Jada Kingdom, Dexta Daps Urged To Label Themselves As R&B Artists
Jamaican artists such Jada Kingdom and Dexta Daps, are, to their own disadvantage, mislabeling themselves as Dancehall artists, when in reality the songs that they are putting out are all totally R&B and Hip Hop, according to two Dancehall pundits.
Hosts of the Let’s Be Honest podcast Jaii Frais and Chevi say the mislabeling of the two artists is impeding them from tapping into the lucrative R&B and Hip Hop Markets as there is no question that their vocal talent is impeccable and their aura appealing, to lovers of that genre.
“Becaw weh Jada Kingdom dem a do, a nuh Dancehall… Weh Dexta Daps a do, a nuh Dancehall. Some of what Kranium a do a nuh Dancehall; Melody Gad – and it sounds f_king good; we like it… Wha mi a seh though, why don’t dem label demself as R&B? I think that that would be betta fi dem, because R&B is a bigger genre dan Dancehall and Reggae music. It can still put di country out there more, rather than from you being a Jamaican you have to do Reggae/Dancehall,” Jaii Frais said.
The two also argued that there was no harm in artists labelling their work as R&B or Hip Hop, as Vybz Kartel had labelled his To Tanesha album as Hip Hop, and was one perfect example of a lead that they could follow.
“Because even Omi song Cheerleader, that’s not Dancehall. Its genre ambiguous… Don’t get me wrong; I am for it. I love it. But when it comes on to the performance time, the Dancehall crowd naw guh waan hear dat,” Jaaii Frais said.
“Even di actual song, if is not like a anthem… mi just feel like seh di delivery pon stage fi di audience, it woulda go more fi like Jhene Aiko fans… people who listen to singing. Das why mi a seh call oonu sh_t R&B, market oonu sh_t to R&B audience,” he added.
According to Chevi: “None a dem ting yah nuh sound like Reggae bredda. Drill from the UK is under Hip Hop, but in reality you don’t see it on Spotify as UK Drill, you see it under Hip Hop, so we can just branch off and be R&B and do the same as them. So we need to start list it as that instead of Dancehall, just because you are from Jamaica. We need to just stop that bro”.
Jaii Frais said Dexta and Jada ought to not limit themselves and insisted that they would not be judged as being foreign-minded if they appropriately label themselves and their music as R&B.
“Dexta Daps need fi label himself as dat because the dawg can sing bro. You not known for your deejay talent. Shabba Madda Pot is a form of singing-deejaying… so di man dem need fi start branch out and stop box up demself inna dis Jamaican ting. Our music inspire di world, suh why wi a guh jus box it up as ‘yow dancehall- reggae, dancehall- reggae? No sah,” Jaii frais said.
“Dem supposed to list dem ting properly. Dem demself suppose to tek it up and seh: ‘leggo dis Dancehall ting’. Because first of all Dancehall fans a guh find you. Because a oonu, we a guh find di song. Even if yuh guh pon yuh Spotify, or guh pon yuh Apple, if yuh guh inna Reggae, naturally what a guh come up a di Bob Marleys di Reggaes, and if is Dancehall, dem a go to di Vybz Kartel, dem a go to di Alkaline; dem a go to di Popcaan. I think that get drop lower because it is singing. Is like dem no know how fi categorize it,” Chevi said.
Jaii Frais pointed to the fact that artists like Beres Hammond’s catalogue has a plethora of R&B sounds, and that some of the biggest hits from Dancehall in the 1990s were actually voiced on R&B beats.
“Even if yuh look pon it, couple a di biggest song dem inaa di 90s, inna di golden era, a singing. Cobra with Flex, Shabba Loverman. It been deh deh from di core a di ting, but wi haffi label di ting properly if wi waan di ting fi guh pon a different level,” he said.
“Even di song Virgin by Jah Vinci weh a run di place, dat’s R&B song; give Chris Brown dat, dat sh_t guh platinum. Give Torey dat, dat sh_t guh platinum. And Tory be sayin he’s a R&B singer and a rapper. Suh das all mi want. Mi want oonu start label oonuelf properly. Mi naw bash nobaddy seh oonu naw do Dancehall. This isn’t about being a singjay. Because when you look at a man like Mavado, Mavado can sing but him a nuh vocalist. Wi have dem people yah as vocalist (who) can hold notes,” he added.
The Let’s Be Honest podcast is available on Spotify.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3IFDpkTVhdhtRdSGkeMRyV?si=QMj8XARwRYGdoSTCqN4OOg
Or watch below.