Lutalo Masimba (24 October 1954 – 13 July 2021), born Roy Lewis and known professionally as Brother Resistance, was a rhythm poet and musician from

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. He died on 13 July 2021, after being diagnosed with cancer.

Background and career

Born in 1954 as Roy Lewis in East Dry River,

Laventille Laventille is a ward of Trinidad and Tobago. Etymology The name ''Laventille'' hearkens back to colonial times, especially when the French dominated the cultural traditions of the island. One etymological derivation of the name is because the no ...

, Trinidad and Tobago, he began writing poetry in primary school, and went on to study at

Queen's Royal College Queen's Royal College ( St.Clair, Trinidad), referred to for short as QRC, or "The College" by alumni, is a secondary school in Trinidad and Tobago. Originally a boarding school and grammar school, the secular college is selective and noted for it ...

. He was influenced by Trinidad's 1970 Black Power movement to become conscious of his African identity, and he would eventually change his name to Lutalo Masimba in 1982, in order to better reflect his heritage. He assumed the soubriquet "Brother Resistance" when he began performing and chanting his poetry at school. He went on to further studies at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, graduating with a B.Sc. degree in Social Sciences with History in 1980. Brother Resistance became, together with

Brother Shortman Everard Romany aka Brother Shortman, also known as Rapso Rebel, is a rhythm poet and musician from Trinidad and Tobago. Biography Born in Trinidad in 1951, Brother Shortman (Bro. Shortman) became, together with Brother Resistance, the lead si ...

, the lead singer of the Network Riddim Band, a Trinidadian ensemble, in 1979.Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 42–43. They developed a hybrid of soca and rap that they called "

rapso Rapso is a form of Trinidadian music that grew out of the social unrest of the 1970s. Black Power and unions grew in the 1970s, and rapso grew along with them. The first recording was ''Blow Away'' by Lancelot Layne in 1970. Six years lat ...

", a genre for which they credited Lancelot Layne as originator.Oumano, Elena (1999)
"Resistance Exports Rapso to US, Europe"
''

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'', 9 January 1999, p. 18. Retrieved 29 September 2013. The band was considered subversive by the authorities, and their rehearsal space and offices were destroyed by the police in June 1983. The group released their first album, ''Roots of de Rapso Rhythm'', in 1984, which was followed by ''Rapso Explosion'' and ''Rapso Takeover'' in 1985 and 1986 respectively. International performances brought recognition from overseas, changing the attitude of the T&T government, who selected Brother Resistance as their cultural delegate to the

World Festival of Youth and Students The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the International Union of Students after 1947. History The festival has been held regularly since 1947 as an ev ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

. His best known song was 1987's "Ring de bell", in which he advocates symbolically ringing the bell for justice and freedom. In 1992, Brother Resistance was honoured with a national award, the Hummingbird Medal. He appeared at New York's New Music Festival in 1992 and in 1993 at the International Dub Poetry Festival in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada. In 2002 he was nominated for a Cacique Award for his performance as Aldrick in Earl Lovelace's dramatization of '' The Dragon Can't Dance''. In 2017, Brother Resistance was inducted into the Queen's Royal College Hall of Honour for his contributions to art and culture in Trinidad. He was president of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO). He died aged 66 on 13 July 2021, at the West Shore Medical Private Hospital,

Western Main Road The Western Main Road is the main road in Trinidad and Tobago that runs west from Green Corner in downtown Port of Spain, through St. James, where it is the main thoroughfare, til the Military Base in Chaguaramas. It is most notable as the scen ...

, Cocorite, Trinidad and Tobago.

Solo discography

Albums

*''Touch De Earth with Rapso'' (1991) *''Heart of the Rapso Nation'' (1992) *''De Power of Resistance'' (1996), Rituals *''Let Us Rejoice'' (2001) *''When De Riddum Explode'' (2001)

Singles

*"Tonite Is De Nite" (1987), Riddum Distribution Network *"Jah Never Fail Me" (2001), Blue Flame

References

External links

* *

Allmusic entry AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the datab ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brother Resistance 1954 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago male singers Alumni of Queen's Royal College, Trinidad People from Port of Spain Rapso Recipients of the Hummingbird Medal Trinidad and Tobago poets University of the West Indies alumni