Popcaan And His Unruly Camp Maintain ‘Solid Focus’ With New EP
As another summer of lockdowns and longing for outside approaches, Popcaan and the Unruly Camp are keeping a ‘solid focus’. The Dancehall hitmaker recently unveiled his second compilation of the year, a four-track EP with three of his protégés —Zamunda, Valiant and Furnace —exclusively on the Solid Focus Riddim.
Each artist sounds vindicated over Terror Family Productions’ mellow instrumental with statements of introspection, motivation and survival.
Beat builder and friend of the Unruly Boss Stamma T of TFP was encouraged by the fan reception on the first single, Popcaan’s Survivor that premiered two weeks ago. He’s hopeful the support will carry over to the rest of the project as the posse members preview their burgeoning talents. “There is something special about each track, all the artistes were on the same frequency during the studio session,” he said in a release on the EP. “I’m confident the ‘Solid Focus Riddim’ will undeniably become a favorite globally.”
The 10-minute project is distributed by international outlet EMPIRE, which recently inked a deal with Terror Family Production in their ongoing bid to support the reggae and dancehall genres. Echoing Stamma T, label executive Mark Lawrence of TFP lauded the newcomers saying, “We are aware that the other members of the Unruly Entertainment camp are not as established as Popcaan, nonetheless the quality of their music is top notch.”
An intriguing choice for a Dancehall posse cut, the reggae fusion beat shows their versatility away from the hardcore cadence. The acoustic guitar adds a special touch throughout the stark, stripped-down realities that each skillfully turns into rhymes. Joining Popcaan on the production are Zamunda with Preserve My Life, Furnace with Unafraid Life, and Valiant with his bold command, Poverty Get Away.
Popcaan relates his early struggles through to now where he can “flourish like a palm tree”, never failing to give thanks and give back to the many helping hands. Zamunda sings about his “blessings inna overdrive” with Jah as his guide, and Valiant drops bars on staying upful in the face of constant despair.
Meanwhile, Furnace taps the “nah sell out” narrative, dropping go getter lyrics in his singjay flow:
“Mi ah focus wid a hard drive/ Why dem nuh love fi see we start rise?/ Wul it out an gwaan try/ Ah bet yuh when yu mek it dem ah go seh yu hype/ Dem neva see di hard life, dem neva see wi up all night.”
The compilation is a worthy listen for those in Survivor mode during the pandemic or those scouting for the latest from the promising St. Thomas team. They’re off to a strong start with Popcaan at the helm, whose genre-bending soundtracks have made him a sought-after global sensation.