Mutabaruka (medicijnman), de militantste dubdichter van Jamaica, wordt in '52 geboren in Kingston. Vanaf '68 schrijft hij gedichten. Hij is vooral geboeid door politieke issues. In '81 brengt hij zijn eerste dichtbundel uit, The First Poems. "Melanin Man" is zijn zesde album. "The title track, with its embrace of the controversial melanin theory, will probably dismay those who find the link between genetics, color and behavior a tenuous one at best. The other numbers continue his tradition of unrelenting, pro-Jamaican, pan-African political fare. He does take a different tack on the last work, however; "Dance" is reminiscent of The Last Poets or Gil Scott-Heron, and for just a little while shows that he can talk about something besides cultural conflict and racial oppression." (Allmusic)
