Max Romeo
He moved from the banned cheek of “Wet Dream” to some of roots reggae’s sharpest political records. Max Romeo could make a slogan sing, then make the same line haunt punk, hip-hop and electronic music decades later.
Max Romeo first reached an international audience with “Wet Dream” in 1969, a record the BBC banned while British listeners kept buying it. His 1970s work widened dramatically: election songs, social commentary and finally the Lee “Scratch” Perry-produced War Ina Babylon, where “Chase the Devil” became one of roots reggae’s most enduring recordings. Romeo’s writing kept travelling after the original records. “Chase the Devil” was sampled by The Prodigy and Jay-Z and repeatedly recut in reggae and dub. He remained active into his final years, touring with his children and fighting publicly for royalties. Max Romeo died in April 2025, leaving a catalog that refuses the idea that one artist must choose between rude humor, politics and spiritual warning.