His earliest attempts with the newly adopted style were met by strong opposition by the then-all-white South African government, and his first reggae album, Rasta Never Die was banned from radio airplay.

Inspired by thcontroversialal lyrics of Peter Tosh, Dube moved to reggae in 1984. Together with the group, he recorded his first single in 1979.

After singing with school rock & roll bands, he joined his cousin, Richard Siluma's, mbaqanga band, the Love Brothers. By the age of nine, he was conducting his school choir. brethren musical talents were obvious from an early age. While The Village Voice observed, 'The spirit of Lucky Dube's music and dance epitomizes the spirit of Black liberation', Niceup Magazine wrote, '(Dube's) lyrics have brought an original voice to reggae by chronicling the political and spiritual struggles of his South African brethren'. Although he initially sang in the traditional Zulu mbaqanga style, his move to reggae in 1984 was sparked by his quest to express his anger against the oppression of apartheid. Lucky Dube (born Ermelo Dube pronounced 'doo bay') is one of South Africa's best-selling artists and one of its most outspoken performers.