Akbar Records Artists Deportee and Ricky Ten Set to Drop Singles on Melodies Riddim June 1

ST MARY, JAMAICA — Dancehall-reggae duo Deportee and Ricky Ten are back with fresh fire for summer 2025, this time dropping two individual singles on the newly minted Melodies Riddim, produced by rising St. Mary-based producer Zimm. The tracks, titled “Pressure Point” by Deportee and “Melodies” by Ricky Ten, are set for release on June 1 under the Akbar Record Label.

Following the viral success of their January collaboration “Bad Mamma Jamma,” which made waves online, the two Akbar Records artists are branching out with distinct offerings—each reflective of their creative identity and the versatility of the riddim itself.

Deportee’s track “Pressure Point” delivers a sensual, international R&B-meets-dancehall vibe. “I channeled my inner lover making this song,” Deportee explained. “I reminisced over some of the best intimacy I had and the chorus and concept just flowed from that.”

Ricky Ten, meanwhile, surprises listeners with his provocative entry, “Melodies,” a bold, uptempo dancehall cut. “It’s not the type of song people expect from me as a Rastaman,” he said. “But artists like Bob Marley have shown that Rasta music has always had a place for this type of expression.”

The Melodies Riddim itself is a genre-bending production by Zimm, a 26-year-old producer with a vision for bridging global and Jamaican sounds. “A friend wanted something smooth with a Jamaican base but also with a Drake-type international feel,” he said. After trial and error, Zimm found the perfect sample, layering it with a drum pattern that blends hip hop and dancehall elements to create the final riddim.

“Ricky Ten and Deportee are naturally unorthodox and experimental, so I think they were perfect for an alternative type of riddim like this,” Zimm added.

The two artists, now based between Jamaica and the U.S., co-founded the Akbar Record Label in 2023 after meeting in Ocho Rios. The word Akbar means “greatness” in Arabic and is a nod to Deportee’s Islamic faith.

“Akbar is a collective of artists striving to embody the greatness of God by pushing the limits of sound and fan expectations,” Deportee explained. “We want to remind listeners that the greatest music is always still to come.”

With their diverse backgrounds—Deportee being a Detroit-based artist who fell in love with reggae as a teenager in the former Soviet Union, and Ricky Ten starting his career as a deejay prodigy in Kingston’s Grant’s Pen—the duo continues to fuse cultures and sounds in unexpected, genre-defying ways.

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