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Jamaica is in a State of Emergency and no one is talking about it, except Royal Blu. On his explosive new track “Artillery” (out 1/13 via Easy Star Records), the Kingston emcee and songwriter shines a blazing light on the rampant crime and social malaise plaguing his home. Just last year, more than 1,400 people were killed across Jamaica, pushing the country into crisis-mode. Illegal guns and gangs have caused this surge in violence and pushed Jamaica to call another “State of Emergency,” which has been inciting more unrest due to sanctioned overpolicing. These extremes inspired Blu to speak out.
“The government needs to attack [gun violence] at the root,” Blu says. “Police play a huge role in making guns the driving factor in Jamaica. Everybody has a gun and it makes people feel powerful.”
Throughout the blazing 4-minute cut, Blu unloads about media brainwashing, crime, scams, and a lack of positive community among the island. Backing him up on the transcendent chorus is fellow rising Kingston vocalist, Roe Summerz, who sings about fighting back against society’s breakdown.
Together, Blu and Summerz worked with breakout reggae production collective, The Autos, to create a powerful soundscape of hard dub, hip hop, and cinematic orchestration that makes “Artillery” one of the most unique tracks of the new year.
“It’s my duty to attack some of what we’re living through in Jamaica, because we’re in it. it’s not just something we just see,” Blu says. “The crooked politicians, what our youth are becoming, how aggressive and violent they are—I need to be that positive example for these impressionable minds.”