The Garifuna Artist, Rhodel “Rhodee” Castillo grew up in the coastal Garifuna communities of Hopkins Village and Dangriga Town in Belize.
At a young age, Rhodee’s musical experience took a life of its own within the cradle of his Garifuna culture. He was inspired to be a singer and artist by family members, local musicians and performers. Musicians such as Joseph “Joe Thump” Castillo, Junior Aranda, Paul Nabor, “Gabaga” Williams, Perfecta “Mass” Ramirez, a grand aunt, and many others who performed for the community during the holiday seasons.
Throughout the early years, Rhodee continued to develop his own style with the early teachings of author and poet Marcella Lewis. With her guidance he performed with the Children’s Cultural Group at the Annual Garifuna Settlement Day Events.
Rhodee began performing with local bands, developing his musical talents, and in the meantime had began listening to international artists, Reggae poet Mutabaruka, Bob Marley, Isaac Hayes, Jimmy Cliff, Marvin Gaye, Alpha Blondy and many others.
After graduating from Belize College of Arts and Science and Technology (BELCAST), Rhodee emigrated to the United States in 1986, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Chicago State University, two years later. In 1994 he received a Master’s Degree from Roosevelt University, also in Chicago, all the time keeping his heart and mind close to his Garifuna roots.
Rhodee co-founded the Progressive Garifuna Alliance (PGA), an organization dedicated to the preservation and the advancement of the Garifuna Culture worldwide. Under Rhodee’s strong leadership, the PGA’s contributions to the Multi-Media Exhibit, The Garifuna Town Meetings, and the Annual Chicagoland Celebrations of Garifuna Culture, with proceeds benefiting the communities in Belize, have been very successful.
Rhodee also contributed as a consultant and artist to “The Garifuna Journey”, a documentary film by Andrea Leland and Kathy Berger. This film opens with Rhodee’s poem “Our Children Must Know”, demands that the truth to be told about the Garifuna history. The screening of this film at the Chicago Field Museum’s African History Series Program opened the eyes of many new admirers and brought a profound respect for the Garifuna history and lifestyle. “I want to educate the world about Garifuna.”
With a humanitarian concern for social issues affecting the world community and the Garifuna culture in particular, Rhodel “Rhodee” Castillo, created a compilation of music with a new innovated rhythm blended with a Garifuna tradition. In Exile is a mixture of Punta Rock, reggae beats and soul.
Discography:
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
