Lila Iké has been one of the most promising acts in Jamaica in the past few years. Though a collection of singles propelled her towards widespread acclaim, it was the release of her 2020 project The ExPerience that earned her nominations at the MOBOs and positions of several year-end lists.
Though Lila hasn't released any new music since she dropped her five-song EP, she returned this past weekend with her latest offering, "Batty Rider Shorts." The reggae artist's new single boasts an incredibly powerful message calling for the protection of children against sexual predators. In a statement, Lila explained that the song was four years in the making.
"This song was inspired by a situation I observed within my community," she wrote."An innocent child (age 10 or so) who I would often sit and speak with about life and give words of encouragement (even whilst I was a child myself ) eventually was taken advantage of by someone who should have been looking out for her. I was moved to tears on my drive back from the country as I thought about how her light became infiltrated by the dark energies that are hovering over children everyday, all over the world."
Quotable Lyrics
Gun the yute dem lock it from before dem in dem teens
No English, Mathematics, just a ‘matic in them jeans
Say a that a di regime autocratic with the scheme
Cycle nah go stop it as dramatic as it seems
