Reggae music personified; Jamaican-born, UK-based Ross I-Yota embodies boundless versatility and creativity, both as a performer and storyteller. Even though he prides himself on his consistently iconic reggae brand, he is in no way limited to this sound only; he has showcased an innate ability to present music in multiple ways, reshaping how we perceive music with his distinctive genre-fusion style. His tunes are driven by the core nostalgic reggae soundscape but fuse a host of other strands such as dancehall, roots, and Afro-Caribbean-influenced sounds that certainly appeal to a vast market. And he does not sing for the sake of singing; he produces conscious music with relatable, relevant, and impactful lyrics as he values the aspects of reggae music where lyrics, musical quality, and authenticity matter.
Ross I-Yota is now gearing towards the release of his new EP dubbed “Reggae Garden”- a 4-track body of work that has been inspired by love: love for one another, love for oneself, love for reggae music, and that butterfly-causing romantic love.
Through this conscious cosmic exploration, Ross I-Yota takes us on a musical journey that is informative, inspiring, and entertaining, a noteworthy accomplishment in an age where many artists produce differently. You can tell how invested he was in making this project as well as his selfless intentions that inspired it. Also, you can feel his love for the genre woven throughout each performance. This is the kind of music that the world needs now!
“Reggae Garden” was inspired by the golden age of reggae/roots and dub music; while listening to some of those classics back in time, Ross I-Yota was inspired to create something with a similar vibe, melding the genre’s legendary essence with his unique touch to produce this substantial body of work.
“Show Love” is a bona fide masterpiece and a call for universal love for one another. The underlying message here is that we are all one, and thus, there is no need for this hatred, racism, meaningless wars, and subjugation. This is a call for us to see everyone for who they are—humans—instead of seeing them for the color of their skin, race, religion, continent, or heritage. The blend of the quintessential reggae percussion, bass, drums, and guitars, along with the sweet-sounding lead and choir-like backing vocal harmonies ensures that the message gets home and remains cemented.
The catchy hook, “show a lot of love (a lot of love)
Spread a lot of love (a lot of love)
Give a lot of love (a lot of love)” is where the gist of this track’s deeply relevant message resides!
“Free Up” reminds me of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” because it is a call for us to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery and free up our minds because no one else but us can. Many have become susceptible to misinformation, propaganda, and outright lies from those serving in various capacities of power, and it is about that time that we take that power back and allow ourselves to think freely without being manipulated.
The beat in “Reggae Garden” is irresistibly catchy and lingers in the mind. It is hypnotic and special, and the harmonious blend of vocals by Ross I-Yota and guest artist Ellel Flo elevates the song to greater heights. The way they bounce off one another is ear-worming and enchanting as they lyrically and melodically assert their love for reggae music. This tune is simply an ode to that unconditional love for reggae and everything it represents.
The last tune, “Reservation” is a classic reggae ballad inspired by love. Ross I-Yota wants you to listen to this track and feel all the emotions of being in love. He wants listeners to relate to the song and understand the feeling of being head over heels for someone. Armed with a mesmerizing and magnetic singing style, he really captures the essence of love and going out on a date with that special someone who makes your heart skip a beat!
In conclusion, There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t be head over heels for this EP that was made with love and is all about that love!
Follow Ross I-Yota everywhere and keep it here for the latest developments.
Some artists slide into a scene and hope the room makes space. Killem KD walks in like the room is already hers. Listen.
On her one take freestyle “Trouble Man (One Take),” the Mound Bayou, Mississippi native makes a clean announcement. She is here, she is ready, and she is finished waiting on permission. In about 1 minute and 25 seconds, KD delivers something that feels closer to a notice than a warm introduction, a warning shot aimed at anyone treating her like background noise.
Her intent is obvious in the way she hits each line. When she raps, “said I’m tired of waiting in corners and closets, it’s my time to shine, I can’t be quiet,” it lands like autobiography, not bravado. This is presence music, the kind that changes the temperature of a track. KD performs like she can feel eyes on her, like the tally is being kept, like silence has stopped being an option. Doubt, gatekeepers, anyone trying to flatten her momentum, they all get drowned out by the force in her voice.
The flow is slick and surgical, rooted in the South and proud of it. Every bar locks into the beat with a cadence that sounds fused, not rehearsed. You hear finesse, then grit right behind it, swagger sharpened by hunger. She stays patient. She doesn’t chase the pocket. She lives in it. The whole thing reads like instinct, not homework.
The video sharpens that feeling. Filmed guerrilla-style outside an old hospital building, it strips the moment to essentials: Killem KD, a mic, and whatever the day gives her. No crew lights. No studio polish. No safety net. Just daylight, concrete, and conviction. A dangling silver microphone adds a throwback touch, nodding to a time when you could measure an MC by breath control and bars.
That location matters, too. Hospitals are where people show up broken, hurting, trying to make it through. KD stands just outside that threshold and spits like she’s the diagnosis, unavoidable, contagious, impossible to dismiss. She closes her eyes at points, letting the performance swing between confession and confrontation. The result feels street-level and cinematic at once, early freestyle energy filtered through quiet urban melancholy.
“Trouble Man (One Take)” doesn’t lean on spectacle. It leans on certainty. KD knows what she brings, and she moves like her moment isn’t on the way. It’s here. This puts her in the lane of artists who demand recognition because the work leaves no other option.
Born and raised in the Delta, Killem KD carries southern soul, raw storytelling, and fearless energy into every bar. She’s pushing to put Mississippi on the map, and a clip like this makes that goal feel less like ambition and more like trajectory.
No edits.
No excuses.
No permission needed.
This is Killem KD, trouble in the best way possible.
Fast rising 18 year old Filipino artist Angele Lapp steps into familiar territory with a cover of Hale’s “Kung Wala Ka”, and comes out sounding surprisingly sure of herself.
The performance opens gently. Soft keys set the room, and then her voice arrives, smooth, clear, and almost weightless at first. There’s a calm confidence in how she phrases each line, the kind that can make you assume you’re listening to someone who has been doing this for a long time. Then you remember she’s 18, still finding her footing in a crowded music business. Vocally, though, she already sounds like she knows where she wants to go. The control is there, the presence is there, and the emotion never feels forced.
“Kung Wala Ka” has long been a staple for fans of the Filipino alternative band Hale, a breakup song that lingers because it understands how messy moving on can be. The lyrics sit in longing and absence, that hollow uncertainty of imagining life without the person you built it around. In Lapp’s hands, the song stays true to that ache. She doesn’t drain it of what made it resonate in the first place. Instead, she leans in and shapes it around her own voice, and the result feels both respectful and personal. By the time she reaches the bigger moments, she’s fully inside it, and she really does knock it out the park.
The title translates to “If You’re Not Here”, or, “If You Weren’t Here”, and that simple idea carries the whole performance. At 3 minutes and 54 seconds, the cover has a lived in quality, like she’s telling you a story she’s been carrying for a while. It feels close up, almost neighborly, like she’s singing beside you rather than at you.
The video matches that intimacy. It’s a well lit music studio setup, clean and uncluttered. Angele wears headphones, focused, locked into the track as she sings straight into the mic. You can hear how carefully she balances the notes. She starts soft, holds back, and then gradually lets the emotion rise, steady as an undercurrent, guided by the instrumental swell.
The arrangement does a lot of quiet work. Those tender keys at the intro lay the foundation, and the guitar lines slide in with a light touch. Around the one minute mark, the feeling begins to lift, partly because the keys hit with a little more intensity, giving the moment a faintly cinematic edge. By about 1:27, the rhythm fully wakes up. The key driven pulse tightens, percussion and bass join in, and her voice brightens with it, wrapping around the listener in a kind of reassurance. It’s a smart build, and she rides it well.
Somewhere in that climb, it becomes clear she’s working with more than promise. The range, the power, and the sheen of her tone don’t line up with the assumptions people make about a young artist. She sounds like someone ready for bigger rooms, and she carries the song like she belongs there.
With a recent signing to Popolo Music Group and a debut album set for release in September of this year, she’s positioning herself for a real step forward. If this cover is any indication, she’s worth keeping an eye on.
When a former football player tosses the rulebook for modern music, the results can feel braver than any tidy genre label. That is the lane King Jay Da Blountman keeps choosing, a Florida based St. Augustine artist with one foot in hip hop, one in country, and both planted in sheer hustle. His 2025 album “Versatile” has been picking up momentum as one of the year’s more convincing independent releases, partly because it refuses to sound like it is trying to fit a template.
A clear highlight is “Fish’n,” a 2-minute-and-54-second feel good cut that shows how naturally King Jay can blur styles without turning it into a gimmick. The track grabs you fast with a cadence that feels lived in. Instead of sitting on top of the beat, his voice folds into the groove, so the vocals and the production feel made for each other.
That ease matters because “Fish’n” leans into the space where singing and rapping overlap. King Jay slides between the two with a smooth rap sing touch that keeps hip hop and country in the same frame. The song lands like a snapshot of a mood, one that pulls you outdoors and away from the buzz of everything else.
The imagery is simple and it works. You can picture the fishing gear, the boat that is ready to go, the cooler packed with beer or whiskey, and the sun hanging in the sweet spot. “Fish’n” carries that particular kind of freedom you only get when the day is yours. It makes a fishing trip feel overdue, along with the permission to take a real day off. The music stays relaxed while still earning repeat listens.
There is crossover charm here that recalls Shaboozey’s 2024 hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”. The difference is that “Fish’n” stays unmistakably King Jay. It draws from lived experience and unfiltered real talk, and it keeps its own shape even as it nods to multiple worlds. The hookiness is the point, a cadence that lingers after the last note fades.
The best moments come from the tight fit between performance and production. King Jay’s vocals lock in with the beat, reinforcing the track’s quiet confidence and natural flow. It is the kind of song that belongs on open roads and open water, and it rewards listeners who like their playlists with fewer walls.
“Fish’n” sits on “Versatile,” a nine track project that earns its title. The album has been performing strongly, with several songs quickly becoming fan favorites, including “Whisky Man,” “Respect,” “Blue Cheese,” and “Kings.” Each cut shows a different angle of King Jay’s approach, yet the project holds together through a consistent sense of authenticity and risk taking.
You can hear how this run builds on what came before. “Versatile” follows the success of Jay’s 2022 album “Level Up,” which included the track “By the Water,” now with over 104,000 streams on Spotify. That earlier momentum set the table for what he is doing now, expanding his reach while sharpening his sound.
King Jay Da Blountman has always moved across lanes, from drums to raps, funny videos to serious storytelling, and the streets to global streaming platforms. His story reads as growth and openness, an artist still stretching toward the next version of himself. With “Versatile,” and with a standout like “Fish’n,” he shows how music crosses borders through heart, honesty, and a beat you can live inside.
As King Jay keeps spreading his wings globally, one jam at a time, “Versatile” works as both statement and invitation. Come as you are, grab a drink, and press play.