Nicodemus on the Mike, U-Brown on the Spliff: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A color photograph of the dancehall sound system Stur Mars in Kingston, Jamaica. Nicodemus, who is wearing a red sweater vest and performing with a microphone, is pictured in the center. To his right, U-Brown is smoking, while Major Manzie, in a camouflage print shirt, looks on; two Heineken beers are on top of the turntable case in front of them. General Jah Mikey is in the background,w earing a white hat. To the left of Nicodemus, a man in a pink and white striped shirt appears to be focusing on a turntable just out of frame, while Tenor Saw, standing behind them, looks to the camera. On the back is the photographer's signature and date along with an inscription by Bill Adler identifying the subjects and place.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1987; printed 2004
• Photograph by: Beth Lesser, Canadian
• Subject of: King Sturmar Roots, Jamaican
• Subject of: Nicodemus, Jamaican, 1957 - 1996
• Subject of: U-Brown, Jamaican, born 1956
• Subject of: Tenor Saw, Jamaican, 1966 - 1988
• Subject of: Manjor Manzie, Jamaican
• Subject of: General Jah Mikey, Jamaican
• Type: inkjet prints
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 11 × 14 in. (28 × 35.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 8 11/16 × 12 7/8 in. (22 × 32.7 cm)
• Place captured: Kingston, Jamaica, Caribbean, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: African diaspora
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Reggae (Music)
• Object number: 2015.132.245
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Beth Lesser Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.