Rupert Ojiji Harvey strolls memory lane with Old Friends in his latest video — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
“The video really hits some very emotional chords,” the award-winning artist says. “It lays out the very unique journey that was experienced, not just by the Harveys, but by all the people of colour that were starting to settle in Canada.”
Old Friends is mined from Harvey’s extensive archive — he wrote it back in 2004, but produced this new version with contributions from his brother Carl, a long-time member of the Grammy-winning reggae act Toots and the Maytals. The freshly pressed video — produced by Michelle Melles and Pedro Orrego, with engineering and production contributions from Harvey’s son Meshach — is based on Harvey’s life story.
“It’s like walking down memory lane. We used photos from my personal photo albums as well as old, archived footage to show Toronto in the ’70s — just around the time when many Jamaicans and other West Indians were arriving in Canada.”
As both a solo recording artist and founder of legendary funk band Crack Of Dawn and world-renowned reggae outfit Messenjah, Harvey has been an iconic mainstay on the Canadian music scene for more than four decades and counting. Along the way, he’s built a tower of awards, including a Juno, CASBY, and Q107 Music Award. Inducted into the Canadian Reggae Music Hall of Fame, his music has been featured in several TV and movie soundtracks, and he made a cameo in the movie Cocktail.
Harvey’s solo releases include Ojiji: The Shadow, Ojiji: Halfway Home and most recently, Once A Lion. Watch Old Friends above.
