“Jamaica invokes the spiritual realm where music and life connect. The sounds and stories that traveled with ancestral souls through the Middle Passage are heard and felt in every note.” – Myshjua Murray (co-founder, Eight76 Records)
Eight76 Records was born in 2002 when young singer/songwriters Myshjua and Kenroy “Yah Breeze” felt they were being called to become a deeper part of the whole music making process. Taking a leap of faith, they invested everything into not just the record label, but the infrastructure of the South Florida creative/entertainment industry itself with concerts (Family Reggae Festival), merch (Real Reggae Fan Club), and even publishing a local industry newspaper (the South Florida Reggae Manifest).
“We want everybody to know where the music is coming from- spiritually and actually. Just like when you see the 876 area code you know the call is coming from Jamaica. Whatever the sound- our roots, our foundation is always Jamaica. Wherever we go, we represent where we come from.” -Kenroy “YahBreeze” Archibald (co-founder, Eight76 Records)
In 2003, the indie label made its official debut with YahBreeze’s original “Search For Love” riddim featuring songs from Chrisinti, YahBreeze, and Myshjua (using the stage name Karma Faith) all on 7-inch vinyl pressed and distributed by Tuff Gong International.
The follow-up, a 12-inch disco featuring reggae icon Marcia Griffiths’ rendition of the Miriam Makeba classic “Pata Pata” (again produced by YahBreeze and mixed by Barry O’Hare), caught the ear of none other than Miami’s “Godfather of Reggae”, WLRN radio host Clint O’Neil, cracking the Top Ten of his weekly ‘Sounds of the Caribbean’ dancehall chart.
2004 was a banner year for Eight76 Records. Their first three albums were well received by both critics and fans. The first-ever ska riddim compilation, SKASMATIC was a contemporary ska riddim with songs from new artists (Fyah Blaze, Meeky, Evette) and reggae stalwarts (Luciano, Mikey General, Sharon Forrester). The label achieved its first Top 20 hit on New York’s Reggae Singles Chart (Pam Hall’s Brokenhearted Melody which peaked at #2) and first Top 10 on South Florida’s Reggae Albums Chart (the various artists’ compilation RETRORESPECK). RETRORESPECK, a tribute to the popular soul songs of the seventies, stayed on the South Florida Reggae Albums Chart for more than six weeks. The album included a dancehall remix of “Pata Pata” (featuring the label’s new discovery, young female dj Meeky), Jack Radics’ “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”, Dennis Malcolm’s “When She Was My Girl”, and the original song with a classic touch “Searched for Love” by Chrisinti; all of which still enjoy radio success.
Retrorespeck also won over radio’s Old Guard. Radio Veterans such as Ron Burke, Clinton Lindsay, Eddy Edwards, and John T voiced their approval of the young label for both the quality and creativity of their productions. At the same time, Eight76 made inroads in the clubs with their popular Detrimental riddim that included tracks from Brick & Lace, Junior Kelly, and Don Yute. The flagship track on the riddim, Truths & Rights, entered the South Florida Reggae Top Twenty just as Eight76 Records was ringing in 2005 at its first annual holiday party, The Sorrel Ball.
The keyword for 2005 was EXPANSION as the hot young newcomers sought to build on their early success by releasing debut albums from rising stars, Fyah Blaze and Evette, along with Chrisinti’s sophomore album, Again. Chrisinti’s runaway hit “Oh Sheila” which reached #2 on the South Florida Reggae Charts, #2 on Jamaica’s B-Mobile Megahertz Chart, and #6 on the New York Reggae chart. What’s more, all three albums found their way onto the CMJ World Music charts, an almost unheard-of feat for a new label without national distribution.
In a bid to bring their distribution outreach in line with their popularity, Eight76Records turned to the world-wide-web. Great reviews and rising fan support garnered the attention of digital media powerhouse, Musicnet.Com, content providers for virtually every music site on the web from AOL to Yahoo to MTV. Once again, this boutique label broke new ground by becoming the first reggae label of its size to score a direct distribution agreement with Music Net. “The internet is crucial to our growth and success,” said Myshjua at the time. “It’s one of the last level playing fields in this business. We may not have the resources to buy into power play program on commercial radio, but we make up for it online. Internet radio and legal downloads are taking us to people all over the world.” Their website, www.eight76records.com became their direct link to both the global marketplace and the Eight76 Movement (their early DTF outreach). “Some refer to the Eight76 Movement as a fan club, but these brothers and sisters are too important for such a fickle word. The Eight76 Movement is a crucial part of the Eight76 family.”
Eight76 also took its act on the road to headline the 11th Annual Caribbean Festival in Lansing, Michigan. Backed by the Eight76 All-Star Band, Yvette and Chrisinti held the crowd for almost three hours with back to back sets and an encore that showcased every member of the talented troupe. The audience was reluctant to release them after the show and the Eight76 crew spent another ninety minutes signing autographs and meeting the people who had been so touched by their performance.
In 2006, the indie label prepared to bet on itself once again by making a major investment in a bid to get its catalog into national retail chains and one-stops through a partnership with Steve Lane’s CED. The opportunity required them to deliver 3000 CDs of each album (manufactured at their cost). Barely three weeks after the product was delivered, Bayside Entertainment and Tower Records filed bankruptcy with $100,000.00 worth of Eight76 inventory in its warehouses. Even though they still had their digital business through IODA, streaming was in its infancy and unable to generate enough revenue to recover the financial losses.
Still, Eight76 has built a catalog that bridges generations- working with legendary artists, songwriters, and producers while also helping develop new voices for the future. In 2025, they celebrated the 20th anniversary of Retrorespeck with a limited edition merch capsule in collaboration with onelifelivelit.com
Skasmatic is still in rotation a radio, the only ska-based riddim compilation on record to this day.
2026 saw the Eight76 Movement return with a new website and remastered digital releases of those original vinyl hits. The new website celebrates the early impact of the label two decades ago while also introducing the music to a new audience via social media, YouTube, and a partnership with brand new artist to audience app Tapedeck. Eight76 is once again on the radar, this time for good.
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