A Lewisham-based reggae dub artist is raising money to replace his vehicle and equipment which were stolen in March.
Young Warrior, 33, had his van and sound equipment stolen from outside his home in the Lewisham/ Catford area at 1:56pm on Monday 8 March.
He is asking for donations as the estimated loss is £9,800 for his van and £10,000 worth of equipment.
He said: “I can’t put into words how it makes me feel because I’m still suffering from the shock and trauma of it all.
“We play a music which is built on a foundation of community. My sound system was a community resource.
“It would be amazing if we hit our target.”
The son of reggae legend Jah Shaka, Young Warrior began building his sound system in 2009 and has played at dub and reggae events across the UK and Europe, including Notting Hill Carnival.
The Young Warrior Sound System was launched at the Brixton Mass in 2011 and has played shows across London, Leeds, Birmingham, as well as European festivals in Belgium and France.
A sound system is custom built PA system which is manned by a team of artists, engineers, and a DJ.
They originated in Jamaica in the 1950s and were brought to the UK in the late 1950s by the Windrush generation so that they could congregate and listen to music which was familiar to them.
Credit: Young Warrior
The loss of Young Warrior’s equipment is made worse by the impact of the pandemic on the reggae and dub industry in the UK.
Last summer, Notting Hill Carnival was cancelled for the first time since its birth in 1966.
Covid restrictions also led to the cancelation of Dubwise Festival, a festival which hosts UK dub reggae producers and celebrates Rastafarian culture, which Young Warrior started in 2009.
He commented: “We’ve gone a year without events so we’ve had our income totally slashed.
“How am I going to continue when restrictions do ease and we can go back to work and I can’t? That is very worrying and that’s a big issue for me.”
He is hoping that money raised in donations and his own back pocket will be enough to buy a new vehicle and rebuild the sound system in time to play at the Windrush Day celebrations taking place on 19th and 20th June in Crystal Palace Park.
Credit: Young Warrior
You can donate to Young Warrior’s Go Fund Me here.
