ARI UP

Visit www.revelinnewyork.com for Ari's cultural suggestions in NYC and beyond.

The Slits are probably the single most important all-girl punk band in the history of music. A bold statement, we know, but certainly not a controversial one. As a 14 year old, Ari Up served as the band's flamboyant front woman and helped develop The Slits' pioneering punky reggae sound. She grew up in England surrounded by punk royalty. Her mother, who is married to John Lydon of the Sex Pistols, ran a sort of punk house, where it wasn't uncommon to have people like The Clash and Jimi Hendrix roll through.

After the demise of The Slits, Ari went on to form the New Age Steppers with Nenah Cherry and Mark Stewart of The Pop Group. She moved to Brooklyn in the eighties and later to Belize, where she lived naked in the jungles to escape the yuppie culture that the decade embraced. Recently, Ari recreated The Slits to pick up the band's unfinished mission to fight for musical expression, women, and cultural freedom. She splits her time between Flatbush, Brooklyn and Jamaica.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Punk
• Reggae
• Dub
• Slits
• Music
• Revel
• In
• New
• York
• Flatbush
• Lee
• Scratch
• Perry
• Jamaica
• Brooklyn

[DrugStabbingTime]

RIP Ari. She loved Reggae. The Slits and The Clash both brought Reggae and Punk together brilliantly and I am very grateful for that personally.. Rock in peace Punk Reggae Queen. She's probably up with Joe now in another world having a spliff...

[innercitygritrecords]

Hey we are putting on a tribute event for Ari Up in Bristol with Tessa Pollitt, Hollie Cook, Viv Albertine, Adrian Sherwood and Mark Stewart! Please watch our ad youtube.com/watch?v=qE5BCjxH5g­M and check out our facebook event if you are interested? Big Love

[deftones311100]

i love ari up(R.I.P.) the slits/cut is one of the greatest musical achievements ever recorded, it still sounds ahead of its time!

[TheSolaris810]

...And remember folks, we are ALL! originated from Africa. So why be suprised that Africas DNA manifests itself regardless of colour and nationality.

[TheSolaris810]

In the early 80s when i worked as an employment officer i would often interview a White Rastafarian: blue eyed, blond, dreadclocks, with a very thick Jamaican accent. It was his choice. He loved jamaican Culture. I think his appearance prevented him from getting a job, but he never compromised. At first I (a West Indian) was sceptical thinking this was just a fad, but it wasnt a fad. Many people are born into the wrong gender, perhaps its the same with culture. If you can change 2 b happy, good!

[StevieWondersWhy24]

@shnakwa1 I agree. I like her. But she didn't get an accent that thick by spending a lot of time around Carribean people.

[shnakwa1]

@StevieWondersWhy24

meh so over why she talks about it. who cares.

as long as she was happy.

[StevieWondersWhy24]

@shnakwa1 was that essay really necessary? talk about over-opinionated. jesus.

and what you said was a load of bullshit too. i mean, do you really think that she spoke with a jamaican accent because she lived around a lot of jamaicans and it naturally rubbed off on her? an accent that thick? give me a fucking break.

she was an eccentric and a huge reggae fan. she affected that accent to a large degree. particularly around the jamaicans in this clip.

[innercitygritrecords]

youtube.com/watch?v=qE5BCjxH5g­M



[shnakwa1]

@osker450

as long as they understand each other and Ari got her messages across to the people featured in the clip and the people featured in the clip got their message across... then, who really cares if she spoke the way she did? they were still communicating with each other, and it looked like the communication was effective.

[shnakwa1]

also, you weren't "just saying" if u look at your original post again you actually asked why? and what happens when someone asks a question? Someone might answer it/try to answer it.