Summer has officially arrived, making it the perfect season for dancehall to take center stage.

On Friday, July 3, Billboard exclusively announced that Nigerian banku trailblazer Mr Eazi has teamed up with acclaimed dancehall producer Dre Skull for a new dancehall inspired mixtape titled Yard & Yanga. The project also features Vybz Kartel, who appears on the lead single, “Lambo,” released the same day. The track reunites the trio following their previous collaborations on 2021’s “Sekkle and Bop” and 2025’s “Dance Pon Me.”

“Eazi and I have been working on music together for years and, along the way, we became good friends,” Dre Skull told Billboard. “When we go to the studio, we inevitably end up making music that weaves together elements of Dancehall and Afrobeats, and those sessions became the starting point for this project. At a certain point, we just realized we were building a larger project, and we leaned into shaping it.”

According to Mr Eazi, his introduction to dancehall came through Nigerian konto artists such as Baba Fryo, Kimi Ranky, and Marvellous Benji, whose music helped spark his love for the Jamaican genre. That admiration eventually inspired his signature “Zaggadat” catchphrase, a nod to Beenie Man. “I love the raw energy that comes with the sound. It’s one of the most genuine expressions of music,” he said. “I think it captures my other side.”

Fresh off the release of his God & Time album in June, Vybz Kartel was an obvious choice to join “Lambo.” The upbeat dancehall anthem blends Mr Eazi’s clever lyricism with a catchy chorus that mixes Jamaican patois and Nigerian pidgin. Dre Skull explained the creative vision behind the song, saying, “‘Lambo’ has a hypnotic quality built on a heavy low end that taps into the raw energy of street dances. I knew Kartel would know exactly what to do, and he is the perfect counterbalance to Eazi here.”

Yard & Yanga represents the next chapter in Mr Eazi’s long standing creative partnership with Dre Skull, whose production credits helped shape modern dancehall through projects including Kingston Story in 2011 and Where We Come From and Forever with Popcaan. The artwork for “Lambo” was hand illustrated by United Kingdom based artist Kione Grandison, drawing inspiration from West African and Caribbean folk traditions as well as vibrant street art.

Years in development, Yard & Yanga also expands Mr Eazi’s mixtape catalog, following About to Blow from 2013, Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1: Accra to Lagos in 2017, and Life Is Eazi, Vol. 2: Lagos to London in 2018. Reflecting on the project, the singer said, “With this project, I had a very clear concept of what I wanted to explore, and we intentionally kept it creatively fun during the process. It felt naturally related to the other mixtapes I’ve done.” Yard & Yanga is scheduled for release later this year through Mixpak Records and emPawa Africa.