Three decades later, the reggae band is perhaps best known for "Bad Boys," the memorable theme song for the TV show "COPS."
Despite the instant association to a touchstone of TV culture, Inner Circle is widely regarded as an icon of reggae music. On Saturday, the Jamaican-bred Grammy-winning act will headline the Hampton Reggae Fest at the Hampton Coliseum.
Formed by brothers Ian and Roger Lewis, Inner Circle is now based in Miami, where the siblings own and operate a successful recording studio. Bassist Ian Lewis recently took a break from work on Inner Circle's latest record for a freewheeling phone chat that meandered from the birth of reggae to the real meaning behind the band's biggest hit. Here are a few of the highlights.
The end of colonialism
"At its essence, reggae music was born from sufferation. When people think about Jamaica they think of a sunny Caribbean island, but there is an underbelly. After the British left Jamaica we celebrated our independence. At first the music was happy, it was ska music, which is very fast and based on the boogie-woogie. But after we danced for a while, reality set in and we realized we were hungry and thirsty. This is when the social consciousness of the music was born. Basically it is music of the ghetto."
Natural mystic
"We worked with Bob Marley. He had a high level of consciousness. For all the riches Bob had, he never enjoyed it because he gave it away to the people. I saw that with my own two eyes. He would sit on his veranda and listen to the cries of the people. He wasn't a materialistic person. If he was he would have been driving a Rolls-Royce. That's why he's immortalized today; because his spirit was a true spirit. If he lived he would have made a change in the consciousness of the world."
A healing in Georgia
"About five years ago we played a show in Albany, Ga. This club usually had country bands, and the owner was really checking us out. I heard him ask the promoter if he had good security. That night we played for about 500 people. When we were finishing we played 'One Love' and I told everyone to hold hands. It was like Moses parting the Red Sea. There was a separation, the whites on one side and the blacks on the other. I said 'Hey, hold hands with your brother; this is why we are here,' and then it started happening. At the end of the night the owner came over and said, 'Man, I'll tell you boys something, I've never seen anything like that before.' "
Bad boys, not cool
"'Bad Boys' is really about a kid giving his mother and father a hard time. The original line at the beginning of the song is 'whatcha gonna do when life comes for you.' That word got cut out. The song is really saying that no matter where you come from, don't do the wrong thing. Respect your mother and father. It is not about cops and robbers. I don't understand the criminal. If you go into a store and rob a clerk, that person is not rich, that person is working. How you going to hurt an innocent person? That's not cool, that is stupid. Use your mind, come up with better solutions."
Eddie Murphy's ego problem
"We are not about hype. Don't put us in a limousine; you'll get the worst show ever. That comes from the ego. I'll tell you a story. Once when we played the Montreux Jazz Festival, we were walking to the venue and we see this guy on the road. This guy looks so familiar. It was Quincy Jones, man! We stopped and introduced ourselves. He was so personable. So then we get to the venue and in walks Eddie Murphy, who's headlining that night. He comes in with 10 bodyguards and they're pushing people around. We were like, 'Damn, it's like that?' So we have Quincy Jones, a musical maestro, just walking by himself down the street and Eddie Murphy surrounded by all these bodyguards. This isn't even a movie set. What does that tell you?"
Music of the people
"Every generation will have its own music. Dancing is good; I like to dance, but as Bob Marley would say, 'Our bellies are full, but we are still hungry.' For me, reggae music comes from the struggle of the people.
It is a feeling, music. It leaves something in you that's fulfilling. That is what's lacking in today's reggae music. We are losing our culture. We must mentor young people so they don't forget their roots."
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