Upcoming Mixpak artist Popcaan stepped up for this year’s annual Sting in Portmore, Jamaica earlier this week, running through his biggest tunes (and some of this year’s biggest dancehall records): ‘Up Inna The Club’, ‘Clarks’, ‘Hot Grabba’, ‘Real Badman’, ‘Only Man She Want’, ‘Raving’ and of course ‘Clean’ with a full live band. It’s only a small glimpse of his talent; watch out for Popcaan’s Mixpak releases coming soon.

JA producer TJ, responsible for big riddims like Snapback and Bottle Party this year, not to mention Unfinished Business and Show Off from way back, has just dropped his latest: Smudge. This one is a nice slice of island pop, featuring voicings from Demarco, Laden, Bugle and this from Popcaan, ‘Party Shot’, another on-point party tune from the ‘Raving king’:

Head of Prodigal Entertainment, Dylan Powe is a stalwart of the Jamaican music scene – from working on legendary Kingston street party, Passa Passa, to managing one of the island’s brightest talents, Natalie Storm. Last year he produced and released the innovative Showa Eski, the first in a trilogy of riddims designed to (re-)unite West Kingston with London – featuring 6 vocals from Jamaica and the UK – namely Wiley, Lady Chann and Ward 21. A year later, the second installment, Global Gangsta, is just about ready to go and is undoubtedly set to build on the solid foundation of Showa Eski, tying together the threads of Jamaican influence worldwide.

Over G-chat, I asked Dylan a few questions about the thinking behind the trilogy and his vision for Prodigal:

Mixpak: So how are things looking for Global Gangsta – do you have a date for release yet?

Prodigal: The track is finished and ready to go, we’re just waiting for the video to be edited.
 
Right – and by the looks of the promo video you got everyone into your studio in Jamaica to record?

All except for Joel Ortiz, he did his voicing in the States.
 
Why did you choose him as the US representative?

Well I am partial to Brooklyn spitters. And for this particular track I wanted people who could just really spit. Not necessarily those with the best hooks, cause I knew I was going to bring in someone for the hook [Wayne Marshall]. But i wanted people who represented these 3 streams of the same river to the fullest. To me Wiley is the best UK spitter ever. Stein is definitely top 3 in Jamaica as far as being able to come up with off the top of his head shit and spit in studio in 10-15 minutes. Joel is a rapper’s rapper. He’s not really selling millions but everyone knows Ortiz spit game is top as far as the newer group of rappers outta the US.
 
So the idea was more a kind of lineage and overall musical project rather than a business decision?

Yeah. And that’s why its taken forever. I wanted to do it proper. It’s all part of this Showa trilogy of which Showa Eski was the first installment. It’s basically showing all the different strains of urban music that have all evolved from our area in Jamaica: West Kingston. For instance, hip hop=Kool Herc=West Kingston. Wiley=grime=jamaican dancehall=West Kingston. Stein and Marshall obviously are from there. And the track is dubsteppy which is West Kingston too.

So do you feel like West Kingston’s influence is something that’s ignored as far as music history goes?
 
Well… just that there are a lot of parts of the story which people aren’t aware of, so if this makes them more aware, that’s cool.
 
Definitely. Why did you choose the name ‘Global Gangsta’?
 
Hmmm, I just felt like it. Sonically it makes sense. And it also is about how how a Jamaican music form from a ghetto was able to go global and infiltrate all areas of the world.
  
The riddim has got some very dark overtones to it, as did the first…
  
Deliberately. It was a dark time; a lot of people were killed by the state, from a community that means a lot to me and a community that gave Jamaica its biggest export: reggae music. So none of [the riddims] are really happy happy. The last one is not so dark, that will drop in April, the Showa Cabin.

Have you decided what artists you’ll be working with for the Showa Cabin?

Not yet. Only Natalie Storm so far. I have two other artists in mind but we’ll see…

How did the Showa Eski go down in Jamaica…cos in the UK i’ve heard it mash up some grime and dancehall raves…

I prolly heard it once on radio, and once in an upscale club, an uptown ting. It had no real impact here. It wasn’t really made for Jamaica or with a Jamaican audience in mind. But it did well in the UK, got good love in Canada and some pockets in the US. Tempo wise and sonically, the Showa Eski and Showa Step are not in the vein of current Jamaican music. And that’s deliberate.

It’s deliberate in terms of production but in terms of your audience, why do you not mind skipping out Jamaica?

I want to show how our music is exportable and how it can blend with outside acts, markets and sounds. I don’t mind skipping jamaica because “success” here is not really a mark of real success to me. Jamaican music has become insular and inaccessible to the fans who loved it before. It’s cool, and it is great to hear your music killing dances, but when you know the process that makes that happen…like it’s not really hard to spend $20 US on a selector at a dance and have him play a track for 20 minutes so people can feel like you have a “big” tune. So it tempers your approach…I tend to look at the big picture. And music is just one angle of that.

So do you see collaboration as a fundamental stage in that?

Always, on some level at least: musicians, art work, video editors, writers, cinematographers. With how the world is now, one is foolish not to work with the best people you can, who understand your vision. I model Chris Blackwell. I think to myself, what would Blackwell do? Most times I can’t afford to do it, but I want to try and have his vision for Jamaican culture and music.

What, then, is your vision for prodigal?

A global Jamaican brand, along the lines of a 21st century Island Records. A whole aesthetic that starts with music, but ends up anywhere.

In terms of production then are you working alone?

Yes and no. There’s lots of collaboration there too – I will get someone to do drums, and then someone else does keys, and I may then get a UK person to mix, and a German friend to master. I just try to put the stuff in place to get a sound or feel that I like, sometimes it’s all me or all Jamaican, other times it’s not.

Seeing as you seem to be focussing a lot on what’s going on outside Jamaica, is there any music out there in JA that you like at the moment?

I like some Proteje stuff, I like Ward 21 stuff generally. I’m listening to a bit of that west coast Cali reggae band stuff, some of that is good. But I dont really love love most of the stuff that I heard this summer.

Do you think now with mavado in the US and things taking off a bit for Island pop more generally across the globe, that maybe JA/UK/US links will strengthen in the coming years?

Maybe. The world is a lot smaller. Wherever the hits are, people will find them.

Did it work out well for you working with people from across the globe?

Not anymore difficult than working with Jamaicans right here. It was actually easier for the most part. I’m down to work with anyone, so long as it works out and moves our objectives forward.

Showa Step will be out soon, followed by Showa Cabin in 2012. Dylan is also on the look out for a Jamaican-music loving intern who would like to get on board with Prodigal Entertainment. Contact him for further info: prodigalent@gmail.com

Brand new laid back riddim from Washroom Entertainment, (responsible for the Matrimoney riddim earlier this year) with a big cut from T.O.K., clearly taking influence from Stylo G’s UK hit, ‘Call Mi A Yardie’. Tifa also offers a breaking-up track, while Konshens is on a Rasta tip.

T.O.K – Yardie

Tifa – Nuh Want You No More

Konshens – Jah Love Me

Jamaican supergroup Ward 21 have announced they are making a new album, which to anyone on the dancehall circuit with a taste for forward-thinking, genre-smashing productions is Christmas come early. As a sneak peak, Kunley has been uploading some tracks onto his soundcloud, like ‘Bubble Song’, a minimal, bass-heavy dancehall track with hints of ‘Jafrican Ting’ and TOK’s ‘Bubble’. It’s another song to add to the list of big tunes named after bubbles. Watch their soundcloud for new uploads and news of their album.

Tifa is one of Jamaica’s top young deejays, and singjays for that matter. When an artist gets full support from legendary production crew Ward 21, you know they’re gold. After her first tunes, ‘Crawny Gal’ and ‘Bottom of the Barrel’ blew up in Jamaica, she continued on climbing, joining forces with Timberlee and Natalie Storm to form JA girl group TNT, making singles with top producers like TJ, Stephen McGregor and Equiknoxx, not to mention supporting Ward 21 on tour.

Tifa has just joined the Mixpak family, voicing on a Dre Skull-produced Moombahton track set for release later this year, so we thought we’d get the 411 on her background, making it in Jamaica, working with Ward 21 and being a tomboy.

Mixpak: Tell us a bit about your background – did you grow up in a reggae household?

Well my growing up was in a mixture of down town (or what people would refer to as the ghetto), uptown (suburbia) and a lil’ North America. I did grow up in a reggae dancehall household. My grandmother had a local bar and restaurant and music was always apart of the happenings. I was always surrounded by music. When I went overseas to see my mom, she was an avid party goer, she would always be playing tapes and we would always be listening to music. Seeing her dress up and go out, also developed my fashion sense. My uncle also owned a popular record store in Toronto and I would always travel with him to Dynamic Sounds to purchase goods. Later on my mom met my stepfather, who was a producer. So let’s just say I couldn’t escape the music.

How did you get into deejaying?

Well, initially I started out as a singer. One day I was recording, and in writing the song didn’t realize that I had left out about four bars. Jokingly I free styled the lines, and everybody was like “yooooo, you should deejay more”. So after thinking about it some more I tried it out, and found that those type of songs were getting more airplay than the singing ones. Hence, Tifa the deejay. I do still sing though. And a lot of the harmonies you hear on my songs, especially in the choruses, are done by me. So I really have a singjay vibe i guess.

How did you make yourself heard on the dancehall scene? Is it easy to get noticed out there?

Getting noticed or the right exposure on the Jamaican music scene is no easy task. Especially as a female in a male dominated business. It’s much harder for people to take you seriously. I had it double hard cause I had a “sexy” walk that people weren’t used to in the business. It was rough, and still is. It’s a very competitive and vicious business. I got through by persistence, and promoting on the streets. I took every free show, every school barbeque, and every road show, do my music videos and promoted hard, until eventually people started to listen, and they wanted more. I also realized that I could have also expanded my brand through corporate Jamaica. So when the opportunities arise I use it to my advantage.

Who do you feel you look up to, vocally?

Wow! A whole lot of different people. From Lady Saw, Patra, Lady G, Shelly Thunder, Chevelle Franklin, Maxi Priest, Mary J. Blige, you name it!!!

You’ve worked with some huge producers – Ward 21, Equiknoxxx, Stephen Mcgregor, TJ – who out of all of them did you like working with most and who would you want to make a track with in the future?

I love working with Ward 21 the most, because they’re family, and I’m allowed to experiment and get crazy, as well as having their knowledge bestowed upon me. I also love working with Conroy from Washroom Entertainment. Locally I’ve worked with most of the well-known and some of the greats. I’d love to hopefully get track produced one day by Sly and Robbie, Kanye West, The Neptunes, Missy Elliot, and a host of others that i really like.

You have an upcoming project with Dre Skull for mixpak – where you’ll be voicing on a moombahton track. What was your reaction to the moombahton sound?

Well, the track is basically and infusion of reggae, dancehall, and pop, similar to the sounds of the 80s. Hence it wasn’t really much of a hard task in terms in terms of writing, when i heard the track i instantly loved it. So i just let the riddim tell my creative juices where to flow.

How do you feel about voicing over genres that aren’t straight up dancehall?

I don’t mind, voicing on tracks that aren’t dancehall. I love to take risks, I love to try new and different things, and so as long as the tracks give me a good energy or a vibe, I’ll work with it.

What’s been the best moment of your career so far / your best live show ?

Touring with Ward 21 in 2008. We performed in the Czech Republic, I was the first female reggae/dancehall artiste out of Jamaica to perform there. It felt so good! It was a wonderful show & I rocked out in my I love Jamaica t-shirt.

What riddims from the past do you wish you had the opportunity to voice on?

Anything produced by Dave Kelly.

When you’re not making music, what music do you listen to?

I listen to a lot of vintage reggae and dancehall. I love old hits, as well as RnB too.

I heard you saying somewhere that you’re a tomboy but you’re not usually dressed like that – does dancehall make you dress up?

To an extent, especially when I’m doing shows. I love jeans and sneakers!!! I just find more creative ways to dress them up! I love comfort.

Think my favourite Tifa track is ‘Tick it like a Clock’ or ‘Boasy Wid It’ – what song are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of ‘If i could fly’, which was a cover of the classic “Into the night” it’s not easy doing covers, you’re more subjected to heavier criticism. I’m happy at the response that it received, it’s one of my best selling songs on iTunes, and i got the opportunity to sing again.

What are your upcoming plans?

Well definitely more singles and more videos. I plan to come out with a mixtape after summer, and hopefully release an album early next year. I’ll be doing a mini tour with Melanie Fiona, Spice, Patra, Alaine and Lumidee in July, I’ll be on Reggae Sumfest as well as other major shows in Jamaica and elsewhere. The work continues, the journey continues.

Watch out for Tifa’s record on Mixpak soon!

Wiley’s been making waves in Jamaica, with his latest ‘If I could’ with Ed Sheeran and his cut on the Showa Eski riddim a few months back, ‘It’s Wiley’. Now the second installment in the Showa Trilogy promised from Prodigal, the Showa Step riddim, is finally about to drop. This is a promo video for ‘Global Gangsta’ to give you an idea. It’s got Wayne Marshall, Einstein, Wiley and Joell Ortiz on it and need we say any more, it’s going to be huge. Prodigal describes the collab:

Three of the best spitters from across the world have their rhymes fused by an infectious chorus from one of dancehall’s hook-masters, and they are all declared global gangstas.

If you want to know more about the trilogy and Wiley, check the interview with Dylan Powe of Prodigal over at Seen.

Mixpak label boss Dre Skull was recently interviewed by Erin MacLeod as research for a presentation at EMP Pop Conference. The entire interview has now been posted online and it gives a good look into Dre Skull’s views on collaborating across cultures and his creative approach to working on Vybz Kartel’s upcoming full length.

Read the full interview on Soundclash.

2010 has been a crazy year for Dancehall – if you want the full (or the condensed) stories, thankfully some excellent roundups have been put together, covering Bashment, Reggae, Soca and all your 2010 Caribbean needs.

Erin Hansen gives her comprehensive lowdown over at Kiss My Teeth, while Large Up have compiled their top reggae, JA-influenced pop, Soca and even their top ten Trinitech tunes of the year. For a UK look, head to Shimmy Shimmy.

Looks like Vybz might have taken the man of the year crown. Gaza mi seh!

Nothing like Vegas telling us how much he loves his homeland, sweet Jamaica. Check this brand new remix featuring Shaggy and Josey Wales each killin’ the verses.

Mr. Vegas feat. Shaggy & Josey Wales – ‘Sweet Jamaica’