Richie Spice Tonight at the DownLow

Richie Spice

Jamaican roots dancehall crooner Richie Spice burst onto the international scene in 2006 with the smash hit "Youths Are So Cold," a sobering take on the conditions facing inner-city residents which contained a powerful plea for more education to "build a better future so de youths dem grow."

Since then, Spice has released two more full-length albums and generally established himself as one of the heirs to the legacy of such legendary roots-era artists as Johnny Clarke, Gregory Isaacs, and Johnny Osborne (whose song "Truth and Rights" provided the riddim template for "Youths Are So Cold"). Spice appears tonight at the Shattuck DownLow, along with his brother Spanner Banner (best known for his 90s hit "Life Goes On") and the 7th Street Band.