Droptop Records Readies All Female Riddim With Shenseea, Shaneil Muir & More
An all-female Dancehall riddim is in the works, to be released by the newly minted Droptop Records label. According to label head, Rowan Melhado, known more popularly as Droptop, the all-female riddim project will see artists such as Shenseea, Shaneil Muir, Yanique ‘Curvy Diva’, Candy Price among others drop singles.
“I’m a lover of Dancehall and reggae music and right now I believe the females in Dancehall need the strength,” Droptop told DancehallMag, explaining the reason behind having a riddim dedicated exclusively to female artists.
The label head, who rose to success with the Drop Dem Riddim (2019), revealed that the year had already started off on a high note with singles from Dancehall heavy-hitters Popcaan (Relevant), Vybz Kartel (Pop Style), Squash (Big Up Yuh Self), and TeeJay (Wata Truck) already released.
Droptop used the opportunity to share that he had signed his first act, a female artist, Candy Price, who was a contestant on the Magnum Kings and Queens, to the label.
“I’m investing in our culture with the talented young female Candy Price, so far we have recorded a few singles and was building on her catalog” he added.
Droptop told DancehallMag that his focus for 2021 would be dedicated to building on his success, expanding his reach, and working with a broader variety of artists not limited to Jamaican and Dancehall acts.
Droptop, began his venture into the music industry in 2019 with his first project called the Drop Dem Riddim which featured Kartel, Popcaan, Chronic Law, Rygin King, and others.
Originally, the Spanish Town St Catharine native never thought of himself as a career producer. He actually started out as an auto mechanic in Jamaica. This trade took him to the UK for work, where he now owns an auto repair company in Birmingham.
Droptop later opened a Clarks shoe store and was focused on promoting his Swag Shop in Kingston Jamaica with the Drop Dem Riddim. The success of the singles and corresponding videos from the project, however, made the UK-based businessman change gears.
“I’ve always been connected to music and grew up around artistes like Ninjaman and Vybz Kartel later I developed great friendships with younger artists like Popcaan. But I never really thought of myself as a producer until the Drop Dem Riddim became a hit,” Droptop explained.
“This confirmed that I really had an ear for hit records so now I’m releasing many more singles and we aren’t slowing down anytime soon,” he added.
Last year the label released trending singles with Vybz Kartel, Chronic Law, Popcaan, Daddy1, RDX, Quada, Tomny Lee Sparta, Dexta Daps, and others.
With the shutdown of entertainment still in effect in Jamaica, Droptop believes music isn’t getting its full opportunity however, he says he will continue making quality music for Dancehall fans worldwide.