These Kingston Times [2014]

'These Kingston Times' by Five Steez is a digital 8-track EP which captures the modern tale of the Jamaican capital, Kingston.

“I wanted to paint my city the way I see it, and in a way I've never heard the story told before in music,” says Five Steez. “Since Hip Hop’s genesis with DJ Kool Herc, there has always been a Jamaican influence and involvement in the genre, but you've never heard about actual life here in ‘yard’, as we affectionately call it. It's a new perspective in Hip Hop, but parallel to that of urban environments worldwide.”

Five Steez presents an unapologetic, raw and gritty reality-based portrayal of his city, described as a “paradise and a slum”. While Jamaica is recognized worldwide for its music and athletes among many other things, the country has developed an unenviable reputation of having one of the highest rates of murder and questionable killings by police as well as widespread government corruption. Much of this has historically taken place in Kingston.