Nigeria's Jethro Lion signs with New York label

Under the deal, Jethro Lion's music will be distributed by the outfit, which has connections to the careers of several high-profile acts working in the reggae, dancehall and soca genres.

These acts include Buju Banton, Elephant Man, Mavado, Damian Marley, Busy Signal, Spragga Benz, Maxi Priest, Beenie Man and Chaka Demus.

"I'm a record producer, a songwriter, I'm just a full-time musician," Jethro Lion says in a video carrying news of his distribution deal with VPAL.

"Music for me is everything. My love for music is unconditional. From playing the drums when I was 11 and playing the piano when I was 13. I love what I do, I love music...it has to be a career."

As a subsidiary of VP Records, VPAL allows independent artists access the distribution channel of the parent outfit, thereby increasing the visibility of the artist, as, since its establishment in 1979, VP Records has expanded and created a structure for large scale distribution of music.

According to reports, Jethro Lion's deal with VPAL will last for three years and has made Jethro Lion the fifth reggae act from Nigeria with an arrangement with VP Records Music Group. Patoranking was the first act from the country to have a deal with the reggae giant. His deal was followed by arrangements with Winning Jah, King Wadada and Naxis Dg. Ghanaian reggae star Stonebwoy also has an arrangement with the label.

Jethro Lion has recently made his single 'Am Blessed' available for pre-order on his official website. It will be his first single to be distributed by VPAL Music. An earlier single, 2015's 'Cyaan Crucify' brought the artist over 40,000 streams over a few weeks on Soundcloud. Listen to it below: