Kabaka Pyramid (born Keron Salmon) is a reggae artist from

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Jamaica, who combines elements of roots reggae,

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

and rap. His musical role models include hip-hop artists such as Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan as well as roots singers such as

Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh, OM (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band the Wailers (1963� ...

Career

Keron took his first musical steps at the end of the 90s. He started to write lyrics, to rap and to experiment with tools for sampling and creation of beats, together with friends from the high school in the Hope Pastures district. At that time, he used the living room at his family's home as a makeshift studio. After graduating from high school in 2002, Keron went to Fort Lauderdale and gained further experience, with a focus on hip-hop. Around this time, Keron chose his stage name, composed of an Ugandan royal title,

Kabaka the kabaka Palace in kireka Kabaka is the title of the king of the Kingdom of Buganda.Stanley, H.M., 1899, Through the Dark Continent, London: G. Newnes, According to the traditions of the Baganda they are ruled by two kings, one spiritual and ...

, and the Egyptian monumental structures, Pyramid. On the one hand, he wanted to express his attachment to Africa as an avowed

Rastafari Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...

, on the other hand his fascination with Egypt and places for storage of higher knowledge, which he sees reflected also in song lyrics. After the first more rap-oriented mixtape releases, a stronger focus on and fusion with reggae began to materialise from 2007 through his collaboration with Bebble Rock. In 2011, he recorded the EP Rebel Music completely in Protoje's home studio. In 2013, he met Damian Marley for the first time, from which the joint work ''Well Done'' resulted, to which Marley contributed the ''On The Corner'' Riddim and Kabaka Pyramid the lyrics. The collaboration continued, Marley produced the album ''Kontraband'' as well as 5 songs from the album ''The Kalling'', which was completely recorded in Marley's studio in Miami. Kabaka Pyramid regularly performs at festivals, several times he has been part of the lineup at Summerjam or Rototom Sunsplash.

Discography

Albums and EPs

* 2011: ''Rebel Music'' (EP) * 2013: ''Lead the Way'' (EP) * 2018: ''Kontraband'' * 2022: ''The Kalling''

Mixtapes (incomplete)

* 2007: The Transition Volume I * 2009: The Transition Volume II * 2016: ''Accurate'' by Walshy Fire from Major Lazer

Singles (incomplete)

* 2012: ''Final Move'', with Cornadoor * 2013: ''Mi Alright'', with Chronixx * 2013: ''Strive'', with Exco Levi * 2015: ''Well Done'' * 2016: ''High & Windy'', with Sara Lugo * 2019: ''Hold Up Your Arms'', with Capleton

Guest Appearances (incomplete)

* 2015: ''The Flame'' on the album ''Ancient Future'' by Protoje * 2017: ''Generations will Rize'' on the album ''New Era Frequenzy'' by

Nattali Rize Nattali Rize (born Natalie Magdalena Chilcote) is an Australian-born, Jamaican-based musician, record producer and social activist. In 2003, as Natalie Pa'apa'a, on lead vocals and lead guitar, she was joined by her domestic partner, Carlo San ...

* 2017: ''Suit & Tie'' on album ''Epistles of Mama'' by Stonebwoy * 2023: ''Nah Sell Out'' on the album ''Destiny'' by

Alborosie Alberto D'Ascola (; born 4 July 1977), better known by his stage name Alborosie, is an Italian reggae artist. He is sometimes called the "Italian Reggae Ambassador". Music career Early life (2001–2005) Born Alberto d’Ascola and raised in ...

Awards

* awarded ''Emerging New Artiste Of The Year'' in 2014 by the Jamaican Reggae Industry Association * for the track ''Strive'' Kabaka Pyramid was awarded the

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for ''Reggae Recording of the Year'' in 2014 (with Exco Levi). * the album ''The Kalling'' was awarded a Grammy Award in 2023 for Best Reggae Album.

References

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pyramid, Kabaka 1980s births Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Jamaican reggae musicians