Rastafari (especially with pictures of Bob Marley and Che Guevarra all over the place). Still I never dreamed that I would be doing TV, radio and newspaper interviews along with many live concerts all over the island, especially when I did not go there for music. I shot a video for my song "Repatriation Time" in the city of Kandy and that song eventually became #1 for a month on a mainstream radio station's countdown.
We all have a purpose on this earth as human beings. It is the inspiration of Rastafari that first made me want to look into my Sri Lankan lineage, and through growth and development recognized that despite being Californian by birth, Sri Lanka is also home. My trip to Sri Lanka was a revelation and I now recognize the importance of spreading consciousness through music and doing work on the grassroots level to back it up. While I am fully committed to the betterment of my island and her people, I am a servant of humanity and will not discriminate based on pre-conceptions of race, ethnicity or nationality. I see Sri Lanka as a microcosm to what’s going on in the world today. After 500 years of white supremacy, capitalism and patriarchy being the dominant societal norms, now we all need to heal in order to recover from the sickness. It is important for us to maintain the principles of righteousness and the defense of universal human rights. Everyone can trace their ancestry to some place in the world and I encourage all to look to their own vine and fig tree because there is place for us all.
Coming straight out of the West Coast (Bay Area & Southern California) representing Gideon.Force, Ras Ceylon is an emcee, educator and organizer bringing revolutionary music, a hip-hop meets reggae dynamic and explosively conscious lyrics. Most recently before relocating temporarily to Sri Lanka, Ras released "Gideon.Force V2: Repatriation Time".Shortly before leaving Sri Lanka, Ras Ceylon collaborated with Sri Lankan Film production team "Grind Out Pictures" to shoot a cinematic music video for his single, "Heal Lanka." Heal Lanka" the music video is Ras Ceylon's mission statement for moving Sri Lanka into this new post-war era.
Learn more about Ras Ceylon's music and work here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ras-Ceylon/91677385259