Jamaican Poet Richie Innocent Set to Release His First Book, 'Perseverance'

Known for recorded poems such as Where Are The Warriors, Good Old Days and Drugs fi Gun, Richie Innocent represents the neo-dub poetry that emerged in Jamaica 15 years ago. Perseverance, his first book, is scheduled for release on February 17 through Cyber Clerical Associates.

Richie InnocentHe describes the book as “a marriage between reggae and dub poetry, that is driven not only by rhythms but also the words that are constructed through inspiration to be expressed so as to bring awareness for positive changes.”

Like some of his fellow Jamaican dub poets such as Oku Onuora, Richie Innocent has a fascinating personal tale. While Oku Onoura found fame after being released from prison, the Kingston, Jamaica-born Richie Innocent never learned to read until he was 10 years-old.

As its title implies, Perseverance is inspired by personal challenges he faced while growing up in St. Elizabeth, a rural parish in southern Jamaica. It was there, as a high school student, that he was encouraged by teachers to take creative writing seriously.

“I have always written about tough times, disappointments, challenges, chaos, unfair attacks and treatment to others, and in doing so with consistency and frequency the topics that are in this book encompasses the spirit of Perseverance,” he explained.

Students of dub poetry point to Jamaica-born, London-raised Linton Kwesi Johnson as the pioneer of that genre. His hard-hitting albums, including Dread Beat an’ Blood and Bass Culture, are classic works that inspired fellow Jamaicans such as Onoura, Mikey Smith, Mutabaruka and Yasus Afari.