Kabaka Pyramid - Rebel Music, The Lyrics Tape (Bebble Rock Music/Ghetto Youths International)

The track list features ten new songs in Kabaka's familiar hip-hop-meets-reggae style, with the emphasis - you guessed it - firmly on his lyrics (all of which can be found on Kabaka's Bandcamp page). Clocking in at exactly 34 minutes, 'Rebel Music, The Lyrics Tape' is definitely going to have you reaching for the repeat button.

The album opens with 'Stand Firm', a duet with Pressure Busspipe that kicks off with an introduction by Kabaka's musical hero Peter Tosh, taken from 'Live At My Father's Place 1978'. In the following 'From Weh Day', Kabaka first runs through some of the more worrying developments in Jamaica's music industry, before giving us a roll call of artists he considers worthy torchbearers of the genre. And those paying close attention will notice that the song ends with a string of titles from the original 'Rebel Music':

From weh day mi see seh dat no reggae nah spin
One bag a studio artiste and some man weh cyaan sing
Weh spend a bag a money get dem song dem charting
Seh anything fi trend, a Baphomet them endorsing
A molly dem a pop and dem a wear dem guard ring
A shave dem eyebrow and bleach out them dark skin
A dem yah kinda man a mek Jamaica start dim
If dem unno a play, mi go stop do blasting
Mi step inna di dance and is a bagga talking
Scamma money dem a spend and it's a lot of braffin'
Wah happen to the days when man and woman dancing
Wine pan di sittn and raise up the plantain
Now is a bagga video light and paparazziing
No reggae bassline, no proper skanking
No likkle praise to the Most High of Jah Jah thanking
Just bare darkness make Pressure seh dem haunted
And if them a play no reggae dem stuck inna old school
Song weh mek before man start use pro tools
Every night di same thing an gwaan like dem so kool
No feel no disrespect all some a you mi close too
Well this a my petition cah mi wah dis yah fi stop
Cuz a reggae music it a put Jamaica pan di top
and nuh feel say a division caw dancehall haffi drop
It's more about the balance caw the scales a flip flop
Nuh gwaan like yuh nuh know seh the young artiste dem a chop
Big up the few weh play Keznamdi before the Grammy cop
Mi wah fi hear Jemere Morgan, couple Mortimer, some Jaz Elise, Naomi Cowan
Mix the Yeza after
Haile Celestial, Imeru, Jah Izrehl a slaughter
Any riddim weh dem get fi lyrics dem a master
Royal Blu and Runkus dem a Raekwon and Ghostface
Ras-I, Chris Malachi a dem a rock di most stage
Rik Jam a tour the world, Irie Souljah a guh fi it
Joby Jay a rep di queens and David Slur de pan repeat
Jah Lil him fulla style and Sevana sing so sweet
Marley third generation a hold up the legacy
Guh round a compound and a deh suh the vibes a keep
Dub Squad a lock di place, big up Panic and Keniel
Salute every musician, Bebble Rockers and mi team
Medisun, Haile, Eyenesta fly in from the North East
Big up every veteran weh a support young artiste
Gong Zilla fly the gate so loyalty we nah switch
A dem yah kind a thing yah weh Jamaica start miss
Reggae music get left behind and it a mek mi heart twist
Mi just a do mi part fi keep the fire chanting
Rastafari covenant a it mi walk with
Samory-I dem a sing a lyrics weh mi task wid
Chris Ellis, Black Am I a ghetto youths mi par wid
Mi fly across the world every flipping continent.
Then mi land back a Jamaica and it’s not suh prominent
Bare folly just a gwaan and it's not an accident
We haffi repave the road and lay down some block cement.
Haffi keep we own a shows festivals and all events
Wickie Wackie, Lost in Time, I man was so happy when
I sight Chronixx pon di stage, even though I couldn't attend.
Lock dung inna studio, busy plotting my revenge against dutty Babylon
It's more than a President, its system of elites weh a control every cent
Mi tell u inna Prophecy from back inna 2011
Rebel Music part 1 that project was heaven sent
Well this a part 2 and mi inna mi element
Da fire yah nuh ignorant is well intelligent.
"The sound" "free from chains" and "ready fi the road" again
"I alone" a "warrior" a "real music" we a defend
Continue listen or just lift it up again

In 'Rebel Music (I'm Back)', he does much the same with a whole host of hip-hop heavyweights, including Wu-Tang Clan, 2Pac, Biggie Smalls and The Roots. For the highly recognizable 'We Dem Wah', meanwhile, Kabaka clearly took inspiration from Super Cat's 'Don Dada'.

It's not all militantism and consciousness, though, as 'Rebel Music, The Lyrics Tape' also leaves room for love, as on 'My Baby'.

Another personal favourite from the track list is definitely 'Rotation', a delicious one-drop reggae tune in which Kabaka makes the case for reggae as a unifying force: "There is so much going on in the world, and I really believe if we played more reggae, we would be better off. The music has always been able to uplift people, bring people together and give us something positive to hold on to!"

Kabaka closes things out with the nyahbinghi percussion-driven 'Action', a song about staying true to spiritual and moral principles in a world that is becoming increasingly corrupt, superficial and violent. The golden rule: less talk, more action!

'Rebel Music, The Lyrics Tape' is 34 minutes of Kabaka Pyramid at his sharpest. Top release!