Derajah has been making records since the early 2000’s, but his big break arrived when he started
partnering with prominent guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith and his band Inna De Yard. However, his 2011
debut album Paris is Burning was recorded with French and Jamaican musicians.
Derajah has worked on a variety of projects since the premiere of his debut, including the production of his brand new song Asadenaki, whose instrumentation was recorded in Brazil and whose vocals were
produced in Jamaica.
“Asadenaki is an East African language work that symbolizes “Mystery” says Derajah, and continues:
“Togetherness is always essential in the Rastafari household, according to Emperor HIM Haile Selassie.
When he was going to be crowned, he showed this to the world, letting everyone know that without
Empress Queen Menen Asfaw, it is impossible to be crowned. As a result, we must concentrate and
organize. No division. As a team, we are powerful. So purify your hearts and enter the Rastafari household immediately.”
His 2016 self-produced single The Time Is Now served as an album announcement but was delayed when he re-joined Inna de Yard project in 2017. Derajah is once again concentrating on his own craft and that this new track is the first in a new series, as he concludes: “it puts my path in a new context. I’ve made the decision to keep up my goal of releasing a new song each month.”.
Pete Beng is the director of the Asadenaki music video. Derajah explains that “it was filmed in the Blue Mountains, while the nyahbinghi scene was filmed in Kingston in the facilities of Kevin Steam Team JA.
I visited Ras Dermot Fagan and his family in the Rastafari home of Nyahbinghi, the School of Vision rasta
camp, in the Blue Mountains where the hospitality was amazing. We then proceeded to Kevin’s home.
In addition to the Inna de Yard family, I also had invited Cedric Myton, Kiddus I, Wormbass, Abdel
Wright, my brother Roger from Portland, and Ifree from The US, my rasta sister, Skanka Ras, the Kush
Art Band members, Kevin himself, and Ras Kelly Holt. It was basically about togetherness, getting together and having a wonderful time”.
