'Music incarnate' Yaksta says Dung Yah A Hell

Maybe you've have never heard of Yaksta. That's because he has been 'quietly' building his clout, tucked away in the hills of St Mary. All the same, a quick glance at his social-media profiles reveals surprisingly strong connections with major industry players like Brand New Machine's Steve 'Urchin' Wilson or the buzzworthy local musical outfit Dejavilla (comprising David Marston and Sarah Couch). Such connections don't come out of the blue. Yaksta has been working steadily behind the scenes in the local music industry.

And despite the connectedness, Yaksta is a standout personality all on his own. In 2019, the new recording artiste plans to expand his influence beyond the north coast with his third official single, Dung Yah A Hell.

"I haven't got to the main stage yet. But I do a lot of productions. I'm a songwriter" Yaksta told The Gleaner.

His penchant for the pen is undeniable.

"Them told us change soon come, but now me seet ah lie dem tell. Dung yah a hell."

The lyrics are chanted with repetitious harmonised phrasings reminiscent of an African choir. Dung Yuh A Hell was recently released from Yaksta's own record label called WussMusikk on YouTube.

In 2017, Yaksta launched his career with a viral debut release called Home a resolute reflection of ghetto life in Jamaica. It racked up over one million views on Facebook in six months. From the social-media hit, Yaksta enjoyed heavy rotation from local selectors. Then, he expanded his growing fan base with Boogie Woogie a throwback mixing Jamaican rocksteady and ska, with roots and pop supported by radio stations locally, in the United Kingdom and the United States. He revealed that he has been co-writing 'retrospective' style music with Urchin for a while.

Yaksta is aiming for the big leagues.

Now fully focused on progressing his solo music career, he has adjusted the approach. "Support is mainly from disc jockeys, but I just started using YouTube for monetisation of the advertisement and so," he revealed.

Yaksta found solace in songwriting early, spending his formative years working on music projects and focused on reggae and dancehall culture as opposed to his studies.

After several stints in hospitality at popular Jamaican beach resorts, and running his own business selling clothes to make ends meet, Yaksta decided a full-time career in music is the way for him.

"I am music incarnate and I've given up on avoiding my destiny."