Kabaka Pyramid skillfully blends roots reggae, dancehall, and hip-hop elements to shed light on issues in Jamaica and throughout the African diaspora.
By Shanae Hardy
February 14, 2024
Grammy-winning reggae artist Kabaka Pyramid is set to take the stage at the Afro Carib Festival in Miramar.Photo by Anisa Patel
For more than a decade, Kabaka Pyramid has skillfully blended roots reggae, dancehall, and hip-hop elements to shed light on socioeconomic issues in Jamaica and throughout the African diaspora. His career culminated with the 2023 “Best Reggae Album” Grammy win for his sophomore album, The Kalling. After the Recording Academy received backlash for awarding the same Grammy to the white, Virginia-based reggae band SOJA in 2022, Kabaka Pyramid’s Grammy nod marked a pivotal moment for his role in revitalizing the genre.
Since his Grammy win, the Kingston native has embarked on an extended tour. He’s performed alongside his band, the Bebble Rockers, throughout the U.S. and Europe and has blazed the biggest global reggae stages, including Jamaica’s Reggae Sumfest, Germany’s Summerjam Festival, and Poland’s Ostróda Reggae Festival. On Saturday, February 17, he’s set to perform at the fourth-annual Afro-Carib Festival at the Miramar Regional Park Amphitheater, where he’ll unleash his energetic set among a stacked lineup of reggae, dancehall, and Afrobeats heavyweights like Nadine Sutherland, Tony Rebel, and Fireboy DML.
City of Miramar Vice Mayor Alexandra P. Davis says tapping Kabaka Pyramid for the festival embodies the event’s celebration of the music unifying the African diaspora. “Kabaka Pyramid fits that mold. He’s such a high-caliber artist, so he should be a good draw not just for folks in the Caribbean but worldwide. Kabaka speaks to that wider community who appreciates the lyrics he brings forth in reggae music,” she tells New Times.
Kabaka Pyramid (born Keron Salmon) isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo in his music. He undergirds his conscious lyrics with his Rastafari religion and looks to past legends like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh to inform his worldview.
