Youtube Bans Anthony B's Music Video

Rastafarian Reggae artiste Anthony B has released a new video for the single, 'Build Back the Vibes', using footage from the classic cult film, 'Rockers'. However, YouTube has banned the video because Anthony B did not get clearance from the film's owners to use the footage.

Although there was a ban on YouTube, the video racked up 178,000 views in only two days on Facebook.

"Mi waan fi see the positive vibes a build back. The dancehall block up and the whole place a rock. Nuhbody nah dead, nuhbody nah bust nuh shot. Every man have a woman jus' a dance and a rock," Anthony B said in a Facebook post.

He said he was pleased with the dramatic response to the video, which had gone viral online in only two days.

"It's a great look, an authentic classic Jamaican film, and that scene encapsulates the spirit of what I am trying to bring back to reggae music; bring back the vibes, the authenticity, that joy for living ... I couldn't get the clearance from the owners of the Rockers film for it to be able to stay on YouTube, but the Facebook response has been phenomenal," he said.

Rockers is a 1978 Jamaican film by Theodoros Bafaloukos. Several popular reggae artistes star in the movie, including Leroy 'Horsemouth' Wallace, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Big Youth, Dillinger and Jacob Miller. Rockers was originally intended to be a documentary, but blossomed into a full-length feature showing the reggae culture at its peak.

The single, Build Back the Vibes, is featured on Anthony B's 12th studio album, I Luv Reggae, which will be released on July 23.

Anthony B believes that he can deliver a classic album that can capture the tenor of today's turbulent times and trigger a landmark popular culture moment in reggae.

"Reggae music needs an album similar to Buju Banton's Til Shiloh; we need a landmark. Bob Marley and other icons did it, but right now we don't know where the music is going," he said.

"A lot of artistes are creating music that is neither dancehall or reggae. They need to be braver and define the music they are putting out, give it a name, call it cross-over because they are confusing the fans."

Anthony B started his I Luv Reggae six-week tour of Europe on July 7, which will include performances on the One Love Reggae Festival in Italy on July 17 and Reggae Jam in Germany on July 25. In late August, he kicks off a series of shows in Australia, Japan and New Zealand.