TWO SEVENS CLASH

"Are you ready for reggae in its entirety?" Culture frontman Joseph Hill is wont to challenge audiences. Ready or not, Culture's been hurling lightning-'n'-thunder reggae prophesy--live and on numerous classic sets--for nearly three decades. The most feverish of the act's consistently inspired output has to be the apocalyptic Two Sevens Clash, which includes the close-second warrior anthems "I'm Not Ashamed" and "See Them a Come." No matter that 1977 came and went without a ripple; it's all Hill's--a mesmerizing preacher-teacher who's still singing at the crossroads where Rastaman gospel meets Hendrix's acid communion. --Elena Oumano