While far from a household name in reggae, Judah Eskender Tafari cultivated a loyal fanbase and respectable catalog during his recording career. The Studio One single “Rastafari Tell You” sits at the top of a small set of deep cuts he recorded for Coxson Doddʼs famed studio starting in 1978. These have continued to find a place at roots reggae soundsystem and DJ rub-a-dub parties after nearly five decades. The earnest lyrics and spiritual mission of these early recordings would define Judahʼs entire career, extending through the decades to “Great Escape,” a new Daptone 45 produced by Daptone label stalwart Victor Axelrod. The song alludes to the Old Testament in a vision of mankind gone astray, trying to escape the confines of the Earth for salvation. Axelrod picked the title for the dub because at the time he was finishing the mixes, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos were in a much-discussed space consistent with the sentiment in the song, or as Axelrod puts it simply, “they're all terrible ideas presented as being progressive.”
