Jamaica not only celebrated its 50th year of Independence this week but also the achievements of our Olympians. The Saturday Hustle team joins in the nationwide celebrations with these patriotic singles.

Nah Lef Ya — Josey Wales

Sweet sweet Jamaica/ nah lef ya/ ackee and my saltfish/ nah lef ya/ Soft yam and banana/

Released in 1986, Wales applauds his favourite things about his home country Jamaica. With these things in mind, the song is a declaration of his loyalty to the country. The song was released on the Live and Love label.

Nuh Weh Nuh Better Than Yard — Admiral Bailey

Ole time something come back again/ Go roun di ben mi seh tell yuh fren/ Cuz when me check it out laad/ Nuh weh nuh betta dan yaad/

This ode to Jamaica depicts the cultural and natural beauty of the country. Bailey highlights how peaceful Jamaica was at the time by giving a historical comparison of other countries and the problems they had with violence . J Wray and Nephew recently sampled from this ’80s hit to create their advertisement in honour of Jamaica’s golden jubilee.

Sweet Jamaica — Tony Rebel

Help me big up Jamaica, the land of wood an wata/ The system might nuh proper/ but we love the vibe and the food and the culture/ Woah, can’t you see the beauty of this country? / mi neva know, a serious ting, until mi reach a foreign/ so what a sweet place fi live, sweet Jamdown/

This song encourages fellow Jamaicans to stay in Jamaica and help boost the economy. He then listed all the things he thought Jamaicans should be more appreciative of, such as the culture, the food and nature. The song is now used in several national campaigns in an effort to encourage people to reduce crime and violence.

Rise Up — Jamaica United

Rise up/ stand and take your place/ shine like the sun/ your journey has just begun/ stand like the brave/ rule your destiny/ be the best that you can be

Jamaica’s national football team, affectionately called ‘the Reggae Boyz’ qualified for the 1998 World Cup for the first time in history. With the country in a frenzy because of the immense pride felt, several of the country’s most popular recording artistes produced the song Rise Up. The song offered encouragement to the Jamaican athletes as well as highlighted the fighting spirit of our countrymen to achieve greatness.

Land of my Birth — Eric Donaldson

I say this is the land of my birth/ I say this is Jamaica, my Jamaica, the land of my birth/ I will never leave her shores/ I will never run away/ I will always believe in the black the green, the gold I say/

Donaldson’s Land of My Birth is perhaps the most popular national festival song of all time, perhaps because of its patriotic yet catchy lyrics.