On the promotional banner for his latest single, I’m Not A Slave to The System, P.nology is ‘backed’ by a number of historic luminaries including Marcus Garvey, Harriet Tubman, Bob Marley and Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie I. The song, which features poet Yasus Afari, hails black heroes whose contributions are still ignored by the mainstream.

Produced by DJ Karim, I’m Not A Slave to The System was released in October, celebrated as Black History Month in the United Kingdom where P.nology is from.

Born in Coventry, in the British Midlands, the rapper said while he heard about the exploits of black leaders in school, the lessons were inadequate.

“Mainly in Black History Month here, but not to the degree of America and the Caribbean. Everybody on the cover of the single I’d definitely say are some of my biggest heroes,” P.nology told the Jamaica Observer.

With the song’s concept crafted, P.nology thought it appropriate to have a firebrand artiste to complement his trapping. His uncle Charley Anderson, a former member of British ska band The Selecter, recommended Yasus Afari, a leader of the roots-reggae revival in the early 1990s.

“I sent the track to him with chorus and my verse and he loved it just as much as I did and could see the message I wanted the track to have,” said P.nology.

I’m Not A Slave to The System is different in sound to I Am, a ska track P.nology did this year with American rapper Shifty P. Last August, he released The Blacklist, an EP of Rhythm And Blues and hip hop songs.

Born Perry Devonish, P.nology grew up in Coventry but also spent some time in Barbados, where his parents are from. Marley, Buju Banton, Sizzla and Tupac Shakur are some of his biggest influences.

Howard Campbell