VP Records drops ‘Fig Tree’ to power ‘Rastaman 50’ album

Fifty years after Bunny Wailer planted his Blackheart Man, its roots are reaching a new generation with Fig Tree, a delightful reggae gem of a song reimagined by emerging reggae star Blvk H3ro and Wailer’s daughter, Cen’c Love, known for her stirring, soulful vocals. The song itself is a powerhouse -- a stout tribute to the enduring force of Rastafari’s vision of freedom, African identity and self-determination. "The single is the first release from Rastaman 50, a conceptual album by The Wailers Trio marking the half-century of three pivotal solo records released in 1976: Bunny Wailer’s Blackheart Man, Peter Tosh’s Legalize It and Bob Marley’s Rastaman Vibration," music executive Maxine Stowe said. Fig Tree was recorded in the Wailers’ heartland of Trench Town and produced by  Stowe, Dave Green and Jermaine Williams. Emerging reggae star Blvk H3ro takes the lead, bringing its message of freedom to contemporary listeners, while the ultra-talented Cen’c Love croons a soulful contribution which carries a direct family connection to its creator. Cen'c Love's presence gives the project a further dimension. Although she was not part of the earlier Trio configurations, Cen’c Love takes the place previously occupied by Abijah Livingston, maintaining a Livingston family musical connection alongside the community-based artistes carrying the wider Wailers legacy forward. Blvk H3ro’s involvement also reflects his direct relationship with Bunny Wailer and the foundations of the project. Together, the singers offer an interpretation rooted in that history while speaking to the present. Due for release on  November 6,  Rastaman 50 features contemporary voicings of songs drawn from the three 1976 albums, alongside earlier material from the Wailers’ Upsetter period. Blvk H3ro, Dahvid Slur, J Written and Cen’c Love are among the Kingston creatives giving voice to the selections. The release is timed to coincide with the anniversary period of the 1930 coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia—a moment of profound spiritual and historical importance to Rastafari. The connection is central to the project’s purpose. For the Wailers, Rastafari was a philosophy through which to confront oppression, affirm African identity and imagine liberation. The potency of those ideas travelled in their songs, carrying Jamaica’s voices and Rastafari’s language of self-determination to listeners across the world. The project will also turn its attention to Dreamland strengthening its connection with the Blackheart Man 50 anniversary campaign. "That subsequent focus will build on Cen’c Love’s collaboration with Blvk H3ro on Fig Tree and the album’s relationship with her father’s work," Stowe said.