With Father’s Day right around the corner, Dancehall artist Yaksta tackles several issues affecting trying fathers in his upcoming track, justly titled “Father’s Day”. The lyrics connect with the listener, allowing for the pain felt by those fathers trying to do right by their children. Fatherhood is not easy nowadays and with so many good fathers suffering for the bad, Yakta’s “Father’s Day” is a much needed reminder of what it is like being a father in 2024.
While the world will be celebrating Father’s Day on Sunday, June 16, Yaksta advocates on behalf of the trying fathers in Jamaica.
“The reason why I do a song like this is just fi show appreciation fi di father dem who, fathers like mi self who’s not really acknowledged most times on days like these. You know it’s not a world renowned practice when it comes on to appreciating father. Just a show homage to the trying fathers,” Yaksta states.
He continues on about his own personal experiences with his children’s mother, “I think life is an experience itself. There’s always gonna be a bad experience with mothers because when it comes on to controlling, that’s like a common aspect or characteristic of females overall but that’s not something me wish fi operate. I think those are like private issues that need to be dealt with as grown individuals.”
Regarding his father, Yaksta says, “My father is an active father but him wasn’t active in my life but nonetheless there’s no grudge. Still just another person. Man still deh yah amongst.”
Tackling life as a father and an artist has not been easy and struggles like everyone else but Yaksta makes it a point of duty to do the best he can for his own children.
“Well I’m an exceptional father but being an artist takes away me from being there all the time. So I would say I’m a father, a dad but sometimes my parenting slacks off due to circumstances of always being on the road,” Yaksta declared.
“The poor man who maybe can’t afford to give child support this month but he will carry his child to school on his bicycle daily, that’s who this song speaks to and for,” says ZJ West from Yo West Productions, half of the production duo for “Father’s Day”.
The other half is Chambah Music.
Though the road is long and rocky, Yaksta implores all trying fathers to do all they need to do to overcome the obstacles and harsh realities of fatherhood. His message to the incompetent men is to grow up.
“I don’t think there’s stupid fathers. I just think they’re immature and immature people normally do stupid things that we deem not so worthy but my advice is mind yuh pickney. Tek care a yuh youth. A one chance we get pon dis so mek it be di best.”