LargeUp Premiere: Jahdan x Kabaka Pyramid — “For The Children”

Words by Jesse Serwer—

Over a career spanning 20 years, Jahdan Blakkamoore has collaborated with Smif N Wessun, Branford Marsalis, Major Lazer and, most recently, Snoop, on whose Reincarnated he was a key collaborator. On his latest offering, the Brooklyn-via-Guyana singjay teams with Kabaka Pyramid, one of the rising stars of Jamaica’s reggae revival, for an inspirational track aimed at uplifting the youth.

Recorded at Tuff Gong with Style Scott of the Roots Radics on drums, “For The Children”  is a showcase for Zion I Kings, the combined effort of producers Laurent “Tippy” Alfred (of St. Croix’s I-Grade Records), Jah David and Andrew “Moon” Bain, whose label, Lustre Kings, is behind the release. Blending a one-drop rhythm with traces of hip-hop, dub and dubstep, the track fits nicely into Jahdan’s eclectic oeuvre, and isn’t much of a departure for Kabaka, an artist who moves easily between hip-hop and reggae himself.

Hitting all angles at once, we’ve got premieres of both the tune and the video. Stream and watch below, cop “For The Children” on iTunes here, and check the remixes from I-Grade and DJ Child.