Release date: May 5, 2015 (Digital Download)
Label: EDB Entertainment
Jamaica’s freshest young talent sets out to take the reggae world by storm with his official debut album.
EDB Entertainment’s Exile Di Brave from Portmore, Jamaica knew early on that education is the key to success in life. While other kids of his age grabbed every mic they could get hold of, despite his modest background offering few chances in life, the young Exile Di Brave worked as a cashier in a supermarket to earn the money he needed to attend the University of Technology in Jamaica.More than a decade after he first recorded music professionally, Exile Di Brave is now equipped with a solid degree in Engineering and more determined than ever to spread conscious, uplifting messages through his energetic music.
He had started his musical career in 2003 with the rap trio NHC (Narrating Hostile Conditions) and a hip hop style that spoke of the conditions and the reality that surrounded his life. Three years later, Exile Di Brave saw that reggae music better suited his needs to bring across his educated, Rastafari-based world view. His weekly regular event Vinyl Thursdays in Kingston as well as the release of a quick succession of hit singles sparked both the revival of roots reggae music in Jamaica and his own career.
While a first album-length release in 2012, “The Calling”, got Exile quite some attention from the professional side of the reggae industry, his first official album “The Journey Begins” aims at presenting this young and smart talent to a much broader audience. “The Journey Begins is more mature in terms of reggae music, its roots are deeper, the lyrics more precise, the message cleaner. It sounds more live, more acoustic,” says Exile.
“Me just try to give you a little piece of my life,” explains Exile Di Brave. His motivation, his inspiration are the hardships life presents him every day in his downtown community in Portmore. He transforms his experiences musically in ways that make them easily accessible to offbeat fans all over the world.
Unlike most of the other ambassadors of the new sound coming out of Jamaican recording studios, Exile Di Brave did not enjoy being brought up on the Easy Streets of Uptown Kingston. Always having to rely on himself taught him a do-it-yourself attitude that helps him to excel in life generally, and musically in particular. “The Journey Begins” was recorded without a big budget or big names on guest appearances that help to get media attention. Instead, an interesting array of in-house talents from EDB Entertainment proves that the musical skills are all there already.
A bit of outside help comes from the Yard Drive Band that plays on some of the songs, as well as occasional riddims provided by Austria’s AMBASSAJAH REC or the Dutch online magazine World A Reggae. “The Journey Begins” showcases Exile Di Brave’s artistic versatility, presenting conscious roots rock reggae tracks next to festival anthems,laid-back lovers’ or more experimental sounds that have collected inspiration all over the planet. “The Journey Begins” is an album that grows on its listeners, and for Exile Di Brave, it is the starting point of a long and healthy career in reggae music.Release
Track List
1. Hungry
2. Mr. Pretender feat. Kazam Davis
3. Be Careful feat. Daddy John
4. This Generation
5. Save The Children feat. Juba
6. If This Is Love7. Love Changes
8. Country Man feat. Jahkime
9. Complete Me
10.Till A Mawning
11. Showing Defiance feat. Abebe
12.Seek Jah Kingdom
13.The Journey Begins
