Part collective and part local supergroup, L.A.'s the Lions came together over their shared love of classic Jamaican reggae styles and the musicianship of bands like the Skatalites, Byron Lee & the Dragonaires, and the Aggrovators. The Lions explored dub, ska, rocksteady, cumbia, and other heavy sounds on their 2008 debut Jungle Struttin’, and would work with the Ubiquity and Stones Throw labels on subsequent releases like 2015's Soul Riot and 2021's single “Cumbia Rebel,” a cumbia-reggae remake of Bob Marley classic “Soul Rebel."