Unruly: 10 Facts About Popcaan You Didn’t Know
He’s known as the “Unruly Boss” because of all the crazy music he has made over the years. But he may as well be known as the “Unruly Boss” for all the crazy hairstyles he’s had to match his music, as well.
Let’s take a look at 10 facts about Popcaan you probably didn’t know.
Popcaan first came to prominence when he teamed up with Vybz Kartel‘s Gaza Music Empire. The dancehall legend, whose real name is Andrae Hugh Sutherland, became an overnight sensation when he recorded the song “Clarks” with the DJ. The song, which was a tribute to the infamous sneakers of the same name, almost single-handedly put Popcaan on the map.
10. He was originally going to join the military.
“Yeah. So me say me woulda be a soldier,” he once said, opining that if he hadn’t become a dancehall artist, Popcaan would have joined the military. He, in fact, even went so far as to take the entrance exam into the military — and passed — but he ultimately opted for the musician’s life over the military life.
9. He was rumored to have married his girlfriend, Kavell Keir, but they reportedly split up earlier this year.
Popcaan tends to keep his private life, private. However, back in 2019, he was reported to have gotten secretly married to his longtime girlfriend, Kavell Keir. Keir, who used to be married to soca man Machel Montano, has been dating Popcaan since 2015. However, in January 2020, it was reported that the couple had split up.
8. Popcaan has a musical career because of the encouragement of his grandmother.
We owe a big debt of gratitude to Popcaan’s grandmother. Thanks to her, Popcaan is a world-famous artist today. See, she had a position working in the church, and she would frequently invite Popcaan up to perform. It’s here that he learned to hone his skills as a performer, and he became the artist we know and love today.
7. He didn’t break the Billboard charts until 2016.
Although Popcaan was known all over the dancehall world for many, many years, he didn’t break into the Billboard charts until 2016. At that time, his guest feature on AlunaGeorge’s song, “I’m In Control,” peaked at No. 14. In 2017, “Saturn Barz” — which featured Popcaan alongside the Gorillaz — peaked at No. 2.
6. Popcaan’s father was in Jamaican tourism — and he shares a name with another reggae artist.
Popcaan’s father is better known as “Shaggy” — not to be confused with the pop-reggae artist of the same name — and he works in the tourism industry. Popcaan said that he got his love of traveling from his father.
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5. His close friend gave him the name “Popcaan.”
Even though Popcaan had to stop attending school because of all the drama in the classroom, he didn’t leave without making a friend known only as “Scumpy.” And Scumpy is one of the most important people in Popcaan’s history, because he’s the one who gave the reggae superstar his name.
4. Vybz Kartel was most impressed with Popcaan’s piano playing.
Even though Popcaan is a talented artist, Vybz Kartel said that there was one thing that set him apart from all the rest: his piano playing. Kartel said that it was Popcaan’s talents on the 88’s that made him sign him to his Gaza Music Empire.
3. Even though he keeps his private life private, we know he has a daughter named Rihanna.
Popcaan is not someone who shares a lot of information about his private life. However, what we know from a few photos that he’s shared is that he has a daughter named Rihanna. He’s never identified Rihanna’s mother, however, but what we know is that Kavell Keir is not Rihanna’s mother.
2. Popcaan said that if he wasn’t in dancehall, he would be a chef.
He’s recorded many videos of himself getting busy in the kitchen, much to the delight of his fans all over the world. And who can’t appreciate a man that cooks? However, for Popcaan, cooking is more than just a hobby. He said that if he wasn’t a dancehall artiste, he would be a chef right now — and he even joked that being a chef is his “backup plan” in the event being in dancehall doesn’t work out for him.
1. He is the only dancehall artist to win the MOBO Awards for two years in a row.
Popcaan has made history because he’s the only dancehall artist to win the MOBO Awards for two years in a row. The awards ceremony, which is held every year in Scotland, honors all the best artists in the dancehall. When he took home his historic win, Popcaan had been nominated for the prestigious award five times.