My two cents on Ra

Here's my two cents on Ra, based upon on an almost larger than life legendary soul.

Champaign-Urbana has lost one of its cultural icons. Chef Ra, aka Jim Wilson, passed away at home, at the age of 56, the morning of Tuesday, December 26th.

Ra hosted the longest running program on WEFT 90.1FM, "Roots, Rock, Reggae", for over 25 years. He drove for The Yellow Cab Co., wrote a long-standing cooking column for High Times magazine, DJ'd at various local clubs, and made an impact on many people of all ages with his indomitable spirit.

The Urbana High School graduate set athletic records in track and played football and other sports. He was elected as the first African-American senior class president during a racially charged setting and time. The experiences he contended with politicized Ra at a young age, and by the
time he attended Woodstock, after graduating high school in 1969, he said that it had changed his consciousness. In college at the U of I, he studied photography, film, and more.

Chef Ra introduced reggae music to the radio listeners of East Central Illinois, while spinning his adventurous yarns over the airwaves, and preaching about people coming together. He put himself out there for a lotta years, with his raps on liberation, love, peace, freedom, and coming
together. Many mini-generations of college students and townsfolk became familiar with him.

For me, Ra embodied the cultural spirit of WEFT for a whole host of reasons, amidst his complexities, and many faceted attributes. There were sides to this man that some people knew, and others never knew, but what little I know is that there was a lot more to him, than the upbeat partying side. He was a bright, incisive, politically savvy entity. He had a good read on people, grounded in street smarts, and was no nonsense when it came to sniffin' out bullshit. He couldn't stand negative trips and the psyhcic vampires that would bring everybody else down. Right on, Ra.

He had a lot of other experiences based upon the times he came out of, taking his stands, looking to be a part of various solutions, and rolling out on his own cultural and political excursions, including running for president at one point in the 80's. He eventually focused on the cultural
aspects behind people's consciousness and the notion of personal evolution in the cycle of "the revolution".

In hanging, knowing, and working with him through the years, I found him to be a fair man, and down for being real, down for the doin' the right thing, and for being positive and constructive. We had some good times, good laughs, and some deep moments.

When my son was about two years old, he took one look at Ra, as they eyed each other, and completely, slowly, turned around 180 degrees and faced the wall. Ra was great with him, with those 6 foot dreads, on his 6-foot-plus frame, with a great big, and in that moment, gentle laugh, as he talked about that being the way it always was with the little ones, and that later the kids warm up to him. And, it happened. Eventually, my son would wave and say hello to Ra more affectionately. Thought one day that we'd all go fishing...one of the moments that didn't happen. A good
reminder: do what ya gotta do, do what ya wanna do, take care of the little things, cuz we don't know when our number's up.

He enjoyed his celebrity status on the Hash Bash tours, advocating for legalization of "the herb" to the end, and judging for the High Times Cannibus Cup in Amsterdam. Ra never lost his love of cooking, gardening, fishing, his sense of humor, and the way he filled a room, and brightened things up, in the affirmation of his wild presence on this earth.

WEFT has had plans to present Rasta's video from the 80's, "Chef Ra Escapes Babylon", as one of the station's community events during its year long celebration of 25 years of broadcasting to the listeners of East Central Illinois. The station will publicize the event when the date and location are firm.

Hard to believe he's left Babylon after makin' it this far. He was one of a kind, and lived a full and colorful life, even though there was more to do and see and be. Shocked and saddened at his passing after knowing him since 1980, I think the planet is that much richer for his time here. He will be missed in all his uniqueness, creativity, laughter, and his
Rastafarian-based hippified embracing spirit. You did it your
way, Ra. Ain't no doubt about that. The Frank Sinatra of Rasta Men. To you, Ra: peace and love, brother man, as you travel your own Ra ways with Jah's ways.

-- Mick Woolf