UK-based reggae artiste Meddy Ranks is pushing his latest single, Take It Cool, released on an easygoing reggae rhythm as a salve to frayed nerves experiencing the race tensions in the United Kingdom.

“The video for the song was released in early August and the response has been great so far but I must say, as a black resident of UK, I am angry at what is going on. White hooligans are attacking their black neighbours, black Britons, Muslims, destroying their homes and their places of worship, this is madness,” Meddy Ranks said.

For over a week, race riots broke out in the United Kingdom, mostly in smaller, poorer, less diverse cities. The violence was stoked by misinformation and disinformation online stemming from a heinous attack by a 17-year-old who stabbed and killed three young girls. Rioters burned down a library and an advice centre, looted booze from a smashed-up Sainsbury’s and hurled rocks at Filipino nurses on their way to their shifts in NHS hospitals.

“What is happening is sickening, this is a white race riot,” Meddy Ranks said.

The term “race riot” had been attached to the uprisings that erupted among black communities in Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds, London and elsewhere.

“The riots of 2024 are all about pure racism, not about legitimate grievances like poverty, unemployment and underinvestment, which they feel is caused by mass immigration, dem even ah attack the homes of immigration lawyers,” he said.

Meddy Ranks hopes that the Take It Cool message can resonate at this time.

“The fans like the message, take it cool, because as with any relationship, personal and otherwise, things can get very heated, and even in the society, a lot of frustrations have been building up, economic, social and environmental, and sometimes, yu just have to take it cool and go through,” Meddy Ranks said.

He plans to release a number of other singles over the busy summer period.

Meddy Ranks is not only a reggae artiste but is a very active social worker, reaching out to young people in tough communities in the UK. His work was featured on BBC TV a few years ago when he played an instrumental role in creating an awareness campaign and event to aid the Birmingham Citizen Advice Bureau, which was on the verge of closing down.

Born Allan Jackson, he grew up in Jamaica and he got involved in music at a young age through Sugar Minott’s Youthman Promotion. In 2003, he migrated to Birmingham but still kept close to his roots.

“Music is like opium to the people, it can calm their nerves and give them inspiration, that’s why I keep pushing the positive messages they need to hear,” he said.