For years Yaksta has been known for music steeped in roots consciousness and cultural reflection. But with his latest single Roar the deejay says he is stepping into a space that is even more personal — raw, unfiltered and defiantly honest.

Yaksta says he is prepared to say the things others in the industry may shy away from, even if doing so comes at the expense of the fame and popularity most artistes seek.

“We need to understand what we are as a nation. I think that the imperfect characteristics of Jamaicans is what made us perfect. We were the rebels of the pack, of all the Africans. We were the voice box of the universe and suddenly now we’re censored because of monetary gains,” he said. “Look at Bob Marley and all those great men, they never made it because they conformed, they may have worked with a system, but they had a mind of their own.

“Everybody who conformed fall in line and mi a nuh one a dem man deh,” he added.

According to the deejay, rebellion has always been part of his musical DNA, though industry structures may have sometimes tempered that spirit.

“We been rebellious, it’s just that management weh we work with more while kinda censor we certain ways, but sometimes yuh haffi fix some things and wah me see right now is dat di man dem a nuh man no more, and the woman dem too manly. Not bashing anybody, but it is a problem wherein the sexes these days don’t know their identity. Man a wear purse and a call it bag, it’s a purse,” he charged.

For Yaksta, Roar represents more than a song — it is a call to reclaim the original spirit of Jamaican music.

“Roar is about the regrouping of consciousness in our music, in our nation. I think we’re drifting too much to the left. When it comes into the voices and how we provoke thought about things that are actually affecting the society we’re now living in, people shy away from that, and reggae was never a pretty thing. Reggae was about truth, empowerment,” he added.

The artiste believes that the music now dominating the airwaves often drifts far from those principles and he’s hoping to hit reset as he gets ready to drop even more music.

“Black woman a queens and everybody now a sing ‘bout how we must ‘muck’ dem out and a call dem germs and me nuh deh pan dat. Mi nuh join da one deh, and so if a me alone over here so a fight da battle here mi will a gwaan pick some war. We gi dem 20 years a foolishness, we must can gi dem one year of consciousness,” he said.

Roar forms part of an upcoming album titled The Microphone Saved Me, a body of work he describes as a bold declaration; one that refuses to bend to the pressures of an industry he believes has lost both authenticity and moral direction.

“Is pure young porn star in high school now and they’re not afraid because that’s what we sing about. They look at us [artistes] as their heroes because most of our parents aren’t. We have to know that we have a responsibility and when an artiste gonna say it’s not, yes it is, because your fans are spending their time, their money, their essence fi make you somebody important. So we have to reverse engineer that,” he continued.

Even if that message attracts criticism, Yaksta says he is prepared for the backlash. He was quick to point out that this shift in mindset is less about assuming a new persona and more about him gaining a deeper understanding of his purpose.

“The moment I started doing me, saying what I wanted to say, it started resonating more. I may not be booked locally every day, and it’s not because dem nah call, it’s just that certain shows is not for me based on my message and their platforms. Certain stipulations and how they might organise the show, is just not for the brand that I’m pushing,” the brand, he explained, will be fully explored on The Microphone Saved Me.

“I had a normal life before the whole popularity thing, but popularity taught me how envious love can become in the blink of an eye and how, sometimes, if you’re not grounded, how some artistes lose dem way, fall off or mad, when all these things come to you overnight,” he said. “But I’m the kind of youth when the rush comes, I recluse and look through my movements properly. And me find out that the real enemies were the ones that stood with me. I’ve seen family change, friends get envious. But where love is hate comes. The microphone save me inna real life.”

The album is expected to be released in May, and Yaksta says he plans to take an unconventional approach in bringing the project directly to fans.

“What I’m going to do for this album is bring it to the people. I’m going to do my pop-up shop, see mi merch and give unnu free performances. You may not see me on a stage show, but come to my stage show,” he said.