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While celebrating the release of his sophomore album, The Microphone Saved Me, Yaksta is using the moment to spark a wider conversation about the state of the music industry, from gatekeeping and hypocrisy to the need for better systems and ownership.
The 15-track project, which was released on Monday, doubles as a reflection of his experiences navigating the business and the lessons he has learnt along the way. The artiste said the album explores themes of evolution, revolution, gratitude, love and truth, while also serving as a commentary on the realities he has encountered in the industry. He said the album is a testimony of transformation and survival and highlights the story of an artiste whose connection to music became a pathway to critical expression.
“I never looked at myself as a rebel, enuh. A dem gimme that title, so me just tek the label cuz I like it. I never said I was, but they called me that in quite a few posts and interviews, so I took that moniker on because if that’s how you see me, that’s how you see me. I’m not trying to fix it,” he said.
Yaksta said one of the biggest issues he would tackle if given the opportunity is the way systems are designed and who ultimately benefits from them.
“If I could change anything, I would change hypocrisy, even though I know that will never happen because we are dealing with human beings. I would also change how we view things and how it is set up because a lot of what is established was not done so by us, but was designed for a particular set of people to win while keeping our people imprisoned. I would also use technology to further expand the industry itself and give it more structure while implementing a better system for publishing,” he said.
He also offered advice to aspiring artistes, encouraging them to enter the business prepared financially and with strong support systems.
“Understand the industry before you enter it. Have your money and have your solid team who believes in your vision and also in you,” he said. “And in order for it to work, money has to share, and even when it [is shared], you will still have some naysayers in the group or some form of revolt or betrayal. It’s a part of the package, so you experience it in its rawest form so that you can overstand the journey.”
However, Yaksta reserved his strongest words for what he described as the industry's gatekeepers, arguing that they are standing in the way of authentic music flourishing.
“The issue I have with the gatekeepers is that they need to move. Just pack up and gwan wey dem a go. If a person is not stepping on your toes or stopping your food, don’t try to stop him or her because you see the potential. They need to understand that none of us will outlive the industry, and none of us can undo what was ordained for an individual,” he said.
“So with all the gatekeeping and stopping, you still won’t win because in the end, you still get old, sick and dead like everybody else, if something nuh kill you before time. So I just think they should move. When it’s your time, it’s your season. When it’s not, just move out of the way fi somebody else until your season come again.”
Though critical of the industry's shortcomings, Yaksta said The Microphone Saved Me ultimately represents a larger mission centred on consciousness, accountability and purpose.
“Every song comes from a real place. This is more than music; it’s a call to remain conscious in a world full of distractions, to stand firm in truth when compromise is celebrated, and to remember that growth, accountability, and purpose are still revolutionary. That’s the mission, and that’s the message,” he said.
Looking ahead, he said he intends to expand his brand beyond music.
“I’m into merchandising, concerts, gatherings, pop-up shows and tours. We also have a restaurant in the making, or a ‘rasta-rant’ I should say. [The year] 2026 will be a year for me, and all the movers and shakers of music will believe in ‘I-tinity’ because this is not a fictional thing to get clout, fame and a little money.”
English (US) ·