Keznamdi Announces New Album Featuring Masicka & Mavado: ‘Everything Is Pointed Toward Africa’
Written by djfrosty on February 18, 2025
Last year, the returns of Buju Banton and Vybz Kartel catapulted Jamaica back to the forefront of the global music conversation. With reggae and dancehall giants coming back to the stage as several subgenres of the two styles continue to gain traction worldwide, the future is looking particularly bright for Caribbean music.
Back with Blood & Fyah, his second full-length album (due late spring/early summer 2025), Keznamdi is looking to add his flair to that momentum as an independent reggae artist. Combining traditional reggae with dancehall, Afrobeats, R&B and hip-hop, Blood & Fyah continues Keznamdi’s yearslong exploration of the limitless potential of contemporary reggae. He introduced the new set with “Time,” a heartfelt single accompanied by a cinematic video shot in Ghana, one of several African countries that significantly impacted Keznamdi’s life and the new record.
“In the process of making the problem, the music just sounded like Africa,” he tells Billboard. “It was a far-fetched idea at the time [to shoot the video in Ghana] because we didn’t know anybody there, but we just packed up our things, brought two cameras and went down there with the whole team. The reception was crazy; [on] the second day, we were summoned by the Ghanaian president. At the time, his parliament won some kind of office, and they wanted to play my song with Chronixx called ‘Victory’ on the radio. They called the station, and the DJ told him that I was actually in Ghana at the time. Shortly after that, we were at his palace.”
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Before he received royal welcomes, Keznamdi lived a regular life across Africa for years. Born in Jamaica, he lived on the island until he was 13, by which point he and his Rastafari family moved to Tanzania, where they lived for three years. They then moved to Ethiopia, where Keznamdi lived for another three years, eventually graduating there as well. To support Blood & Fyah, Keznamdi is formulating a tour that will reach parts of the world that the reggae industry tends to neglect.
“Reggae is huge for the next generation in Africa,” he stresses. “There’s a lot of countries like Burundi that listen to reggae every single day and not one reggae artist has gone there. Africa is a very untouched place for reggae, which is a genre that sings to Africa. Our generation is playing an important role in bridging that gap and continuing the work our elders have already done. We spend so much time touring in America and Europe, and, truly, Africa is where the music is really made for. We’re singing about that third-world struggle. Everything is pointed towards Africa, which was something that all of the elders inna reggae and inna Jamaica and inna Rastafari always prophesize.”
While reggae is the core of Blood & Fyah, Keznamdi is also treating fans to a pair of two blockbuster dancehall collabs. Dancehall superstars Mavado and Masicka – whose “Whites” single continues to dominate the Caribbean – will both appear on Keznamdi’s new record. Through Vas Productions’ Richardo Vasconcellos and producer Don Corleonie, Keznamdi (who also co-produced the track) was able to get in contact with Masicka for “Forever Grateful,” which features production contributions from Off Grid and Major Seven.
“I always envisioned him on this record,” Keznamdi gushes. “Masicka is the voice of the streets right now. He’s inspirational and uplifting; when you listen to him you want to get up and do better in your life, so I wanted him on this track.”
Vas Productions also helped Mavado and Keznamdi join forces. “Bun Di Ganja” — which also features Marlon Asher — was initially created for a Vas project, but the irresistible banger found a home on Blood & Fyah.
“Because I’m so focused on what I’m doing, it’s hard for me to do features unless the track is inspiring,” Keznamdi explains. “As soon as I heard it, I sent him my vocals the next day. It was a little struggle getting Mavado for the video because he’s an elite artist, but we were able to shoot it in Miami with him.”
Listen to “Time” below.