BIO

 

1980

Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus – Band - Reggae Roots band tour

Drummer, live performances and tours

 

1982

Raskidus and The Roots Connection – Reggae Band

Jon Cornelius

Founding band member, live performances and tours, recording and production

 

1982

“Raskidus and The Roots Connection” – Vinyl LP Released

 

1982

“Son of a Slave” – Music Video Released

Raskidus and The Roots Connection

 

1988

“Nice Up the Dance” – Single, Vinyl 7” Released

 

1990’s

“Levi’s Big Jeans Commercial” – Commercial Music Placement

“The Bigger You Are” by Raskidus

 

1998

“Lonesome Traveler” – Vinyl LP Released

 

2003 – present

Jon “Raskidus” Cornelius – Actor

Independent action dramas and documentary films

 

2003

“Rude Boy: The Jamaican Don” – DVD Released

Action Drama, Rated: R

 

2004

“Gangsta’s Paradise” – DVD Released

Action Drama, Rated: Suitable for 18 years

 

2007

“Reggae With Me” Music Video Released

 

2008

Stroke, Rehabilitative Therapy

 

2011

“A Cop and a Badman”

– DVD – Action Adventure Comedy, Unrated

 

2011

Brain Aneurysm, Bypass Surgery, Rehabilitative Therapy

 

2014 - present

Raskidus – Healing Guest Vocalist

Unity of Richmond Church

 

 

  

 

Jon RAS Kidus Cornelius

 

      Musician, Producer, and Actor, original roots man, Jon Cornelius a.k.a. RAS KIDUS has mixed his musical talent next to the greatest Reggae artists in the business including Ras Michael Sons of Negus with whom he traveled on his first American tour. While still in Jamaica he shared the stage with the legendary Bob Marley, Third World and Burning Spear, the famous Beris Hammond of “Zapow”, “The Psalms”, and the late great Gregory Isaacs and Sugar Minott.  RAS KIDUS leads his band, Roots Connection and currently performs live in many venues in America and around the world. 

 

     Lonesome Traveler is one of his six albums including his recently released Lively Mix. As an accomplished artist, his first production, Son of a Slave, went global and with the video release of the same song lifted him as a role model for many, spreading positive reggae music toward the masses. MTV aired the beginning of a long series of Levi’s Living Large Commercials that Ras Kidus provided the music sound track for. His second CD, Under Pressure was rated BAY AREA’S Reggae Album of the Year in 1988. Later, he toured and performed with artists including Burning Spear, Toots and the Maytals, The I-Threes, Rankin Scroo and Ginger, Glenn Washington, Hugh Mandell, and Yellow Man. 

 

      In addition to concert performances RAS KIDUS is a film star known worldwide. He portrayed the Jamaican Don Shotta, Rhino and Massive in three movies with Beenie Man and Ninja Man (Mark Danvers): "RUDEBOY-- THE JAMAICAN DON", "GANGSTA’S PARADISE", “Cop and a Bad Man’.  Recently Jon played the leading role and created the sound track for Tektive, a short film and web based television series. Tektive, produced by Roots Force Production and Slade Digital, filmed in the San Francisco bay area and is available on DVD and on youtube.  The short film, written and produced by Stephanie Slade called Tektive was featured at the Oakland International Film Festival, 2012 and the Berkeley Film Festival, 2011.  His song, ‘Jamaica Land’ is the soundtrack to the short film “Jamaica Land’, directed by Stephanie Slade being screened at the Jamaica International Reggae Film Festival, 2013. 

 

In 2019 Ras Kidus and his daughter Marisa (beezher.com) recorded a song "Where is Jah Love" in Kingston Jamaica. 

 

RootsForceProductions@gmail.com

Contact: Slade Digital: 510-302-8734 for booking