JAMAICAN rapper Nomad Carlos is preparing to release his EP Distants on April 28.

The project, which will be available digitally, has songs produced by Sosa and David DaCosta, his partners in Ark House Music.

“Distants is my first project that will be for sale. It is entirely produced by Sosa, alongside my art director, David DaCosta. The three of us worked together to make this project what it is and I can’t wait to share it with the world,” said Nomad Carlos.

Born in Miami to Jamaican parents, he moved to Jamaica at age five and later attended St George’s College. Two years ago he relocated to New York.

“I lived most of my life in Kingston. Jamaica is home to me. I spent all the most important years of my life there. That’s where I made friends, where I went to school, where I drove my first car, where I roamed every night like anybody in their late teens, up to no good,” Nomad Carlos told this column.

At St George’s, he started a rap group called Bullet Proof Army which split up in 2008, after six years.

Nomad Carlos believes Jamaican rappers get little respect at home.

“I think the mindset of the masses in ‘yard’ is one that is hard to convince. A lot of people don’t really know the history behind hip hop music. Some of them don’t even know what inspired dancehall music,” he said. “I’ve heard people comment about how they can’t deal with the accent. But it’s an American art form anyway, so without the accent what would it be? It wouldn’t really be hip hop then. Reggae artistes overseas have to sing in a Jamaican accent because they singing reggae music right? But our people don’t condemn them for that though.”

Nomad Carlos recently released the song, What They Saying. It is the first single from Distants.

— KJ