Kingston, Jamaica - WEST INDIES
Not all too far from the Studio One Boulevard, where all the great Reggae Legends made their recordings, actually just five blocks from there on Kencot Side, a young black boy was born and named Joseph. His mother was Christine Valentine. Only few things can be said about the father, but three things were certain. He wasn't white, he wasn't a cop, and he was most likely a Rastafarian.

Joseph grew up as the oldest of 6 children, so he was the first to leave, when Christine's Money got short. He was 12 years old, when he left high school and went up the hills where the Nayabhingi Rastas taught him how to be a man.
Often stamped with the stereotype of lazy-ass weedjunkies, hardly anyone would understand, how valuable it was for Joseph to grow up among the Rasta-people. He would endure physical excersizes, spiritual lessons about the rastafarian Interpretation of the Bible, music excercizes, he would assess trades such as farming and woodwork. Today he was certain that he learned more than any jamaican high school could've taught him and even if his skill to read and write, had gotten kinda rusty since he left Kingsway High, he would not let anyone call him uneducated.

But Puberty is a terrible time for any young male, especially for a black one. When he was seventeen he wanted more, and so he went back into Kingston town, to earn money. But at that time the Rastapeople had gotten a lot of opposition from the local authorities, plus he had no diploma's to prove his skill in the trades he acquired during his time in the Hills with the Bhingimen. This is why it was hard for Seph to find a proper job and it didn't take long until he started committing crimes, just to survive.

Time passed and with 21, Seph was considered a local drug lord, as he had build up a reputation for growing high quality weed. Then the police started to burn down all his Ganja fields (not without taking a good share for themselfs, of course) again and again, and even though they couldn't arrest him, it caused him great losses and a lot more work, while Babylon was the only one actually getting profit out of his work.

At this point he started to grow his plants on different islands in the West Indies, one where his name was not so known. From then on, Business flourished and Seph got a taste of what it would be like to be rich. And he enjoyed it while it lasted. He spend his money selfishly on Jewelry, Cars, Women and other vanities.
When he was arrested at the age of 22 he had saved up next to nothing, and when he got out again at the age of 25, he would have less than nothing.

He came back to Jamaica, went up into the hills to finish his studies of Rastafar-I teachings, this time with a dedicated mind, not with a childs mind who hasn't much other options anyway. The elders were startled and even a little scared, how dedicated this young Rasta would work the field, would write and sing his songs, how devouted he would study the bible, and how sharp his mind was when it came to the spiritual understanding of the universe, of Jah Rastafar-I, of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haille Sellassie I. and his role as a redeemer for descendants of african slaves. With 26, he had done his repartriation to Africa, had visited Ghana, Mali, Bukina Faso and the Ivory Coast.

The day he returned to Jamaica, the elders greeted him by handing him a white robe and told him to come and see them as soon as the celebrations of his repartriation were over. When he came to their Tikihut on the next morning, all his elders were gathered, which was a rare sight anyway.

"Last night, me smoke ah strong I-ration, and during the meditation me see yuh pon I Vijan, Joseph..." the eldest elder would open to him. "Yuh was standin' inna ah jungle, and all the trees, the ground and even di grass was made ah stone. Yuh was carryin' two guns made ah African gold and a Guitar strap pon yuh bak. Behind yuh was a crowd ah Rastapeople from all di races ah di eart'. And in front ah yuh it had all diff'rent kinda Babylon characters, Police, Lawyers, Politrixians... And when yuh start fi walk, all ah dem Rootspeople ah fallaw. Di Babylon crowd mek way fi yuh, and di ground was covered in a Red-Gold-And-Green carpet, that led straight to holy mount Zion, where di Lion of Judah ah sit an' look pon I-ya!" With puzzled expressions upon his face, Seph listened, but when the elders asked him if he would be able to put a meaning to it, he had to decline, even though the vision appeared sinisterly familiar to him.

"It is your destiny, Joseph Valentine. Yuh come from a lota goodness and a lota badness. And so yuh shall link light wid shadow. Yuh muss' go outta yard an' cause a lota bad and cause ah lota good, too. Yuh muss' walk inna di valley of evil and fight wid di enemy.. Yuh muss' go deep down inna Babylon and liberate black people an' search dose who wan' healin' and seperation from ugliness... And dis' be di only way fi reach Zion.. through Goodness and Badness...."

Many nights he spend meditating on these words. He did not want to leave Jamaica again, not even the hills he wanted to leave, and even less he desired to go back into a life of crime. But somehow he knew, it was not his choice to make. His Life had reached a point where he did not develope any further, as long as he would stay up in the hills.

After kissing his own mother, his 3 Babymothers, his 2 sons and his one daughter, his 4 brothers and his one sister good-bye, he went to see the elders again.

"'fore dat i leave... Answer me quest-shuns..."
The elders exchanged a few brief looks before one said: "I n I gwan answer 3 quest-shuns." He nodded slightly, as he expected that and chose his next words with care.
"Yuh told me, fi leave outa yard an' walk through the valley of evil, straight inna Babylon. Where me kin fin' dem plez?"
An elder, wearing nothing but a cloth around his crotch, with head and face covered in greyish, very old looking dreadlocks answered:
"Yuh gwan fin' it inna di ugliest city, that displays nuh-ting but destruction, as it ah built pon dat."
Seph would memorize the words before asking the second question.
"Yuh told me, me hav' fi combine goodness with badness inna me life. How me s'posed fi do dat, if me cya give up di bad, fi do good, an cya give up di good fi do bad?"
A skinny one with his dreadlocks tied around his head like a turban answered immediatly, with a warm smile on his face:
"Do Good tings, as much as yuh can, do bad ting as much as yuh hav' too. Try nah fi hurt any ah dem people who look pon healing, an strike down pon yuh enemies even dreader. And always guard yuhself, so dem Badness nah mash up yuh heart."

Again Seph would nod and memorize the words, before asking the last question, which answer he feared the most.

"Can Iya eva cum back ah yard?"

The elders looked at each other. All of them knew the right answer, but no one seemed to be willing to be the one telling him and as Seph so noticed their unease he would say: "Please, nah answer dis'." They would nod, but stay silent as this counted as the last question, still.

Only a week later he would enter the United States of America, illegally, on a Cargo-Boat, and after another week had passed he would set his first step onto Haithian Ground.