BOSTON-BASED SINGER CASTAFARI, RELEASES NEW SINGLE “YOUR LIFE!”

Boston-based singer Castafari encourages self-reliance in his new song, Your Life. He considers widespread dependence a negative.

“People need to look in the mirror and say, ‘help yourself’. What we have today is people depending on a president or a boyfriend when they should be doing things for themselves,” he reasoned.

Your Life is produced by Bling Beatz Records, an independent company run by Jamaicans in Cape Cod, Massac-husetts.

The 39-year-old Castafari (real name Andre Owaldo Collins) has lived in Boston since 1992, releasing a number of singles and one album. The latter, Just Life, came out in 2012.

 Just Life was launched in Jamaica but never made an impact. According to Castafari, its hard-hitting message disqualified it from mainstream airplay.

“It go against the grain with certain things like corruption,” he said.

The Trelawny-born artist pursued music full-time after earning degrees in communication and theater arts from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Castafari is a familiar face on the Beantown reggae scene. He owns Hit Quarters Studios, where acts like I-Octane, Tarrus Riley and rapper Beanie Sigel have recorded.

Though he produced Just Life, Castafari also works with other producers. Two of his latest songs, Rainy Afternoon and Long Story, are done for German and Nigerian labels, respectively.