Govana And Dexta Daps Run Dancehall With Trending Hits This Week, Vybz Kartel Flounders
The success of a great Dancehall track depends on talent, production, airplay, relatability and, nowadays, virality on social media. This winning combination is again proven by the success of Govana’s “Hamants Convo Pt 2” and Dexta Daps’ “Breaking News”, both released last week.
At the crux of the popularity of the tracks is both artistes’ knack for gimmicks in entertaining their fans through their music and personality, and the portrayal of a reality relatable to many Jamaicans. Govana and Dexta Daps, who are both highly rated by male and female Dancehall fans, have utilized the nature of lighthearted antics and oral and visual storytelling to maintain their top rated and anticipated musical repertoire.
Govana’s “Hamants Convo Pt 2” is a sequel to his hit single, “Hamants Convo Pt 1”, which followed his debut album titled Humans and Monsters Are Not The Same (HAMANTS) released in January. Both tracks are hilarious conversations between Govana and an unsuspecting man, named Chris, who seems to repeatedly fall prey to women who use him. Both tracks have been well-received by Dancehall fans as a portrayal of real relationships and romantically-fueled issues between men and women.
The success of “Hamants Convo Pt 2”, which is currently the top trending music video in Jamaica on YouTube, has again revealed the power of online and social media in the international circulation and popularization of content. The music video for this new hit has spawned the creation and circulation of various memes featuring Chris – who is excellently depicted by comedian and popular social media personality, Deno Crazy – which has increased the popularity of the highly rated single.
Undoubtedly, fans’ anticipation of new music has resulted in Govana’s announcement of the new single from his Instagram account gaining over 154,000 views since its upload two days ago. Similarly, the music video, produced by RD Studios, has racked up almost 1 million views since its upload to YouTube on Sunday, making it the most talked-about song in Dancehall currently.
Dexta Daps has also recently benefited from going viral online after the upload of a brief preview of the now released single, “Breaking News”, to his Instagram account in March. The online reaction to the preview was insurmountable with over 383,000 views and over 7,700 comments requesting its immediate release. However, in a weird twist of fate, Dancehall fans were left in great anticipation of the teased single when the artiste was arrested by the Jamaica Constabulary Force on April 8 in relation to a gang-related probe, and was held in lockup for three weeks.
“Breaking News” finally premiered following Dexta’s release from lockup on May 1, and was an immediate hit despite many fans preferring the acoustic IG version which had seemingly better supporting instrumentals.
The long-awaited track, which is currently the number two trending video in Jamaica on YouTube, has also sparked an influx of views on YouTube and consecutive videos from popular social media personalities inspired by the new single. Since its premiere, the timely track has fueled the production of brief creative and funny videos from well-known personalities such as dancers Christina “Rebel” Nelson and Pretty Sticky Wine, and social media comedian Jehneel Adamson.
Accompanying the song’s success, the preview for “Breaking News” also resulted in an assortment of memes featuring Dexta’s various expressions throughout the video. Coupled with the anticipation of the completed song and its satire of domestic abuse against women, the success of “Breaking News” is another product of the power of online media. The new hit has gained over 740,000 views since its upload to YouTube four days ago.
Dancehall artistes continue to benefit from the sheer power and reach of social media, resulting in the longevity of pioneering artistes and the steep incline to fame for new and young entertainers.
Veteran Dancehall artistes also continue to take advantage of social media. This includes Vybz Kartel who frequently uses his popular Instagram account for marketing, to interact with fans, as well as to boast and complain about his “numbers”.
This week he has so far only been able to grab the number four trending video in Jamaica on YouTube for his recently released single, “Run Dancehall” with Lisa Mercedez. Masicka secured number three with his single, “Chance“.
The incarcerated deejay however will remain in the lead for the foreseeable future, along with Sean Paul, Shaggy, and Koffee, as the most viewed Jamaican artistes on YouTube with billions of views cumulatively.