Pablo Moses Woo-oo (1993)
After gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1962, Jamaica’s economy was thriving. Well into the 1970s, it grew approximately 6% per year. But the global oil crisis of the 1970s, international price fluctuations on products that were key to Jamaica’s export industries and other reasons brought the ascension to a halt.
By 1980, Jamaica's gross national product had shrunken below its 1972 level. As a result, the Caribbean country faced persistent budget deficits, which made the government frequently borrow money from international lenders like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. But oftentimes the money wasn’t spent wisely or it vanished altogether (various administrations faced criticism for being corrupt…), which resulted in severe poverty throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
At the same time, Jamaica had cemented its status as a cultural superpower. Its main export in that regard was reggae music and its various subgenres. And many reggae musicians, Pablo Moses being one of them, didn’t shy away from using their songs to address the social and political hardship Jamaican people were suffering.
To promote his 1993 LP The Confession Of A Rastaman, Moses released a 7-inch single, where he dealt out criticism. On the a-side featuring “Life of a Big Shot”, you can hear the singer pillory politicians, the church and businessmen for “robbing from the have-nots.” The b-side is a more soulful affair, focusing on the people living in poverty and what their misery makes them do… It is called “Woo-oo” and it is our song of the day.
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