Kabaka at Kontraband Listening Party

By Caos

The conscious warrior continues his journey towards building his empire. The first time I saw and heard Kabaka Pyramid was in 2013 at Nanook Enterprise. I was about to leave the company, after a meeting and heard a very distinct voice spitting not only conscious lyrics but the strength that resonated from the melodies peaked my interest. I went upstairs and saw a small gathering with Kabaka rehearsing a song from his new EP at the time “Lead the Way”. I was especially impressed with the lyrical way in which he spoke his truth, his pain and also his vision for a better Jamaica and world. That being said, I was very intrigued to attend the listening party for his new album “Kontraband”, and off course check out the fashion, style and lifestyle of the streets.

Set to release on May 25th, 2018, Kabaka speaks about the issues that are plaguing society now, including the blocking of music that questions society and the its system. His aim for this album is to give to the people what society considers to be Kontraband. The ambiance of the party was a very calm and chill vibe, with the likes of Mortimer, Jah 9, Lila Ike, Protoje, Dj Bambino, Keznamdi, Jesse Royal, Press Kay and Sparks to name a few. Hosted at the legendary Tuff Gong Studio, the studio had a very strong melodic ancestral ambiance of all the legends that had recorded there.

The range of fashion that encompassed the room was not ‘boasey” as we would say, but was a conscious one. The comfortable and relaxing atmosphere including patrons wearing mostly denim jeans or chino pants styled with a basic t-shirt or button down shirt and more. The warrior himself was decked out in a pink and blue printed tee, black jeans and a black suede pair of puma sneakers, copped with some shamballa beads and classic summer watch and a gold chain. This was simple but a very effective style choice. I especially loved the addition of the suede pumas, they added a real sense of class to the outfit. One thing to note is, T-shirts are the favorite choice for many comfortable occasions, what one should always remember is that once the fit, form and function of the outfit works, you can always get away with dressing up or down that same tee.

Transitioning between tracks, the album had a resonating smile on the patrons faces, especially the track title “Kontraband”. The aroma of the good ole’ herb, combined with good vibes, laughter and great music was the perfect foundation for the natural ‘style’ that was present. The layering that took place within the outfits brought excitement to my eyes. Keeping things simple but chic is always what I look for when in the streets. The mix and match of complementing colours and prints made each outfit stand on its own. Summer is definitely here guys; tees, tanks, sweatpants, jeans will be the favourite for this period, and we love it!! .. Bring on the ‘Summer Vibe’.

All in all, this listening party was strong and conscious party. It was an additional bonus to see the effect that “Kontraband” had on the patrons. We look forward to another great album release from our conscious warrior Kabaka Pyramid.
See you on the flipside ….

Gallery by Jik Reuben