MACKA B: Well, until we have a perfect world, I will still continue to do what I'm doing. It's far from being a perfect world, you know? Even though I've covered some things in the past, they got to be covered again. 'Cause the more the people hear things, not just from me but from everybody, the more chance there is of changing things, you know? I'll just continue to do what I do. I can't say whether I'm going to do this or I'm going to do that, I get an inspiration and I just do it. It's kept me in good standing up till now, so I'll just keeping doing it.

LAZE: Your first number one hit was using the "Invasion Dub" in about 1986, what got you working with Mad Professor?

MACKA B: At the time I was doing some TV work in England, and I was on this show. Every week I had to do a topical lyric about something that happened in the week. And Professor saw one of these shows and sent a message to Birmingham, where I live, and asked if I would do some work with him. So I took some of my lyrics down to him and played them to him, and he said, "Yeah man,"... he wants to do something definately. So in the next week we got together and he gave me some of his riddims, and I put some of my lyrics to his riddim and we came up with the piece "Sign of the Times". On the reggae circuit it did very well, number one on the reggae charts and those things. People in different countries seemed to like it as well. From then, every year we've been doing LPs and 45s.

LAZE: (to Nolan Irie) Have you worked with Macka B or Mad Professor very much previous to this?

NOLAN IRIE: Well, I started in Ariwa four years ago where I met Macka B. Around 90, 91, 92, 93 time I started to team up with Macka B to do a few combinations and stuff. But prior to that I was working with Professor for four years, so far, in the studio for my own album which I have out called WORK SO HARD. I'm working on a second album right now. But me and Macka B generally team up every now and again to do a tune for the people. Stuff like "Squeeze Me" or "Here Comes Trouble". Whatever vibes take us at the time.

LAZE: How have your shows been going so far?

MACKA B: They've been going very well. We started in Hawaii and it was excellent. "Squeeze Me" was a big hit over there. The reaction was great. We did two shows in one day in Hawaii and we went to LA and it was good as well. And San Francisco and New York. And now Washington.

LAZE: Is this your last stop?

MACKA B: Yeah, yeah. Then back to England.

LAZE: (to Nolan Irie) Are you pleased with how it's been going?

NOLAN IRIE: Very pleased.

LAZE: (again, to Nolan Irie) Are you from England, too?

NOLAN IRIE: I'm from a town around 50 miles away from London. It takes me about an hour to get to the studio. I'm quite near to where the vibes is happening. But, yeah, I've been here in America touring around is being excellent and the vibes is being great. And you guys (points to me) are being great, too.

LAZE: Thanks... have a good show.

MACKA B: Alright... respect due.

NOLAN IRIE: Thanks a lot, man.

In any event, the most recent of Macka B's releases, DISCRIMINATION (ARI 098) is a very strong political statement, yet at the same time fun and entertaining 'cause "the vibes is right." Also notable are his other recent releases, HERE COMES TROUBLE (ARI 088) which features the single "Squeeze Me" (on CD 5" at ARI 7048), JAMAICA, NO PROBLEM? (ARI 078), and BUPPIE CULTURE (ARI 048). His 1990 LOOKS ARE DECEIVING (ARI 038) is also especially worthy -- even with only 7 tracks, it packs a punch that's hard to top. Macka B is an often overlooked talent on the DJ scene even with his distinctive English/Jamaican accent and powerful tracks.

Mad Professor owns the Ariwa label and on it has almost uncountable albums. The most recent are his "greatest-hits" of sorts, IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD PROFESSOR (ARI 105), BLACK LIBERATION DUB PT. 1 (ARI 095), and THE LOST SCROLLS OF MOSES (ARI 087). Combine these with any one of his numerous other releases and you've got a great dub collection. DUB MANIACS ON THE RAMPAGE (ARI 075) hits hard as does MAD PROFESSOR RECAPTURES PATO BANTON (ARI 043), an amazing collaboration to say the least. And one simply cannot ignore the album that "started it all" -- DUB ME CRAZY (ARI 001), the first release on Mad Professor's Ariwa label. All are amazing examples of the Mad Professor's unique dub ingenuity that have yet to be matched.