Words by Jesse Serwer
The newest member from Protoje’s In.Digg.Nation Collective, Lila Iké is a young Jamaican singer with an old soul and a classically soulful voice. Iké took the decidedly unorthodox path of releasing a tribute to her mother as her debut single, “Biggest Fan,” and her second release, “Gotti Gotti,” likewise acknowledges the wisdom of elders, as she takes her generation’s predilection for greed to task on a vintage reggae riddim.
“There’s a popular Jamaican saying that my elders used to say while growing up, ‘Who have it, no want it, and who no have it can’t get it,’” Iké says. “The song reflects on this adage, and the connection between greed and the social issues people face in society.”
Musically, the track, credited to producers Donald ‘Danny Bassie’ Dennis, The DrumKeys and Diggy British (an alias of Protoje), calls back to classic Black Uhuru, re-licking Sly and Robbie’s riddim from 1981’s “Sponji Reggae.” It’s an appropriate sound for Iké, who has a bit of Puma Jones about her (and perhaps a little Mykal Rose, too).
Lila Iké is clearly an artist you’ll be hearing a lot more from in the future, but should her limited solo catalog leave you wanting for more right now, Iké can also be heard on Protoje’s Royalty Free track “Flight Plans” as well as Addis Pablo and Equiknoxx Music’s Majestic Melodies mixtape.
“Gotti Gotti” is available now on iTunes and all streaming services.
