Judgement Yard
Judgement Yard was established as a community centre in August Town by the many youths who comprise Judgement Yard.
(Sizzla Explains the Meaning Behind Judgement Yard)
Anywhere one should be privileged to see Sizzla in person, he will undoubtedly be flanked by members of his organization known as Judgement Yard. As Capleton has David House, Sizzla has Judgement Yard, which consists of his most loyal friends and family from in and around the community of August Town. All of these friends serve important functions for Sizzla whether it be cooking, security, camraderie, etc.
Although Judgement Yard is an organization of sorts, it is also a geographic location located at 40 August Town Road, which is where Sizzla maintains one of his residences. Judgement Yard is also the home of Kalonji's state of the art studio, which is equipped with pro-tools, as well as his record label, Kalonji Records. It was out of this studio that he produced his album, "Life", which is for all intents and purposes, Sizzla's first self-produced album. The fact that "Life" is self-produced does not diminish the quality of the album. It is truly ecclectic to say the least and most, if not all of the tracks are solid. This production effort is very solid and signals another new dimension in the career of Sizzla; that as a producer and record label proprietor.
Judgement Yard is like a home to many Rastafari youth, of which the majority wear turbans and trod the earth as battlefield warriors in Selassie Army in that I and I "burn" corruption and dirty livity. Many of these same youths who are members of Judgement Yard fraternity are musicians or have some direct affiliation with the music through production works, artiste works, etc. Some of these talents are featured on this website, but many more will follow because Judgement Yard is ever progressive and never idle. As Sizzla Kalonji is a versatile pioneer within Reggae music, so are all of the battlefield warriors who compromise the body of the Judgement Yard organism, while Sizzla represents the head.
In the past, Judgement Yard has received much media criticism and scrutiny due to the cache of automatic, high-powered weapons found here in March of 2005, in addition to the many surges in violence that occur in that particular section of August Town. There has been an ongoing feud between Judgement Yard, which was originally known as "Colour Red" Corner and residents of Vietnam, Jungle 12 and River sections of August Town. These feuds over the years have resulted in multiple deaths in the community as well as the presence of heavily armed police and soldiers who patrol the community on a daily basis. However, this war has served to strengthen the resolve of the warriors in Judgement Yard and I and I remain undeterred in I and I works as I and I realize that war is a reality of the ghetto, especially in a garrison like August Town, where borderlines are strictly observed at night time and curfew is a norm.
LIFE IN JUDGEMENT YARD
Judgement Yard is located in the so called ''garrison'' community of August Town, which like many neighborhoods in Kingston is divided bylocal political ideology. Essentially, Judgement Yard is a physical fortress which was once equippped with a rifle tower. This was until Reneto Adams (formerly the higest ranking police officer in Jamaica) tore it down during one of many raids conducted there by his police forces. The walls of Judgement Yard a high and are made of thick concrete which is riddled with bullet holes in some places.
Judgement Yard is also an area of stark contrasts where behind the bullet-riddled walls of the homes on August Town Road, there lies the calm, peaceful Hope River directly behind the roadside, located in the valley. It is in and around this river where some local residents bathe, wash clothes, and obtain drinking water as well as reason. It is a truly serene, natural environment that can often be quiet and very conducive to meditation. It seems as though time is often at a standstill down in the valley by the river.
In order to really understand each Judgement Yard artiste, Sizzla included, one must understand the environment of stark contrasts in which they dwell in order to understand why Judgement Yard artistes on the whole generally display a wide range of moods and contrasts. In addition, each Judgement Yard artiste is comparable to Sizzla before he acheived his monumental success because every member of Judgement Yard possesses extraordinary talent, with most of their collective talents being expressed musically.
