A exciting new cross-cultural musical project is on the horizon, as Jamaican reggae star and actor Ky-Mani Marley has joined forces with Colombian reggaeton performer Kapla to create a joint extended play (EP), helmed by award-winning, Billboard-charting American producer Bryan “BL Tha Hook Slaya” La Montague.
As of press time, the five-track collection remains untitled, with a planned global release window set for September this year. Producer La Montague, who splits his professional and personal time between Jamaica and Boston, opened up about the origins of the collaborative project in a recent Monday interview with Observer Online.
Reflecting on the creative chemistry that drove the project, La Montague noted: “I truly believed that combining Ky-Mani’s innate musical versatility with my own production style would create something special, and that instinct made the entire creative process flow so naturally. That synergy was amplified even further by Kapla’s own incredible range as a musician, which brought a whole new layer to the work.”
In total, the production and recording of the EP took roughly one full year to complete. To build hype ahead of the full drop, La Montague confirmed that three standalone singles will be rolled out between late spring and summer, leading into the September EP release. “We haven’t locked in an official title for the project just yet, but we’re excited to share the first three tracks with fans over the warmer months before the full EP arrives,” he shared.
La Montague is no stranger to working with top-tier Jamaican talent: over his decades-long career, he has collaborated with a roster of iconic reggae and dancehall acts including Spice, Capleton, Charly Black, Sizzla, Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Gyptian, Jahvillani, Jah Thunder, Morgan Heritage, Red Rat, Julian Marley and Junior Reid, among many others.
Speaking specifically about his experience working with Ky-Mani Marley, the third son of reggae legend Bob Marley, La Montague shared high praise for the artiste’s one-of-a-kind vocal talent. “I’ve had the incredible privilege of working with multiple members of the Marley family over the years, and that’s always been such an honor. But I have to say that Ky-Mani has a completely unmatched voice. His natural vocal inflections can’t be taught, paired with that unique vibrato and rich overall tone. It was such a fun project, the creative energy was incredible from start to finish.”
For Kapla, the collaboration marks a full-circle personal and professional milestone, as this is his first ever collaborative project with a reggae artiste. “Working with Ky-Mani Marley isn’t just a dream I’ve had for years — it’s a dream that’s actually coming true,” he shared. “For me, this project is about more than just making music. It’s about merging our two distinct cultural sounds, stepping into something completely new, and creating alongside the son of Bob Marley, a legend who has inspired not just me, but generations of artistes across the globe.”