PORTALS LP by Akae Beka, I Grade Records

A Side

Heavy Low
Ideals of the Emperor
Like Rhyme
By All For All
Portals

B Side

Let Babylon Go
Simplest Long
Changes
Dem a Warriah
Love is the Mainstay

Akae Beka's inimitable style, developed over decades performing with St. Croix based band Midnite. At the point of his untimely passing in 2019, he had released over 70LP's. His prolific output coupled with his uniquely rich, deep, multilayered songwriting and uncompromising devotion to RasTafari has earned him a place amongst the reggae legends.

The stellar production trinity that is Zion I Kings have been involved collectively and individually in co-creating some of the most highly regarded contributions to the vast Akae Beka catalogue and this LP is a shining example of just that.

Portals, originally released on CD and Digital in 2016, garnered critical acclaim and held position in the billboard charts top 10 for 2 weeks. Produced collaboratively between Zion I Kings and Vaughn Benjamin (Akae Beka), who co-produced & arranged 5 of the 13 songs himself, alongside the ZIK players in St. Croix's Aqua Sounds Studio. The album's sound continues a trajectory of textural, guitar-driven roots reggae that Zion I Kings and Padraic Coursey first explored on the track "Weather the Storm" on 2014's Beauty for Ashes.

Following 8 years of anxious anticipation, for the countless Akae Beka fans that are also vinyl connoisseurs, this LP is now being released on as a 12" vinyl LP courtesy of Before Zero Records. This offers the listener not only the chance to enjoy this LP in an analogue form, but also the chance to hold the artwork as a 12" square masterpiece, created by the hands of Ras Marcus, the artist who gave the powerful visual presence that became synonymous to much of the I Grade / Akae Beka works over the years.

I-Roots Records is a US based distribution company for roots reggae and dub music. It's also the home of Blackheart Warriors Records and Akashic Records.