World of Jamaican Music

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An illustrated map of the creators of Jamaican music and how they are connected.

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Hempress Sativa

Artist. Revival

Active
2010s-present
Also known as
Kerida Johnson

Hempress Sativa is a singjay of the reggae revival, known as the "Lyrical Machine," raised in the Twelve Tribes of Israel and steeped in the music of the 1970s.

Born Kerida Johnson, she is the daughter of Albert "Ilawi" Johnson, the original selector of the Jah Love sound, a singer and producer who put a microphone in her hand at three, and of Doris Ricketts; she grew up in Mona Commons. In 2013 she was working with Kabaka Pyramid and Micah Shemiah, among others, with an album, The Unconquerable, due early in 2014; it appeared as Unconquerebel, with a dub version mixed by Scientist. One interviewer heard "a bit of a cross between Sister Carol and Lauryn Hill," both of whom she names as touchstones, and Gardy Stein writes of her "richly modulated voice." Her second album, Charka (2023), named for her nickname as a premature baby, includes "Top Rank Queens," with Sister Carol and Sister Nancy reworking Althea and Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking," "Sound the Trumpet," from her father's catalog, and "Take Me Home," with Kelissa, her first production. She tours with her Unconquerable band and campaigns for the legalization of ganja.

Last updated November 5, 2026

Connections

Notes

  1. Candiece Knight, "Holding a Vibe with Ativaroots-Reggae Artiste Hempress Sativa," Jamaica Observer, December 9, 2013, https://jamaicaobserver.com/2013/12/09/holding-a-vibe-with-ativaroots-reggae-artiste-hempress-sativa.
  2. Yasmine Peru, "Hempress Sativa Pays Homage on 'Charka,'" Jamaica Gleaner, June 18, 2023, https://past.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20230618/hempress-sativa-pays-homage-charka. Knight, "Holding a Vibe," on her father's full name.
  3. "Hempress Sativa: Rastafari Should Be Protected," CounterPunch, September 13, 2019, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/09/13/hempress-sativa-rastafari-should-be-protected/print/.
  4. "Hempress Sativa: Rastafari Should Be Protected." Gardy Stein, review of Hempress Sativa, Charka, Reggaeville, June 16, 2023, https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/keida/releases/mode/review/release/hempress-sativa-charka.
  5. Knight, "Holding a Vibe." Peru, "Hempress Sativa Pays Homage on 'Charka.'"

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