Jah Ras — Freedom Time

Jah Ras — artistically known as The Uprising Roots Warrior — is the founder, selector and host of Jah Ras Sound System. With a musical career spanning over 25 years, he is widely recognized as one of the true pioneers and key figures of Roots Reggae and Dub music both in the Canary Islands and throughout Spain.

Jah Ras officially began his journey as a selector in April 2002 in Bilbao, Basque Country. During this initial stage his heavy sessions focused on spreading the conscious message of reggae, earning him great respect within the northern Spanish underground scene.

In 2004 he returned to his homeland of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, quickly becoming a fundamental driving force for the archipelago’s reggae movement. A major turning point came in 2006 when Jah Ras traveled to Italy to perform at the iconic Rototom Sunsplash festival alongside the Dread Lion Hi Fi collective. This international experience inspired him to take the ultimate step — hand building his own independent Sound System, a massive project successfully completed in 2007.

At the control tower of his heavy wall of sound, Jah Ras stays strictly loyal to the old school purist essence of the original Jamaican and UK Sound Systems. His signature style is defined by long set sessions loaded with heavyweight roots and deep dub, live dub station operation utilizing classic effects like sirens, delay lines and live microphone work, and exclusive selections blending historic anthems with fresh productions and unreleased dubplates sent directly to him by international producers.

His profound cultural impact was captured in the 2012 feature length documentary “Jah Ras Sound System — The Uprising Roots Warrior — X Aniversario 2002-2012” — the very first film to document Sound System culture in the Canary Islands.

In January 2024 Jah Ras expanded his cultural and social mission by founding Freedom Time — Enjoy the Reggae, a groundbreaking radio show broadcast weekly from the radio workshop inside the Tenerife Penitentiary Center. What started as a tool for education, rehabilitation and escape for the inmate population has turned into a global phenomenon — reaching a passionate weekly following in 43 countries worldwide and receiving exclusive support, jingles and pre-releases from more than 50 international reggae artists and producers.

Now bringing his legendary Freedom Time show to TBN Reggae Radio — Three Brothers Network — Jah Ras continues his 25 year mission to spread the conscious message of roots reggae music from Tenerife to the world. One love! 🇯🇲🇪🇸