo. Dub Judah was the Producer and both tunes, which were on the same instrumental, were released on his Dub Jockey Label in 1992. Both tracks were received well by the Roots/Reggae audience in the UK and became quite popular in the Roots/Reggae dance hall scene. more info...

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