Murda She Wrote: May 2022
Jump-start your summer with the hottest reggae and dancehall tracks from Beenie Man, Jada Kingdom, Konshens, Projexx, IQ, Stalk Ashley and Kranium.
by Reshma B
Reggae and dancehall sound sweet all year round, but the music hits differently in hot weather. As we head into this year’s Memorial Day festivities for the official start to summer, what better time to run through this month’s selections? As the weather heats up, so do the tunes, and in true dancehall fashion you never know who is going to be riding the riddim at any given moment. Here’s to riding high and staying on top. Run the tracks…
Beenie Man
“Blessings Pon Blessings”
The King of the Dancehall’s latest release finds him in a reflective mood, sending out blessings and positive vibes while backed by a choir. “Me drive lef’ hungry inna the rearview,” Beenie reflects on the track. “Now me have mountain and sea view.” Having risen up from the Waterhouse section of western Kingston, the man born Moses Davis has much to be thankful for, as he details on this preview of his forthcoming album, Simma. It’s Beenie’s first full-length release since he and Bounty Killer electrified social media with their epic Verzuz confrontation.
“When [Verzuz co-founder] Swizz Beatz called and asked, I said, ‘That’s not even a question,’” the Girls Dem Sugar told me a day before the battle. “‘I and I ready to represent for the music because it’s my culture. You zeet? We ready!’”
Although the concept of Verzuz was clearly inspired by Jamaica’s soundclash culture, Beenie made sure to point out that Verzuz is not a clash. “Clash is elimination, cut off your throat and throw you down the gully,” he explained, smiling brightly behind his dark glasses. Of course his rivalry with Bounty Killer is the stuff of dancehall legend, but they’ve always kept things pretty cool, on and offstage.
“You see we both born rough,” Beenie told me. “We grow in tough, tough, tough communities. So we know what a gangsta is, and we know what gangsta life is. We decide not to be gangstas — this is why we onstage facing off with each other. You nah go come to dance and get your head buss up. Cause we are not gonna be fighting; we are just gonna be arguing lyrically. We are not boxers, we are not wrestlers, we are not kung-fu fighters. We are artists. We are musicians.”
Guess that’s what he means on his new tune when he refers to “all the struggles that bad man been through.” And it may be why he makes sure to add a few words of inspiration for listeners who came up as rough as he and Bounty did, or for anybody who’s struggling. “You can do anything you wan’ do,” he says. “Father God deh ya and a guide you. Every step weh you take, every move weh you make.” The blessings never end.
Jada Kingdom
“Last Night”
From her 2018 EP Wull On to her 2020 “playlist” E-Syde Queen, Jada Kingdom has staked out her own creative territory. “Music fi have character and vibes,” she told me not long ago, and Jada is the same way — full of vibes and moods that express themselves as characters. The artist goes by different nicknames — Muma Heavy, Twinkle — each with its distinctive personality. Her music is similarly versatile, blending soul, dancehall and pop in unexpectedly irresistible ways. “I’m still tryin’ to figure it out,” she replied when I asked her to define her sound. “I know what the sound is, but I don’t know what to call it. I might just create my own genre.”
On “Jungle,” our first glimpse of her debut album for Republic Records, Jada sang about the realities of life in St. Thomas, a place where you have no choice but to grow up fast. The album’s title track, “Dickmatized,” explores the mysteries of sex and relationships in ways that are frank and unfiltered. Jada says she appreciates the fact that her fans embrace her totally. “Alright Jada dat,” they say. “Me haffi accept that. Love her for who she is.”
As for those who don’t? “Just simply go one side,” she suggests.
Jada’s latest tune was produced by Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor, a Grammy-winning musical mastermind who’s worked with everybody from his father, reggae legend Freddie McGregor, to dancehall icons Mavado and Vybz Kartel, to international stars like Drake and Shakira.
“Last Night” is a brilliantly vivid morning-after-the-night-before confessional. “Just woke up into a relationship,” Jada sings. “I don’t usually fall so quick — what’s your name again? Please don’t trip.” Too many shots, possibly “tampered with,” led to unexpected results. The best part of this perfect blend of dancehall and pop is the way it just spilled out of her. “Tell them how u freestyle this one take,” Di Genius commented about the song on her IG post. “By time me look inna me phone & look back up, song done 🤯.” Apparently Stephen wasn’t the only genius in the studio that day.
Projexx feat. Konshens
“Brace It”
There is no shortage of monarchy within the dancehall genre, to the point where keeping up with all the royal titles — from the King of the dancehall to Jada Kingdom — can be a challenge. As grandson of the legendary producer King Jammy, Projexx has every right to claim a throne of his own, but like his father John John, who’s also an acclaimed hitmaker in the space, the young artist and producer has mostly maintained a cool profile and let the tunes rule. Although Projexx did call his 2021 EP Queen Hill, the title is a nod to the Kingston neighborhood where he grew up, when he wasn’t back and forth to Brenton in chilly Nova Scotia.
Growing up between countries, climates and cultures may have helped to shape the free-flowing Projexx sound. He’s found a comfort zone collaborating with Nigerian Afrobeats stars Wizkid and Tay Iwar as well as genre-fluid Jamaican artists like rapper Bakersteez and pop singer Toian — but he sounds just as natural alongside new roots artist Jesse Royal and rising dancehall singers Quada and Jahazeil.
For anyone who wondered what Projexx would sound like alongside a top-tier dancehall star, “Brace It” is the exhilarating answer. “Jus wan’ know how she … chat so tough?” Konshens asks as the track opens, sounding bewildered at a young lady’s wining skill. Projexx sings the hook, advising (another?) girl to “take time and brace it” before the rough ramping begins. The melodies are as gorgeous as the lyrics are explicit, and Projexx provides a gently atmospheric riddim that sounds sweet on repeat all night long. “Run off round one fast,” Konshens predicts. “Round two ah di marathon. She say she want another one.”
IQ feat. Stalk Ashley & Kranium
“Bun Fi Bun” (Remix)
Born and raised in London, IQ, a.k.a. IQ Di Prince, belongs to another Jamaican musical family. His father is an artist manager and event promoter known as GQ, and his older brother QQ recorded his first hit song, titled “Poverty,” at the age of 10 and went on to make dancehall anthems like “One Drop.” QQ’s album Kingston 20 came out in 2014.
Although he collaborated with QQ on the song “Movie,” IQ’s not about to surf on his brother’s wave. His U.K. background shows in his musical versatility, ranging from club-ready hits like “Tsunami” to the drill-influenced “Wet.” His most recent banger, “Bun fi Bun,” spins a tale of infidelity and sweet revenge. The original cut was a collab with Stefflon Don, released at two different tempos; the fast version became the bigger hit, blowing up all over TikTok.
This month IQ returns with a third version of the tune: this remix featuring rising Jamaican R&B chanteuse Stalk Ashley and Kranium, who’s no stranger to the darker side of romantic entanglements. IQ lets Stalk Ashley shine on the new remix, and she demonstrates why the girl from Mandeville — who blew up via Jada Kingdom’s “Banana Challenge” on social media and went on to record with her on “Wasteman” — is a strong bet to emerge as one of dancehall’s brightest new stars.
