Spragga Benz wrote 'War' to advise those intent on strife about just what the 'war' they glorified was really about. - Photo by Roxroy McLean

Russian writer Leo Tolstoy's 1869 War and Peace is an epic and classic by any standard, often considered the pinnacle of the novel. And a thick summit at that, the thickness of the tome intimidating many a potential reader.

There is also a War and Peace in Jamaican dancehall, written and deejayed by Carlton 'Spragga Benz' Grant as the century in which Tolstoy died (he passed away in 1910) came to an end. But while Tolstoy's War and Peace is a single body of work, Spragga Benz's is a composite of two recordings.

And the first, War, was never released commercially. It did, however, influence Peace, done on the 'Baddis' rhythm, the two lyrically superb descriptions of the respective states they speak to.

In the chorus of War, Spragga Benz writes:

"Mek me tell yu 'bout war

War is when yu body it li dung

pon de tar

War is when de shop pon yu cor

ner kinda far."

In Peace he writes:

"Mek me tell yu 'bout peace.

Peace is when Dudus a bun him

chalice up a Zekes

Peace is when no shot no bus fe

weeks pon top a weeks.

Peace is when yu see

Tivoli man dem, not

even pin deh pon

dem

An dem a go up

Wes' Street."

"War never come out. Is just a dubplate," Spragga Benz told The Sunday Gleaner, adding that a couple sound systems have it. He was about to record the song commercially at Studio 2000 in New Kingston when the late producer Wycliffe 'Steelie' Johnson and singer Tony Curtis advised him not to as it was too violent.

Ironically, he had written the song to advise those intent on strife about just what the 'war' they glorified was really about. "A jus' a reflection a de ting an jus' how nuff yute into war," Spragga Benz said. "Me did a mek them realise. It name warfare, but it unfair. Your mother, your brother, your sister, anybody can get hurt."

And there is a line in the song, about a situation where "yu mother a drop an di Beretta a clap/cause no man no care bout har". "Me say the tings me see," Spragga said. "Me see gun a fire an' man mother in the way an man a clap harder. Her son did kill somebody, or shoot somebody."

Spragga took the advice of Curtis and 'Steelie', "so me go back and make a softer version (Peace)", this one recorded at Main Street Studio off Red Hills Road.

"Peace now, me a really reflect pon town inna dem time," Spragga Benz tells The Sunday Gleaner. He also speculated on just what could happen if people just came together and decided that the fighting should end.

Among his many definitions of peace in the song is "peace is when yu lef yu window open an' a sleep" and Spragga tells The Sunday Gleaner "Nuff man, gun jus' come through the window, shoot him. Nuff man no sleep near window. Not even pon bed. Man jus' size up yu house if a board and say de bed suppose to deh so."

Spragga Benz says "that was the people dem song down a town" (it mentions several communities in downtown Kingston and also Top Range and Nannyville on Mountain View Avenue) and says he has seen many of the wishes for peace in that song come true - including a peaceful truce between Matthews Lane and Tivoli Gardens. "Top Range and Nannyville no kick off. Nuff a dem no kick off since den," Spragga Benz said.

In the first verse of Peace, Spragga Benz emphasises the equality of all persons, deejaying "every man a act equal only God above him". "Even the don is a man weh put on him pants one foot at a time. All a wi a dead. The rich man no live for-ever, the poor man no live forever. God provide all the riches and comforts same way, no matter how them work hard."

general situation

He also addresses the lawmen with "police get a ease an no haffi run like tief cause de gunfire cease". Spragga Benz, whose son Carlton 'Carlisle' Grant was killed by policemen last August, say "we want peace for them too. Them a black man like we. Some a dem misled."

His favourite section of Peace starts in the middle of the second verse, where he addresses the general situation, then narrows it down to communities and then finally the individual:

"We see love start take over Jamaica

Every inch and every acre

An we see de undertaker

Dem a no longer the money maker

The love is genuine the man dem a no faker

An man from over Rema gone a Jungle fi go check Patrina

JLP area but a socialist colours him eena

An man from Sout' dem deh a Kirk inna dem green merina

Top Range an Nannyville a mix a National Arena

Done with the hypocrite love an stop be like hyena

If yu want dem heart fi cleaner..."

The video for Peace fuses concert footage from a Chancellor Hall Spectrum concert, held at the Students Union on the University of the West Indies', Mona campus, and images (such as a hearse) which underscore parts of the song. "Mi did want the crowd, da energy deh," Spragga Benz said.

Chances are Peace was first performed at UWI during one of the smaller events Spragga Benz appeared at before the Spectrum showing and he liked the 'vibe' he got there.

"UWI more appreciative of certain lyrics," Spragga said.