Max Romeo, the legendary Jamaican reggae artist recognized for classics like “Chase the Satan” and “Warfare Ina Babylon”, has died on the age of 80. Romeo handed away on April 11, 2025, in a hospital in Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica, from coronary heart issues.
His demise comes simply months after he filed a landmark US$15 million lawsuit towards Common Music Group (UMG) and Polygram Publishing, alleging practically 5 many years of unpaid royalties, based on World Music Views.
Romeo had taken to Instagram earlier this yr to publicly share the main points of the case, which he mentioned concerned 47 years of lacking funds for a few of his most iconic recordings. The lawsuit had begun drawing renewed consideration to long-standing problems with possession and compensation inside the reggae business.
Born Maxwell Livingston Smith in St. D’Acre, St. Ann, Romeo left house at 14 and began engaged on a sugar plantation in Clarendon. After successful an area expertise competitors at 18, he moved to Kingston to pursue music. His early profession included a stint with The Feelings, a vocal trio, earlier than he launched a solo path in 1968.
Romeo first stirred worldwide controversy—and success—along with his risqué hit “Moist Dream”, banned by the BBC however nonetheless a High 10 single within the UK. By the mid-Seventies, he had firmly established himself within the roots reggae motion, particularly by means of collaborations with legendary producer Lee “Scratch” Perry. Their 1976 album Warfare Ina Babylon is broadly thought of a cornerstone of aware reggae, that includes the broadly sampled anthem “Chase the Satan.”
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A supporter of Jamaica’s Individuals’s Nationwide Get together, Romeo’s music typically blended political commentary and Rastafarian themes. His observe “Let the Energy Fall” turned the occasion’s anthem through the 1972 basic election. Later in his profession, Romeo experimented with musical theater in New York, collaborated with The Rolling Stones, and ultimately returned to Jamaica, persevering with to launch music into the 2010s—together with a household mission along with his sons and daughter.
Regardless of many years of affect and a wealthy discography, Romeo’s battle for recognition and honest compensation continued into his ultimate years, culminating within the high-profile lawsuit towards UMG. Whereas his passing marks the tip of an period, it additionally underscores a bigger dialog within the music business about legacy, rights, and justice for foundational artists like Max Romeo.
