Nyabinghi drums and digital trap beats are not a pairing you hear every day, but that collision sits at the heart of “Choppa Dem,” the opening salvo on Yaadcore’s new EP Rasta Time.
The track features Imeru Tafari and takes direct aim at youth violence in Jamaica, setting the tone for a project that refuses to stay in one lane.
Rasta Time is out now on digital platforms through Mixto Records and Yaadcore’s own 12 Yaad Records. It runs nine tracks deep, with seven originals plus acoustic and dub versions of the title track, and a limited edition vinyl pressing is up for preorder.
This is Yaadcore’s first major project since his 2022 debut album, Reggaeland. Plenty of fans first knew him from behind the decks, as a selector during Jamaica’s reggae revival movement of the 2010s, the same wave that pushed Protoje and Chronixx to wider audiences.
He has since stepped forward as a vocalist, mixing traditional reggae with more contemporary production.
The guest list carries real weight. Tafari is the son of reggae singer Queen Ifrica and the grandson of ska and rocksteady pioneer Derrick Morgan, so his presence on a track about Jamaica’s youth carries three generations of history.
“Choppa Dem” was produced by Yaadcore and Wadadah II, and its video was directed by Jamaican filmmaker Jesse James.
Then there is Capleton, who shows up on “Heathen.” Having a veteran firebrand of his standing on board gives the EP a link between the revival generation and the artists who paved the way for it.
The spiritual side of the record runs just as deep as the social one. Rasta Time draws on Yaadcore’s personal journey and the legacy of Haile Selassie, Ethiopia’s former emperor, whom Rastafari adherents revere as a messianic figure.
The title track looks at how Rastafari has shaped contemporary wellness culture, while “Look What I’ve Become” and “Mari Matrimony” explore clean living and mindful cannabis use.
Not everything here is preaching from the mountaintop. “Mind & Body,” featuring Afro Mexican singer Malaïka, and “Not Her Type” pull the focus inward toward more personal territory.
Yaadcore frames that mix as deliberate. “It’s a compilation of different energies,” he said. “It’s a balance of Rasta energy and positive uplifting messages with a bit of the personal side the same way.”
The production roster backs up that idea of many energies in one room. Credits include Wadadah II, Caspa Productions, JayScilla, Riva Nile, Aspekt Mafia, Kheilstone, DonRog Music, Black RevelationZ and Yaadcore himself, a spread that explains how roots, dub and hip hop textures all land on the same record.
The full tracklist runs “Choppa Dem” featuring Imeru Tafari, “Heathen” featuring Capleton, “Rasta Time,” “Not Her Type,” “Mind & Body” featuring Malaïka, “Mari Matrimony,” “Look What I’ve Become,” “Rasta Time (Acoustic Version)” and “Rasta Time Dub.”
With the vinyl still in preorder and the “Choppa Dem” video already doing the rounds, this EP’s life is only getting started.
