Tifa hails ‘Mr Rastaman’ as Kabaka takes Grammy

Kabaka Pyramid's Grammy Award win for Best Reggae Album ( The Kallin g) has reggae-dancehall diva Tifa in a state of rhapsody as she reflects on how she answered his call to collaborate on the seventh track, Mr Rastaman.

"I don't think anyone would understand how happy I am for Kabaka. This is someone I attended university with, we reconnected in the pandemic (in Florida) and he invited me to Jr Gong's [Damian Marley] studio. After listening to some of the songs, they played a rhythm for me, and the rest was history," Tifa told THE STAR.

"Two years have gone by since we recorded our song. People clearly love it because it did really well and I'm seeing the difference in my streams and royalty cheques. I don't have the exact numbers in terms of streaming, but to know persons are tagging me all the way in Madagascar and that it is being played a lot worldwide makes me happy, and happier Kabaka chose me to be part of the project," she continued.

It is Tifa's first feature on a Grammy Award-winning album and she is treating it as a victory of her own.

"We're in a world now where it's hype over substance but here we have Kabaka, somewhat of an underdog, come take the win. I am excited for him because he's so, so talented and he has been putting in the work for a long time ... it was a great body of work. It was well deserved," she said.

"The Mr Rastaman energy is strong. Remember this is also a Grammy for Jr Gong as the producer of the album. Much respect to him and the Bebble Rock Music family. How everything came about was mystical and the work of God. I am happy for the next chapter of his career," she added.

Tifa and Kabaka Pyramid have been engaging in songwriting sessions and have started to create new music along with Jr Gong, and are looking forward to releasing more collaborations in the future. Since the Recording Academy announced The Kalling was nominated, the Spell It Out artiste has been optimistic.

Tifa is preparing for her single and video release party for her newest project titled Wicked Gyal. She worked on the song with LMR Productions, artiste-producer KHXOS, and Shakespeare Productions. The video was shot by CP Shoots.

"I'm really excited for this, it's a family affair in terms of who worked on the project. It's very comedic but true to form and I expect people to enjoy it. It's funny how these freestyles of mine transform into full productions. Wicked Gyal is a freestyle of me just exploring love right in time for Valentine's from a different angle, saying before we get any further or I start telling you lies and cheating on you, I'm not interested in you like that. Me a save you. Just be honest with people," she said.

"Throughout all of this, I can say that I'm not short of music. So people don't need to act all surprised if and when they see more projects from me this year," Tifa continued.