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Rasta Rafiki began playing together in fall of 1989 in Morgantown, WV. The band began as a means to kill time and quickly gained popularity in the local Morgantown music scene, playing a variety of cover songs by various reggae and rock bands. By fall of 2000 the band had begun to be a more serious endeavour and had begun writing and performing original material.
In the early 1990s they released their first album entitled "Eco Geo" on Brick Row Records. This album was a cassette-only release which contained a number of songs which would remain in the band's repertoire for the remainder of it's existence. It was a mixture of reggae and psychedelic influences which formed the basis for the "culturally con-fusing" style of music the band became known for.
Rasta Rafiki continued to play live at an increasing rate, often improvising for appreciable portions of shows. These improvised pieces sometimes evolved into songs or into "unofficial" elements of songs or moods which could and did appear intermittently throughout performances at any time.
While the band was honing itself playing live it also began to devote more serious attention to songwriting and in 1992 released it's first cd release "Cousins." "Cousins" contained a mix of new material and a few live tracks, some of which were on "Eco Geo" and some previously unreleased. This release was well-received and is still a fan favorite.
During this period both the "Cousins" cd and the band's reputation as a strong live show resulted in increased popularity which extended outside of the local area and into the region. The band began to tour more extensively, predominantly in the Eastern US, with tours eventually ranging from Boston to Orlando and many points in between. During this time the band played between 200 and 250 shows a year and often shared the stage with well-known artists.
Taking notice of the increased momentum Rasta Rafiki devoted even more time to writing new material and eventually recorded "Stream of Consciousness." This cd showcases a more refined and mature band, more at home with their music and themselves.
Touring continued, with the live show reaching at times 4 hours in length and encompassing material from all of the recordings as well as to-this-day unreleased material. A large number of live "bootleg" recordings were made and circulated during this period both by fans and by the band itself.
This period also saw collaboration with the band members on other projects and with other bands including The Joint Chiefs and The Recipe. Some of these collaborations turned into albums and some turned into later band memberships.
Eventually the rigorous tour schedule and creative differences in opinion resulted in Rasta Rafiki deciding to amicably disband and pursue their own interests and on New Years Eve of 1996 they played their last show. Although the band ceased to "officially" exist at that point the members stayed in contact and remained friends with one another, sometimes getting together in various groups to perform under different names.
In spring of 2007, at the suggestion of lead vocalist Derrick "D" McDonald, Rasta Rafiki began to discuss the possibility of reuniting for a small number of shows. Various lineup & show location decisions were made and resulted in the current lineup of mainstay members.
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