Growing up doesn’t stop at 18 or 21, it’s a lifelong experience. With that being said, this song takes life’s ills and blessings in calm, spiritual stride. Produced by Don Corleon.

Easily one of the most upbeat songs on the album, this was produced by Don Corleon. Give the yute a chance girl, he’s coming to put in the work.

Sampling Burning Spear’s “Estimated Prophet,” which is a cover of Grateful Dead’s song of the same name, “Our Time Come” was originally supposed to appear on “7 Year Itch.” However, due to sample clearance issues it was released subsequently as a freebie. It was produced by Don Corleon.

http://instagram.com/p/MyJBKniqYN/

Described as his seven year long journey by the artist, 7 Year Itch is Protoje’s critically acclaimed debut album, released on January 25, 2011. As said on his SoundCloud page:

From start to finish, The Seven Year Itch lays out the life, thus far, of a young man committed to his craft and his spiritual growth. The album cover, designed by Taj Francis, complements the music with a whirlpool of calendar dates bearing significance to Protoje’s career. One such date is December 4, 2009, representing the night he staged The Seven Year Wish to showcase some of his album material more than a year before its release.

At the very least, this is the tale of a woman who fell in love with a rasta man, with the Rastafari faith and with freedom. From Protoje’s website:

Rasta Love has a very deep emotional feel to it. To me it’s much more than just a story about love, but a story about how Rastafarians are viewed in our culture, and how people attach a stigma just because of a lifestyle that is different from theirs. The vibe of the song is very strong and has a lot of passion behind it, and I felt the need to have something that looks very iconic and matches that feel.

The image of a young black woman, with her hair in the process of locking and untaimed breaths out fire as if she was blowing a kiss. “Fire was burning and burning to let out what she was holding in.” That fire, being the passion that she has, and that fire being an essence of life and love, is shaped in the form of a rasta man. She breaths out her love, and the image of that love is formed because she cannot see him due to her fathers restriction on her seeing him. The artwork, just like the song is one of passion.

“Dread” is a lesson on Protoje’s history, present and what he sees in his future. It’s also a lesson on music history with its neat use of Dub. Speaking on Protoje’s website, Don Corleon said:

Ah Dread, this track made me see his music in a different light, and it really showed how his versatility in style. It’s like a real, dub reggae, 80′s vibe. I’ve heard him say before that Dread is his definitely “style” and I would full agree. This song to me is basically a map of Protoje’s life, from past, present and even to future reference. It’s like a film real, or a string of his life that just shows his progress and development and how he came to be how he is.

I had a feeling to just do this in a way that shows a young life being reeled out from birth, to future. I found it funny, because it seemed kind of complex and busy, but…. I didn’t really find it to be an issue, because that’s just how people’s lives are, and that’s how they pan out. It’s a complex roller coaster of events and personal interests that come together to form the essence of your own individuality. Everything stemming from the roots of when you were born, even deeper than that and just expanding into the life you’ve come to develop for yourself.

Having a girl is cool, but one that can grow her own weed AND roll it up? Priceless. Better yet for Proto, this one doesn’t care if it smudges her lipstick or that it’s illegal. Produced by Don Corleon, with artwork by Taj Francis.

When you see it on TV, Jamaica looks like an idyllic place, but that’s not really the case. Calling it by its nickname, Proto shows love for his homeland, but hesitates not to paint the picture of its grim underbelly. From his website:

JA, I like to call this one the new anthem…or at least another one, someone should look into that I think. Anyway, JA is a song almost any Jamaican can relate to, I know I definitely could. I was brought up in Spanish Town, and even though I don’t live in a bad neighbourhood necessarily, I’m still exposed to a lot of the violence that happens, and its something I’m very passionate about. Especially when it comes to affecting our youth.

This piece revolves around the symbol of hope, and also the most vulnerable asset we have in Jamaica, which is our youth. Surrounded by water formed into the Jamaican flag by caution tape, a young ‘schoolaz’ stands in the middle of the all the turmoil and negativity faced in Jamaica. Still he stands undeterred and smiling holding onto the heart shape balloon. In the background the sky grips its own chest in anxiousness towards Jamaica’s situation. A young man in the foreground is literally the image of the lost souls of the youth who’s life has been lost due to violence.

This is easily one of Protoje’s signature tracks, written on Don Corleon’s Minor Riddim. It’s his ambitions, his vision for himself and his woman and some braggadocio, all rolled in one. Artwork designed by Taj Francis.

The first single from Protoje’s debut album, 7 Year Itch. In his own words, it’s his “first hit single and the beginning of this musical journey.” Speaking on Proto’s website, Don Corleon said:

The first song I ever heard from Protoje, and the song that signed the deal for the collaboration we started. It was pretty much a breath of fresh air for me to even hear the song playing, especially because at the time I had lost faith in the Jamaican music scene. The mellow vibes of the song was what first hit me about the song, the slightly jazz feel, mixed with the a lover’s rock vibe created this kind of…atmosphere in my head, so that’s how the colour scheme and look of the artwork came into play at first.

I listened to the song over and over and learnt the lyrics so I could come up with a concept. The artwork takes the chorus into the main focus. The concept was to have a man looking perplexed by the multiple women in his life and how it’s affecting his main relationship. The ‘main woman’ in the background tears are manifested into the issue of these other women that are literally piled up in his head. “..that I tried the monogamy, but I couldn’t tek all the nagging in ma noggin..” I think that line basically sets the tone….which by the way is some sick word play…which happens a lot of course.