Zephaniah ( /ˌzɛfəˈnaɪ.ə/) or Tzfanya (Hebrew: צְפַנְיָה, Modern Tsfanya Tiberian Ṣəp̄anyā ; "Concealed of/is Lord") is the name of several people in the Bible Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh. He is also called Sophonias as in the New Catholic Encyclopaedia and in Easton's [Bible] Dictionary. The name might mean "Yah(weh) has concealed", "[he whom] Yah(weh) has hidden", or ""Yah(weh) lies in wait"".

The prophet Zephaniah[link]

An 18th century Russian icon of the prophet Zephaniah

The most well-known Biblical figure bearing the name Zephaniah is the son of Cushi, and great-grandson of Hezekiah, ninth in the literary order of the minor prophets. He prophesied in the days of Josiah, king of Judah (B.C. 641-610), and was contemporary with Jeremiah, with whom he had much in common. The only primary source from which we obtain our scanty knowledge of the personality and the rhetorical and literary qualities of this individual is the short book of the Old Testament (containing only three chapters), which bears his name. The scene of his activity was the city of Jerusalem. (Zeph 1:4-10; 3:1, 14)

Date of activity[link]

Zephaniah is the only one of the few prophets whose chronology is fixed by a precise date in the introductory verse of the book. Under the two preceding kings, Amon and Manasseh, idolatry had been introduced in the most shameful forms (especially the cult of Baal and Astarte) into the Holy City,^[1][2] and with this foreign cult came a foreign culture and a great corruption of morals. Josiah, a dedicated reformer,^[3] wished to put an end to the horrible devastation in the holy places. One of the most zealous champions and advisers of this reform was Zephaniah, and his writing remains one of the most important documents for the understanding of the era of Josiah.

The prophet spoke boldly against the religious and moral corruption, when, in view of the idolatry which had penetrated even into the sanctuary, he threatened to "destroy out of this place the remnant of Baal, and the names of the ... priests" (Zeph 1:4), and pleaded for a return to the simplicity of their fathers instead of the luxurious foreign clothing which was worn especially in aristocratic circles (1:8).

The age of Zephaniah was also a key historical period, because the lands of Anterior Asia were overrun by foreigners due to the migration of the Scythians in the last decades of the seventh century, and because Jerusalem was only a few decades before its downfall in 586.^[4] In light of these events, a message of impending judgment is the primary burden of this figure's preaching (1:7).

He is commemorated with the other Minor prophets in the Calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 31. On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, his feast day is December 3.

The Book of Zephaniah[link]

Zephaniah addressing people (France, 16th century).

The Book of Zephaniah contains in its three chapters the fundamental ideas of the preaching of Zephaniah. The scheme of the book in its present form is as follows:

a) 1:2-2:3. Warnings about the "day of the Lord", a Dies irae, dies illa^[5] of the Old Testament. The judgment of the Lord will descend on Judah and Jerusalem as a punishment for the awful degeneracy in religious life (1:4-7a); it will extend to all classes of the people (1:7b-13), and will be attended with all the horrors of a frightful catastrophe (1:14-18); therefore, repent and seek the Lord (2:1-3).

b) 2:4-15. Not only Jerusalem, but the entire world is subject to judgment, including the Philistines, (4-7) Moabites, Ammonites, (8-11) Ethiopians, (12) Assyrians and Ninivites (13-15).

c) 3:1-8. The Prophet focuses once again on Jerusalem: "Woe to the provoking, and redeemed city ... She hath not hearkened to the voice, neither hath she received discipline." The severest reckoning will be required of the leading classes of the civil community, and of the Prophets and priests as the directors of public worship.

d) 3:9-20. With a prophetic glance at the Kingdom of God of the future, in which all the world unites and turns to God, the prosperity of the Messianic Kingdom will be enjoyed.

e) 3:9-20. The last message of Zephaniah also has a Messianic coloring, although not to an extent comparable with that which may be found in the Book of Isaiah.

Other Zephaniahs in the Bible[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zephaniah

Other individuals named Zephaniah include:

1) The son of Maaseiah, the "second priest" in the reign of Zedekiah, often mentioned in Jeremiah as having been sent from the king to inquire (Jer. 21:1) regarding the coming woes which he had denounced, and to entreat the prophet's intercession that the judgment threatened might be averted (Jer 29:25, 26, 29; 37:3; 52:24). He, along with some other captive Jews, was put to death by the king of Babylon "at Riblah in the land of Hamath" (2 Kings 25:21).

2) A Kohathite ancestor of the prophet Samuel (1 Chr 6:36).

3) The father of Josiah, the priest who dwelt in Jerusalem when Darius issued the decree that the temple should be rebuilt ... (Zech 6:10).

See also[link]

• Book of Zephaniah
• Benjamin Zephaniah (poet)
• Apocalypse of Zephaniah (pseudepigraphic book)

References[link]

1. ^ ANE History: The End of Judah Copyright © Quartz Hill School of Theology
2. ^ The Wicked Reigns of Manasseh and Amon
3. ^ "The Religious Reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah" at the Biblical Archaeology Society Online Archive
4. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia: Sophonias
5. ^ "That day of wrath, that dreadful day," as described in Nelson's Compact Illustrated Bible Dictionary, pp. 283, 283, Thomas Nelson Publishers (1964), ISBN 0-8407-5636-5

• This article incorporates text from Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), a publication now in the public domain.

External links[link]

• Jewish translations:
  • Tzefaniah - Zephaniah (Judaica Press) translation with Rashi's commentary at Chabad.org

• Christian translations:
  • Zephaniah at The Great Books (New Revised Standard Version)
  • Zephaniah at Wikisource (Authorised King James Version)

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David Pawson
Born	1930
Occupation	International Bible Expositor, theologist, Pastor, previously Chaplain
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Durham University & Cambridge University
Genres	Christian apologetics, Evangelist
Subjects	Bible study (Christian)

J. David Pawson (born 1930) is a prominent Bible teacher based in Great Britain. He is the author of more than thirty books.

Biography[link]

According to his autobiography,^[1] Pawson's immediate ancestors were all farmers, Methodist preachers or both - dating back to John Pawson, a friend and follower of John Wesley. His father, H. Cecil Pawson, was head of Agriculture at Durham University and also Vice President of the Methodist conference.^[2] From his childhood in the north of England David Pawson had wanted to be a farmer, but by the time he had completed his studies for a B.Sc. in Agriculture at Durham University, he felt God was calling him into full-time Christian ministry. He then studied for an M.A. in theology at Wesley House, Cambridge University, and subsequently joined the Royal Air Force as a chaplain, serving in Aden.

After leaving the RAF he served as a Methodist minister, but became increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of infant baptism. After appearing before a doctrinal committee of the Methodist church, he volunteered to leave the denomination, and did so. Shortly thereafter he accepted an invitation to become the pastor of Gold Hill Baptist Church in Buckinghamshire.

Later, as pastor of Guildford Baptist Church ('Millmead', which he helped to design), he established a reputation among both evangelicals and charismatics as a Bible teacher. From here his teaching tapes - originally made for the church's sick and elderly members - became popular worldwide. Under his ministry, Millmead became one of the largest Baptist churches in the United Kingdom.

Pawson left Millmead in 1979 and engaged in an itinerant worldwide Bible teaching ministry. As of 2010, Pawson, aged 80, is still preaching at events across the globe.

Teachings[link]

In The Normal Christian Birth, Pawson argued that a biblical initiation into Christianity should involve more than a simple 'sinners prayer'. Whilst accepting the fundamental basis of salvation by faith, he argued that the Biblical model of a person's "birth" into God's kingdom included aspects which are frequently ignored or forgotten today. He proposed four principal steps: repentance towards God; believing in Jesus, baptism in water and receiving the Holy Spirit. This, according to Pawson, is the biblical pattern for a "normal Christian birth". According to the book itself, "David Pawson advocates a synthesis of the 'liberal' emphasis on repentance, the 'evangelical' on faith, the 'sacramental' on baptism and the 'pentecostal' on the Spirit." This work of Pawson has been influential and is taught at a number of theological seminaries and mission stations.

In Leadership is Male, he teaches that leadership is a role given by God to men. In so doing, he criticizes men for not taking proper responsibility in important aspects of family and church life. He argues that modern men too often neglect their social obligations and should return to the Biblical model of manhood. This book's foreword was written by a woman, Elisabeth Elliot.

In The Road to Hell, Pawson is critical of Annihilationism, the teaching that the punishment of hell is not eternal. He teaches that people who go to hell experience eternal suffering. According to the book itself, by "challenging the modern alternatives of liberal 'universalism' and evangelical 'annihilationism', David Pawson presents the traditional concept of endless torment as soundly biblical."

In Unlocking the Bible, Pawson presents a book by book study of the whole Bible. The book is based on Pawson's belief that the Bible should be studied, as it was written, "a book at a time" (certainly not a verse, or even a chapter at a time); and that each book is best understood by discovering why and for whom it was written. It is based on an arranged series of talks in which he set out the background, purpose, meaning and relevance of each book of the Bible, and was transcribed into written form by Andy Peck. The groundwork for this study was laid in the 1960s and '70s, when Pawson took his congregation through nearly half of the Old Testament and all of the New Testament line by line (recordings of those studies are still distributed).

In When Jesus Returns, he critically considers in the light of scripture the major views on eschatology popular in the church today, specifically the preterist, historicist, futurist and idealist schools of interpreting the Book of Revelation. He rejects postmillennialism in favour of a premillennial understanding of the Second Coming, so that Jesus will return bodily in power immediately before his reign over the world for a millennium from Jerusalem. He asserts that the supernatural taking up of believers alive at this time (following the 'tribulation' period of persecution), so as to join the returning Christ, fulfils the Rapture prophecies; he argues against a pre-tribulation timing of the rapture. He further argues that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land is a fulfilment of scriptural prophecy, and that prophecies spoken about Israel relate specifically to Israel (not to the church), so that the outstanding prophecies about Israel will be fulfilled before the end of the age.

In Jesus Baptises in One Holy Spirit, Pawson discusses the evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as a separate event from believing, repentance and water baptism. He argues that a believer does not receive the indwelling Holy Spirit until s/he is baptized in the Spirit, a distinct experience evidenced by charismatic gifts such as prophecy or tongues. This differs from the evangelical view that the Spirit is automatically received when a person believes, and the Pentecostal view that receiving the indwelling Spirit (at conversion) and receiving the Baptism in the Spirit are two experiences with different purposes.

In The Challenge of Islam to Christians, Pawson documents the present rapid rise of Islam in the West. He explains what Islam is, arguing that its rejection of Jesus Christ's divinity mean the two faiths cannot be reconciled, and he proposes a Christian response, based on the church purifying itself. The book details Pawson's testing of his premonition that Britain would become Islamic. In comparing the situation to that portrayed by the Hebrew prophet Habakkuk, Pawson implies that the rise of Islam could be impending judgement for the immorality into which Western churches and secular humanist society has sunk.

In Once Saved, Always Saved?, Pawson uses scripture to question the frequent evangelical claim that someone who has once believed in Jesus Christ will end up with Christ in heaven whatever that person subsequently believes or does. (Twelve years earlier, another evangelical, RT Kendall, summed up this claim in a book having the same title without a question mark.) Pawson points to the need to persevere in faith, and to the repeated exhortations in scripture to do so.

In Word and Spirit Together: Uniting Charismatics and Evangelicals (a revision of Fourth Wave), Pawson calls for an end to the division between charismatic and Evangelical Christians over the issue of Spiritual Baptism and charismatic gifts. He argues that the charismatic gifts are for the church today but that their practice should be built on a solid scriptural basis. He therefore argues that the two groups should learn from each other, to the benefit of both.

In Defending Christian Zionism, Pawson puts the case that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land is a fulfilment of scriptural prophecy, and that Christians should support the existence of the Jewish State (although not unconditionally its actions) on theological grounds. He also argues that prophecies spoken about Israel relate specifically to Israel (not to the church, as in "replacement theology"). However he criticises Dispensationalism, a largely American movement holding similar views about Israel. Pawson was spurred to write this book by the work of Stephen Sizer, an evangelical Anglican who rejects Christian Zionism. A debate can be heard between the two at Pawson/Sizer debate. Pawson's book Israel in the New Testament continues the Christian Zionist theme.

In the Come with me through series, Pawson goes through an entire book of the Bible. This series is also based on the preaching of David Pawson to his congregation back in the 60's and 70's. There are currently just a few titles released in this series with more to come.

Books[link]

• Christianity Explained, 2006, David Pawson, Terra Nova Publications, ISBN 1-901949-46-X
• Explaining Water Baptism, 2000, David Pawson, Sovereign World Ltd, ISBN 1-85240-083-8
• Explaining the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, 2004, David Pawson, Joyce Huggett, Sovereign World, ISBN 1-85240-383-7
• Explaining the Resurrection, 2000, David Pawson, Sovereign World, Ltd, ISBN 1-85240-089-7
• Explaining the Second Coming, 2000, David Pawson, Renew, ISBN 1-85240-118-4
• Hope for the Millennium, 1999, David Pawson, Hodder & Stoughton, ISBN 0-340-73559-7
• Head in the Clouds, 1999, David Pawson, Hodder & Stoughton Religious, ISBN 0-340-60812-9
• Is John 3:16 the Gospel?, 2007, David Pawson, Terra Nova Publications International Ltd, ISBN 1-901949-55-9
• Infant Baptism Under Cross-examination, 1976, David Pawson, Colin Buchanan, Grove Books Ltd, ISBN 0-901710-89-X
• Is the Blessing Biblical?, 1996, David Pawson, Hodder & Stoughton, ISBN 0-340-66147-X
• Jesus Baptises in One Holy Spirit: When?, How?, Why?, Who?, 1997, David Pawson, Hodder&Stoughton Religious, ISBN 0-340-69398-3
• Jesus Baptises In One Holy Spirit, 2006, David Pawson, Terra Nova Publications, ISBN 1-901949-44-3
• Leadership Is Male, 1990, David Pawson, Thomas Nelson Inc, ISBN 0-8407-9023-6
• Loose Leaves From My Bible, 1994, David Pawson, North Bank Graphics, ISBN 0-9522985-0-3
• Not as Bad as the Truth: Memoirs of an Unorthodox Evangelical, 2006, David Pawson, Hodder Headline, ISBN 0-340-86427-3
• Once Saved, Always Saved?: A Study in Perseverance and Inheritance, David Pawson, Roger Forster, Hodder Headline, 1996, ISBN 0-340-61066-2
• Tell me the truth!, 1977, David Pawson, Harold Shaw, ISBN 0-87788-837-X
• The Road to Hell: Everlasting Torment or Annihilation? 1996, David Pawson, Hodder Headline 1996 and Terra Nova Publications International Ltd 2007, ISBN 0-340-53964-X
• The Normal Christian Birth: How to Give New Believers a Proper Start in Life, David Pawson, Hodder & Stoughton 1989 and Hodder Headline 1991, ISBN 0-340-48972-3
• The Challenge of Islam to Christians, 2003, David Pawson, Hodder Headline, ISBN 0-340-86189-4
• Unlocking the Bible Omnibus: A Unique Overview of the Whole Bible, 2003, David Pawson, HarperCollins UK, ISBN 0-00-716666-4
• When Jesus Returns, 1995, David Pawson, Hodder & Stoughton Religious, ISBN 0-340-61211-8
• Word And Spirit Together, 2007, David Pawson, Terra Nova Publications, ISBN 1-901949-53-2
• Where is Jesus now?, 2001, David Pawson, Kingsway Publications, ISBN 0-85476-930-7
• Why Does God Allow Natural Disasters?, 2007, David Pawson, Terra Nova Publications, 2007, ISBN 1-901949-56-7
• Defending Christian Zionism, 2008, David Pawson, Terra Nova Publications, 2008, ISBN 978-1-901949-62-9
• Practising the Principles of Prayer, 2008, David Pawson, Terra Nova Publications, ISBN 978-1-901949-58-2
• Living in Hope, 2008, David Pawson, Terra Nova Publications, ISBN 978-1-901949-60-5
• The God and the Gospel of Righteousness, 2008, David Pawson, Terra Nova Publications, ISBN 978-1-901949-59-9
• Come with me through Revelation, 2008, David Pawson, Terra Nova Publications, ISBN 978-1-901949-61-2
• Israel in the New Testament, 2009, David Pawson, Terra Nova Publications, ISBN 978-1-901949-64-3
• Come with me through Mark, 2009, David Pawson, Terra Nova Publications, ISBN 978-1-901949-66-7

References[link]

External links[link]

• David Pawson website
• A brief history of Guildford Baptist Church

Benjamin Zephaniah
Born	(1958-04-15) 15 April 1958 (age 54) Handsworth, Birmingham, England
Occupation	Poet, playwright, author
Nationality	British
Genres	Poetry, teen fiction
Literary movement	Rastafari movement
Spouse(s)	Amina (m. 1990 divorced 2001)
www.benjaminzephaniah.com

Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (born 15 April 1958, Birmingham, England)^[1] is an English writer and dub poet. He is a well-known figure in contemporary English literature, and was included in The Times list of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008.^[2]

Life and Work[link]

Zephaniah was born and raised in the Handsworth district of Birmingham,^[3] which he called the "Jamaican capital of Europe". He is the son of a Barbadian postman and a Jamaican nurse.^[4][5] A dyslexic, he attended an approved school but left aged 13 unable to read or write.^[5]

He writes that his poetry is strongly influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and what he calls "street politics". His first performance was in church when he was ten, and by the age of fifteen, his poetry was already known among Handsworth's Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities.^[6] He received a criminal record with the police as a young man and served a prison sentence for burglary.^[5][7] Tired of the limitations of being a black poet communicating with black people only, he decided to expand his audience, and headed to London at the age of twenty-two.^[4]

He became actively involved in a workers co-operative in Stratford, London, which led to the publication of his first book of poetry, Pen Rhythm (Page One Books, 1980). Three editions were published. Zephaniah has said that his mission is to fight the dead image of poetry in academia, and to "take [it] everywhere" to people who do not read books so he turned poetry readings into concert-like performances.^[4]

His second collection of poetry, The Dread Affair: Collected Poems (1985) contained a number of poems attacking the British legal system. Rasta Time in Palestine (1990), an account of a visit to the Palestinian occupied territories, contained poetry and travelogue.

His album Rasta, which featured The Wailers' first recording since the death of Bob Marley as well as a tribute to Nelson Mandela, gained him international prestige^[8] and topped the Yugoslavian pop charts.^[6][8] It was because of this recording that he was introduced to the political prisoner and soon-to-be South African president Nelson Mandela, and in 1996, Mandela requested that Zephaniah host the president's Two Nations Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Zephaniah was poet in residence at the chambers of Michael Mansfield QC, and sat in on the inquiry into Bloody Sunday and other cases, these experiences leading to his Too Black, Too Strong poetry collection (2001).^[5] We Are Britain! (2002) is a collection of poems celebrating cultural diversity in Britain.

Benjamin Zephaniah became a very successful children's poet with his first book of poetry for children, called Talking Turkeys, which had to go into an emergency reprint after just six weeks. In 1999 he wrote an immensely successful novel for teenagers, Face, the first of four novels to date.

Zephaniah lived for many years in East London but since 2008 has divided his time between Beijing and a village near Spalding, Lincolnshire.^[9]

He was married for twelve years to Amina, a theatre administrator, who left him in 2001.^[10]

In November 2003, Zephaniah wrote in The Guardian that he had turned down an OBE from the Queen because it reminded him of "how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised."^[11]

Views[link]

Zephaniah is a well-known supporter of Aston Villa F.C. and is the patron for an Aston Villa supporters' website.^[12]

Zephaniah is an honorary patron of The Vegan Society,^[13] Viva! (Vegetarians International Voice for Animals),^[14] EVOLVE! Campaigns,^[15] the anti-racism organisation Newham Monitoring Project with whom he made a video ^[16] in 2012 about the impact of olympic policing on black communities, Tower Hamlets Summer University and an animal rights advocate. In 2004 he wrote the foreword to Keith Mann's book From Dusk 'til Dawn: An insider's view of the growth of the Animal Liberation Movement, a book about the Animal Liberation Front. In August 2007, he announced that he would be launching the Animal Liberation Project, alongside People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.^[17] He became a vegan when he read poems about "shimmering fish floating in an underwater paradise, and birds flying free in the clear blue sky".

The poet joined Amnesty International in speaking out against homophobia in Jamaica, saying: "For many years Jamaica was associated with freedom fighters and liberators, so it hurts when I see that the home of my parents is now associated with the persecution of people because of their sexual orientation."^[18]

Zephaniah has spoken in favour of a British Republic and the dis-establishment of the crown.^[19]

Zephaniah appeared in literature to support changing the British electoral system from first-past-the-post to alternative vote for electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the Alternative Vote referendum in 2011.^[20]

He is a supporter of the Green Party of England and Wales.^{[citation needed]}

Achievements[link]

Collecting the Hancock at Cambridge Folk Festival 2008 with Martin Carthy looking on.

Zephaniah won the BBC Young Playwright's Award.^[1] He has been awarded honorary doctorates by the University of North London (in 1998),^[1] the University of Central England (in 1999), Staffordshire University (in 2002), London South Bank University (in 2003), the University of Exeter and the University of Westminster (in 2006). On 17 July 2008 Zephaniah received an honorary doctorate from the University of Birmingham.^[21] He was listed at 48 in The Times' list of 50 greatest postwar writers.^[2]

He has released several albums of original music.^[22] He was awarded Best Original Song in the Hancocks 2008, Talkawhile Awards for Folk Music (as voted by members of Talkawhile.co.uk^[23]) for his version of Tam Lyn Retold recorded with The Imagined Village. He collected the Award live at The Cambridge Folk Festival on 2 August 2008 and described himself as a "Rasta Folkie".^[24]

Books[link]

Poetry[link]

• Pen Rhythm (1980)
• The Dread Affair: Collected Poems (1985) Arena
• City Psalms (1992) Bloodaxe Books
• Inna Liverpool (1992) AK Press
• Talking Turkeys (1995) Puffin Books
• Propa Propaganda (1996) Bloodaxe Books
• Funky Chickens (1997) Puffin
• School's Out: Poems Not for School (1997) AK Press
• Funky Turkeys (Audiobook) (1999) AB hntj
• White Comedy (Unknown)
• Wicked World! (2000) Puffin
• Too Black, Too Strong (2001) Bloodaxe Books
• The Little Book of Vegan Poems (2001) AK Press
• Reggae Head (Audiobook) 57 Productions

Novels[link]

• Face (1999) Bloomsbury (published in children's and adult editions)
• Refugee Boy (2001) Bloomsbury
• Gangsta Rap (2004) Bloomsbury
• Teacher's Dead (2007) Bloomsbury

Children's books[link]

• We are Britain (2002) Frances Lincoln
• Primary Rhyming Dictionary (2004) Chambers Harrap
• J is for Jamaica (2006) Frances Lincoln
• My Story (2011), Collins
• When I Grow Up (2011), Frances Lincoln

Other[link]

• Kung Fu Trip (2011), Bloomsbury

Plays[link]

• Playing the Right Tune (1985)
• Job Rocking (1987)
• Delirium (1987)
• Streetwise (1990)
• Mickey Tekka (1991)
• Listen to Your Parents (included in Theatre Centre: Plays for Young People - Celebrating 50 Years of Theatre Centre (2003) Aurora Metro, also published by Longman, 2007)
• Face: The Play (with Richard Conlon)

Acting roles[link]

• Didn't You Kill My Brother? (1987) - Rufus
• Farendj (1989) - Moses
• Truth or Dairy (1994) - The Vegan Society (UK)
• Crucial Tales (1996) - Richard's father
• Making the Connection (2010) - Environment Films / The Vegan Society (UK)

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Rasta (1982) Upright (reissued 1989) Workers Playtime (UK Indie #22)^[25]
• Us An Dem (1990) Island
• Back to Roots (1995) Acid Jazz
• Belly of De Beast (1996) Ariwa
• Naked (2005) One Little Indian
• Naked & Mixed-Up (2006) One Little Indian (Benjamin Zephaniah Vs. Rodney-P)

Singles, EPs[link]

• Dub Ranting EP (1982) Radical Wallpaper
• "Big Boys Don't Make Girls Cry" 12-inch single (1984) Upright
• "Free South Africa" (1986)
• "Crisis" 12-inch single (1992) Workers Playtime

Guest appearances[link]

• "Empire" (1995) Bomb the Bass with Zephaniah & Sinéad O'Connor
• Heading for the Door by Back to Base (2000) MPR Records
• Friends The One With The Embryos (2002) Channel 4
• Open Wide (2004) Dubioza kolektiv (C) & (P) Gramofon
• Rebel by Toddla T (2009) 1965 Records
• "Illegal" (2000) from "Himawari" by Swayzak

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Rasta poet publicly rejects his OBE by Merope Mills, published by The Guardian on 27 November 2003.
• Benjamin Zephaniah — from The Black Presence in Britain
• Benjamin Zephaniah on Poetry, Politics and Revolution - video report by Democracy Now!

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Benjamin Zephaniah

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2008)

Tamar Braxton
Braxton at the 2012 Eye on Black: Salute to Directors
Background information
Born	(1977-03-17) March 17, 1977 (age 35) Severn, Maryland, United States
Genres	R&B, soul, pop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, background singer, television personality, dancer
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Dreamworks Casablanca Universal Republic
Associated acts	The Braxtons, Toni Braxton

Tamar Braxton-Herbert (pronounced Tay-mar) (born March 17, 1977) still commonly known as Tamar Braxton is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and reality television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a founding member of the R&B group, The Braxtons. Braxton is the youngest sister of prominent R&B singer Toni Braxton.

In 2011, Tamar Braxton reunited with her sisters, The Braxtons, for the WE tv reality show, Braxton Family Values. The first season was the #1 rated reality show on WE tv and the network ordered a 13-episode second season of the show after the third episode.^[1][2]

Early life[link]

Tamar Estine Braxton was born in Severn, Maryland to Michael and Evelyn Braxton. The youngest of the Braxton's six children, Tamar started singing as a toddler. Evelyn, an amateur opera singer, recognized her children's talents when one day, Tamar sang "Can you please get me some toilet paper!" Evelyn began training her girls. The Braxton children also would eventually enter in their church choir, where Michael Braxton was pastor.

Pre-solo career (1990—1997)[link]

The sisters worked as backup singers for Toni (they can be seen in Toni's video "Seven Whole Days"). Eventually, the girls (minus Toni & Traci) would release an album for Atlantic in 1996, So Many Ways.

[edit] Ridiculous & Tamar (1998—2002)

In 1998, Tamar disbanded from the group and went on to embark on a solo career; she first explored her gospel side on T.D Jakes's Sacred Love Songs compilation on the song "Now I Only Dance for You." Later, Tamar would meet up with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, a rapper/producer (also famous for bringing Blu Cantrell to national attention) based in Atlanta, Georgia. She recorded her solo debut album, Ridiculous, so named because of the many different musical styles on the album.^{[citation needed]} The album spawn off a total of two buzz singles ("Let Him Go" and "Just Cuz") in hopes of garnering attention from the public eye; however, when the songs failed to gain impact on urban radio outlets, the album was pushed back and cancelled; instead of shelving the album, Tamar altogether abandoned several tracks from Ridiculous, retooled it and renamed it Tamar. The album would still be released via Dreamworks, only lead by an official lead single with a music video; that single would be known as "Get None", a raunchy-female anthem, informing deceitful men that she is not a "one night stand." The song featured production and verses from Janet Jackson's ex-boyfriend, Jermaine "J.D." Dupri, alongside guest vocals by former Jay-Z apprentice, Amil, and uncredited background vocals and songwriting work by R&B singer, Mya. Soon as the song began to pick up airplay, Tamar announced the album would be released in early 2000, alongside a second single from the album called "If You Don't Wanna Love Me." Tamar would later announce the album would feature production from Missy Elliott, Tim & Bob, Tricky Stewart and Troy Johnson; in spite of the popular collaborations, the album flopped on the Billboard charts in its opening week, peaking at a disappointing #127 on the Billboard 200, averaging an estimate of 100,000 units sold by the end of the year. In hopes of reviving the album, Tamar's label still went on to release "If You Don't Wanna Love Me", with an accompanying music video, as promised. However lack of significant radio airplay for the song made matters much worse, thus resulting her label to drop her from their roster.

In 2000 Tamar began to work alongside her sister, Toni Braxton, in a number of songs and music video cameos, including the video for "He Wasn't Man Enough". She performed background vocals on Toni's next three albums, The Heat (2000), Snowflakes (2001), and More than a Woman (2002). In 2001 Tamar's previously unreleased song "Try Me" was featured in the soundtrack for the film Kingdom Come. In 2002, Tamar was featured in Toni's Irv Gotti-produced song "Me & My Boyfriend".

Second album & reality show (2004— present)[link]

By 2004, Tamar was briefly signed to Tommy Mottola's Casablanca Records and began work on a second album, which has yet to be released and titled. The first and latest single from the album is "I'm Leaving" (a "Grindin'"-influenced produced song, aimed toward the hip-hop audience), which was released in 2004 and featured remixes from the likes of Sheek Louch, Styles P., Ali Vegas and Bump J. Tamar would go on to release another single for the album that same year, however, when Casablanca was merging and entering new business deals (interfering with the process of Tamar's album being completed), Tamar split from the label, leaving her to retool and rework several songs for her yet-to-be titled second album; as of 2012, Tamar has yet to release the long awaited project.

In 2006, Tamar sang backup in her sister Toni's Las Vegas show, Toni Braxton: Revealed, but she was replaced by singer Sparkle. In 2010, she signed to Universal Records, where she still currently works on her second album at her own record company with husband, producer Vincent Herbert. She went on to showcase her acting and television appearances with a brief cameo on the BET television series Tiny & Toya which first broadcasted in June 2010.

In July 2010, she released a single "The Heart In Me" which was included on the Adidas 2: The Music compilation with Hasan.

In January 2011, WEtv Network confirmed that it had signed Toni Braxton and her mother and sisters for a reality series, Braxton Family Values. The show debuted April 12, 2011.^[3] Along with working on her own music, Tamar also was a featured background vocalist in Lady Gaga's song Born This Way.^[4] On December 15, 2011, it was confirmed that Braxton and her Husband Vincent would star in their own reality series centered around her solo career and their married life.^[5]

Personal life[link]

Marriage[link]

In 2008, Tamar married music executive and close musical partner, Vincent Herbert; wedding photos of the couple emerged via several magazines and made their way via the television debut of Braxton Family Values.^[6]

Vocal Ability[link]

Tamar Braxton has a 5 octave vocal range which goes from a low F3 to a high D7 as heard in "Money Can't Buy You Love"; she has also hit a whistle note much similar to Mariah Carey.^[7]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles & other songs[link]

• "Get None" (featuring J.D., Amil and Mya) (1999)
  • #59 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs;^[8] #21 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales;^[9] #52 Hot Singles Sales^[10]
• "If You Don't Wanna Love Me" (2000)
  • #30 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs;^[11] #8 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales;^[12] #15 Hot Singles Sales;^[13] #34 Hot Dance Club Play^[14]
• "I'm Leaving" (2004)
  • First buzz single from Tamar's second album
• "Feels Like I'm Dead" (2008)
  • Demo leak from Tamar's second album
• "The Heart In Me" (2010)
  • from the 2010 compilation, Adidas 2: The Music
• "Don't Go" (Silk featuring Tamar Braxton) (2001)
  • from Silk's album, Love Session
• "Call Me" (featuring Sam Salter and Scott Galbraith) (1998)
  • from the 1998 NFL compilation, NFL Jams
• "Now I Only Dance for You" (1999)
  • from T.D. Jakes's 1999 compilation, Sacred Love Songs

References[link]