‘Nuff love’ for Kyraxx and iotosh
Although he is a senior at Howard University in Washington, DC, where he majors in economics and minors in sociology, Kyraxx’ main passion is music.
Growing up in Mandeville, his aunt introduced him to the songs of Sizzla, Sanchez, Beres Hammond and Dennis Brown.
After he migrated to the United States at nine, Kyraxx (real name Kehmaury Black) sang in church and attended performing arts middle school where he participated in talent contests.
On January 12, Kyraxx released Dat Lovin’, a song featuring Zac Jone$. It is produced by Grammy-nominated producer iotosh and released by Sound Ting.
In an interview with Jamaica Observer‘s Splash, Kyraxx, a former Munro College student, spoke about the collaboration.
“Me and iotosh have been working since 2013. This particular song is among songs we made with the hopes of putting it on an album. When he sent me the rhythm, I voiced the song and thought who best to have Zac on it because the type of energy the song has matches his vibe. I was familiar with Zac’s music before, so it was a mutual thing,” he said.
Dat Lovin’ hears Kyraxx reminiscing about a toxic relationship.
“I try to be as straightforward as possible. Music is how I express myself and emotions. It really is just the sound and the message,” he disclosed.
He spoke about working with iotosh, considered one of the most creative producers in dancehall music.
“It’s a blessing to work with iotosh, he’s very talented and has an ear for a certain type of sound that I like. We worked before when he produced my mixtape [Double Standards] and I’ve known him since high school,” said Kyraxx.
iotosh is just as complimentary.
“Working with Kyraxx on this track was a great experience, because we knew what we wanted to achieve from the start. We’ve worked on this song [and other songs from the EP] for at least two years, so we’ve had a lot of time to fine-tune the music. Kyraxx brings a lot of great ideas to the table, and he is also open to my suggestions,” said iotosh, who is also working on Kyraxx’s forthcoming EP, Summer Rose.
In 2018, Kyraxx was featured on Leno Banton’s single Socialize which was produced by J.L.L. He continued to release singles which led to his second project, a five-song EP titled Watching Over, in March 2020.
“I’m bringing a different type of perspective to the music. I kinda miss the days of dancehall making strides internationally. I want to be the best that I can be with the hope of impacting lives and sharing my experiences,” he said.