“HEMP! Reggae Tribute to The Beatles Vol. II” is a three-part album which features 56 artistes from 16 different countries. With a combined total of 48 songs, the compilations are a continuation of Sforzini’s “El Album Verde – Reggae Tribute to The Beatles Vol. I” that was released in 2005 and features various musicians doing reggae renditions of songs originally performed by The Beatles.

“This project has a message and a mission,” Sforzini revealed.

He went on to explain that the profits generated by this album will be used for the construction of a water well for a soup kitchen in a Shipibo community in Pucallpa, Peru, where the master Alex Mu?oz Vazquez (important shaman of his tribe) walks 2 Kms, several times a day with buckets of water to supply the dining room that provides breakfast and lunch for some 120 children.  Proceeds will also aid the reconstruction of the medical area in the community. 

Those willing to aid the philanthropist with his mission can purchase the album on Itunes, Amazon, CD Baby or with Paypal, or visit the website elalbumverde.com.ar or the album’s Facebook page where you can inquire about other ways to make a contribution.

Sforzini’s benevolence doesn’t stop with the Shipido children however, as the altruist is also seeking to contribute to the preservation of the planet by spreading the word about the usefulness of hemp.

Hemp is the term used for varieties of the Cannabis plant as well as the products that can be produced from it - from materials such as textile fibres, paper, plastics and building materials to biofuel, medicinal and cosmetic oils just to highlight a few. The benefits of industrial hemp are invaluable not only environmentally but also economically as hemp is both durable and renewable. Many countries, including the U.S. and Jamaica, are now in heated debates over the legalization of Cannabis but Sforzini is hoping pundits consider its usefulness not only as a drug but as an industrial material.

The album features some legendary musicians including Don Carlos, David Dread Hinds from "Steel Pulse", Ali Campbell, Groundation, Sly & Robbie, Yellowman, Mad Professor, Andrew Tosh, House of Shem, Big Mountain, Sebastian Sturm, Danakil, Rebelution, Pato Banton, Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus among others. Sforzini also worked with some of the greatest bands from Latin America such as Los Cafres, Cultura Profetica, Los Pericos, Pablo Molina, Olodum, Quique Neira, Kameleba, La Zimbabawe, Tribo de Jah, Armandinho.

Do check out the project on iTunes!