Yaksta released his second album

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Jun 21, 2026 - 08:34

Yaksta released his second album

Yaksta, born Kemaul Martin in St. Mary and known to his followers as the Bush Lawd, dropped his sophomore album The Microphone Saved Me on June 15, and it hits different. Not because it chases any trend, but precisely because it doesn’t. Fifteen tracks deep, the man delivers a set that feels less like a product and more like a reckoning with himself.

What makes Yaksta stand apart from a lot of his contemporaries is that he’s never been easy to pin down. He moves between roots reggae, conscious music and modern dancehall without seeming calculated about it. That reach first caught real attention through tracks like Ambition, Emotions, Assets (Fowl Coop) and Freedom, and carried through to his 2023 debut 22. But this new set feels like another level of clarity.

Released through Bush Music, Bush Music LLC and Kingsway Music Group, The Microphone Saved Me works as a unified statement rather than a collection of standalone singles. Personal growth, gratitude, perseverance, spiritual grounding, social responsibility, Rastafari unity — the album circles these themes repeatedly, building something that coheres rather than simply accumulates.

Two tracks in particular show exactly why Yaksta’s name keeps coming up when people talk about where conscious Jamaican music is headed right now. The Return, riding Track Starr’s Abu Dhabi riddim, is a firm, faith-driven piece that doesn’t flinch. And then there’s Pon Di Island, which moves on live instrumentation and carries real weight in the context of the album’s story. Kabaka Pyramid produced it for Bebble Rock Music, and when Yaksta first dropped it as a standalone in September 2024, the response was strong enough that Kabaka built a full multi-artist juggling around it, eventually pulling in Pressure Busspipe, Capleton, Lutan Fyah, Dre Island and more. That’s not a small thing. A riddim doesn’t grow that way unless the seed track genuinely resonates.

Elsewhere on the album, 2x Grammy-nominated producer Dre Tegs lends his hand, alongside Lone Don and Troyton Music, each helping to widen the sonic range without pulling the set off its axis. Roots vocalist The Gideon comes through on Life and Silk Boss on For Sale, both adding texture without overpowering what’s always, fundamentally, a Yaksta album.

What the Bush Lawd seems most interested in is substance — real experiences, real reflection, real faith. And The Microphone Saved Me carries that conviction all the way through. Roots listeners, Rastafari audiences, younger dancehall fans — there’s something here for all of them.

Yaksta