Popcaan Reveals He’s Working On New Album
Dancehall superstar Popcaan has indicated that he is now working on his fifth studio album.
On Sunday, the Unruly Boss posted several photos, among them one of himself getting his hair braided, his eyes shut, and a spliff in one of his hands. His caption was simple: “ALBUM BREWING🔥💨🤫.”
If the St. Thomas native puts out his album this year, it will be his third in two years.
Popcaan’s first album came in 2014, when after signing to Mixpak Records, released his debut studio album, Where We Come From which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart. Popcaan collaborated with several producers on the album including Mixpak founder Andrew “Dre Skull” Hershey, who also co-wrote many of the songs as well as served as the album’s Executive Producer. The album included hits such as Everything Nice and Where We Come From.
His sophomore album Forever, was also done under the auspices of Mixpak Records, with production again being primarily handled by Dre Skull, who, again served as Executive Producer. Forever was released on July 20, 2018, a day after the St Thomas native celebrated his 30th birthday and it included hits such as Firm and Strong, Silence, Body So Good, and A Wha Suh.
Forever entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 171 and also peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae albums chart. A year later, in November 2019, Canadian magazine, Vice, ranked the album at number 44 on their list of the 100 Best Albums of the 2010s, which saw Popcaan upstaging albums such as Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy, and Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.
Miss Rhona’s son signed to Drake’s OVO Sound in late 2018 and one year later, he released his third album Vanquish on the Canadian label. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart, just as its predecessors did, and it featured tracks such as Numbers don’t Lie, Promise, and Happy and Wealthy.
Popcaan, whose given name is Andrae Sutherland, released FIXTAPE, his fourth album, in August 2020 via Drake’s OVO Sound and Warner Records. This time production was handled by several record producers, including Popcaan himself.
FIXTAPE also featured guest appearances from Lockdown producer Dane Ray, Drake, French Montana, Jada Kingdom, Masicka, Preme, Stylo G and Tommy Lee Sparta. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Reggae Albums Chart and at No. 94 on the Billboard 200, and included songs such as Twist & Turn, All I Need, Friends Like These, My Way, and Bank and God.
The deejay followed up with two EPs; the first was Link Up – a joint effort with Preme that was released in November 2020. In February 2021, his Gyalentine’s EP was released with four tracks.
The year 2019 was perhaps Popcaan’s most fruitful musical period. His 2015 collab titled I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) with Jamie XX and featuring Young Thug was ranked at number 16 on Billboard’s 60 Greatest Dance Songs of the Decade. The song was also proclaimed one of “60 quintessential bangers that delivered dance music to the masses in the United States” as well as ‘the undisputed dance anthem to the summer of 2015’ in addition to being “one of the songs which defined the decade of the 2010s”.
The Unruly Boss, was also featured in a slew of other decade-end music charts arranged by popular North America’s entertainment publications including Pitchfork’s 200 Best Songs of the 2010s, where he made the list twice.
The Vybz Kartel protégé then closed out the year with a sold-out Unruly Fest Concert, in his native St. Thomas.