“ Nimble with the syllables, sometimes Popcaan’s flow nods to Kartel’s fluid flip-tongue tumble, while elsewhere his badman balladeering recalls a modern wailer like Mavado.TJ Bare gal a shout out Free worl' boss Note: When you embed the widget in your site, it will match your site's styles (CSS). As a vocalist who can rap (or deejay, in reggae parlance) as well as sing, Popcaan is a singjay par excellence-a winning combination in a global pop culture remade by the likes of Akon, Drake, and other hip-hop/R&B stars who bring a sing-song lilt to their performances. Nimble with the syllables, sometimes Popcaan’s flow nods to Kartel’s fluid flip-tongue tumble, while elsewhere his badman balladeering recalls a modern wailer like Mavado. For all the downhome detail, nuff translates-and plenty comes across in universal terms: hustle for the money, too damn evil, everything is nice. But since dancehall is itself a globe-spanning style and symbolic code, Popcaan’s performances are also pitched to the world. With his patois lyrics, plainspoken and poetic, his own takes on the latest slang, and his vowels stretched in that Portmore twang, Popcaan is unapologetically uberlocal in address. In a world gone global, Popcaan occupies that sweet space of possibility where a deeply local accent communicates to outernational listeners. Like his predecessors in crossover without compromise, Popcaan appeals to listeners outside of Jamaica precisely because he brings a distinctively Jamaican voice to the proceedings. Now in 2014, Popcaan gets his due as a breakout artist with a debut album aimed at dancehall devotees and the iTunes massive alike. Another sure sign of resonance, the singjay’s trademark Yaow! has become a standard drop for mixtape and radio DJs from Kingston to Brooklyn. Filling shoes once occupied by Shabba, Beenie, and Sean Paul, Popcaan has become the premier reggae vocalist for cool-and-deadly collabos with hip-hop’s finest: his 2013 feature on Pusha T’s “ Blocka” was also sampled by Kanye for a track on Yeezus. While his former mentor Vybz Kartel has been locked up, Popcaan has kept the torch aloft, rising to the top of the dancehall field behind bars of a different sort: the verses and hooks that have made him a favorite from Jamaica to Japan.īuilding on the buzz that began with his star turn on Kartel’s 2010 smash “ Clarks,” Portmore’s new native son has since made a name for himself with local hits like “ Ravin” and “ Clean” and international anthems like “ Party Shot” and “ Only Man She Want,” the latter crossing over to Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop charts and inspiring Busta Rhymes to add a verse. And whatever the topic, Popcaan‘s infectious positivity comes through.” Songs about struggle and s*x and happiness occupy the same space because they do. Whether odes to the ghetto or the good life, Popcaan‘s lyrics bring realist portraits and utopian visions into dynamic tension. “ Where We Come From” gives voice, as the best reggae does, to the contradictions of life in a society rife with inequities and yet so rich.
#POPCAAN PARTY SHOT LYRICS FULL#
Executive produced by Dre Skull and featuring productions from Dre Skull, Dubbel Dutch, Jamie Roberts, Anju Blaxx and Adde Instrumentals, Popcaan‘s first full length offering sees his signature melodies and uplifting tones on thirteen original tracks. Where We Come From is the debut album from Jamaican superstar Popcaan.