[OUT NOW] Kabaka Pyramid - Kontraband
Shortly after concluding his hectic west coast tour in San Francisco in the early hours of May 5, reggae artist Kabaka Pyramid boarded an Atlanta bound flight; 45 minutes after landing there he caught a connecting flight to Jamaica. Nearly three hours later, upon his arrival in Montego Bay, the artist and his managers drove another 90 minutes in the drenching rain to reach Negril, a laid-back seaside resort town located on Jamaica’s westernmost tip, where Kabaka headlined the Tmrw.Tday Culture Fest. Once Kabaka and his band The Bebble Rockers took the stage, for over 75 minutes, they worked their way through established hits and introduced new tracks from his debut album Kontraband, which drops on May 25 and premieres here. Kabaka’s engaging onstage energy and interactions with an audience comprised almost equally of locals and visitors belied his minimal sleep and harried schedule, the details of which he eventually shared with the crowd. “We did many shows on the west coast, including five back to back dates; we landed this afternoon and drove straight here, it’s tiring, but these are the things we do for reggae music.”
With his multifaceted, forthright lyrics -- drawn from Rastafari philosophies and global observations -- set to reggae/dancehall infused rhythms delivered with a decidedly hip-hop edge, Kabaka Pyramid, in his early 30s, is an ideal headliner for the Tmrw.Tday Culture Fest. “Tmrw.Tday was the perfect environment to showcase the powerful talent of Kabaka Pyramid; the festival’s goal is to send hard hitting messages that change is needed and Kabaka, through his militant lyrics and potent delivery, is simply magic,” notes Tmrw.Tday co-founder Kevin Bourke. “Kabaka and his team are serious about their mission, they are true professionals in delivering their brand to the world and our festival’s international audience fell in love with Kabaka’s Jamaican authenticity paired with his swaggy, hip-hop influenced flow.” - more on Billboard.com