Born in Brooklyn, New York to Jamaican parents, deejay/rapper Rohan Da Great loved the dancehall sounds from their homeland, as well as the hip hop beats that had roots in his hometown.
The North Carolina-based artist pays homage to those influences on 6 Love, his first EP, which was released in April. It entered Billboard Magazine’s Current Albums Chart last week at number five.
“I wanted to keep a similar vibe throughout the EP but display different sides of my artistry. Each song showcases another side of my talent. The melody, lyrics, metaphor, deejaying, R&B singing and even little rapping,” he said.
The EP’s title is inspired by a clean-sweep in dominoes, a popular game among Jamaicans at home and the United States. It contains the songs One More and Crazy, released in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
Rohan Da Great grew up in a musical home. His father, deejay Curry Don, is a veteran of the Big Apple dancehall scene.
Because of Curry Don, Rohan Da Great developed an early appetite for music. His Jamaican influences include his father, Shabba Ranks, Mr. Vegas, Wayne Wonder, Dexta Daps, Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and Half Pint.
But much of his initial recordings, such as SMYK and HIT, were distinctly hip hop. One More marked a change to dancehall which can be heard throughout 6 Love.
For almost 20 years, Rohan Da Great has lived in North Carolina which he says has a growing reggae circuit.
“The reggae scene here is great. Most of the major artists pass through and every year there is a huge carnival with 7,000 people in attendance, I’ve performed there over the last four years. It’s kind of hard for local artists to get to shine. I’m one of the only who’ve made it to a national or international scale,” he said.
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