LABEL owner Tad Dawkins believes the recent granting of a United States visa to deejay Popcaan is a further boost for dancehall in that country.
Popcaan has two songs ( Frass Box and Ova Dweet) on The Hit List Vol 6, the latest compilation album from Tad’s International Record, Dawkins’ company.
According to Dawkins, being able to travel to the music industry’s biggest is “very, very beneficial. We will now be able to market him in these areas and reap more from sales now that he is now able to tour within the USA.”
Popcaan was unable to visit or work in the US because of several run-ins with law enforcement in Jamaica. He received a visa early this month and is expected to make an appearance at the Redbull Culture Clash in Atlanta next month.
The Hit List Vol 6 also contains five songs by Alkaline, arguably the hottest name in dancehall. Son Of A Queen and Spoil You are two of those tracks.
Mavado, Vybz Kartel, Nesbeth, and Sean Paul also have songs on the 21-track set which was released in June.
Dawkins thinks the time is right to push the dancehall product in the US, given the number of high-profile acts experimenting with the sound.
“It’s very vibrant with the resurgence of adaptations by Rihanna, Drake, Justin Beiber, and DJ Khaled. Even though the market fluctuates every now and then, dancehall still outperforms reggae in sales,” he explained. “If you listen keenly to Damian Marley’s new album you can hear a distinct dancehall flavor. Also, Charly Blacks’ appearance on the Wendy Williams s how recently drew attention to the genre.”
Work, a massive hit for Rihanna last year, is strongly influenced by dancehall. On his album, Views, which also came out last year, Drake samples songs by Popcaan, Mavado and Serani.
Jamaican producers Stephen McGregor and Dwayne “Supa Dups” Chin-Quee worked on both projects.
— Howard Campbell
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