Koffee Says Alkaline Has Proven Himself After Challenging Vybz Kartel, Popcaan
Grammy Award-winning Reggae sensation Koffee says Dancehall deejay Alkaline has made a name for himself among the greats in the industry like Vybz Kartel and Popcaan.
The 21-year-old Rapture singer was speaking on episode eight of BBC 1Xtra’s Influence With. “Alkaline feels like family to me because we went to the same high school, which, if you’re Jamaican you kinda realise the magnitude of this coincidence,” Koffee said, after playing Conquer The World and City.
“Ardenne is typically known for excelling in academics, but also for supporting young talent and for helping young youths hone their skills, and their creativity. I think Alkaline and I were able to benefit from such a system.”
“Why I’m proud of this young man is because he was very brave, like from a very early age. Entering the Dancehall industry, I think he started releasing songs at the same age I did, around 16, 17 years old…He entered the industry with such a force—such a confidence in himself, and such a determination fi win and even though in real life we don’t like fi promote like a feeling, or a sense of rivalry but a competitive scene like the Dancehall scene, he really did well for himself.”
Koffee continued, “Coming through, challenging artists who are on top of the game like Vybz Kartel, Popcaan…getting into several clashes, proving himself as an artist to his different fans. Those people who know Dancehall fans, you know we’re very hardcore. We go all out when it comes to our artist and their craft she supporting them. He definitely proved himself…a lot of people may not know him internationally, yet, but he does have a few international collaborations under his belt.”
The BBC1xtra program offers fans the chance to “get to know an artist’s musical DNA and their influences from their perspective,” and the Grammy Kid selected all of eighteen tracks from Alkaline’s discography.
Koffee’s playlist included Direction, One Life, My Side Of The Story, Formula, Suave, Extra Lesson, Gyalis Pro, Ocean Wave, Weh We Ago Do, Impact, Mama Pray, Nah Fi Like, Real Dawgs, Champion Boy, ATM, and Top Prize.
The singjay ended the hour-long episode by reiterating her admiration for Alkaline whose given name is Earlan Bartley, and her gratitude for being able to share that publicly.
“This episode means a lot to me, for many reasons. Going to the same school with Alkaline and seeing him be older than me, and leave high school and accomplish certain levels of success. Looking up to him and thinking, ‘wow, I would love that for myself one day’ and actually processing the thought and saying, maybe it’s possible…doing my thing, dropping my music, keeping my vibe going, my fire burning. Now, being able to speak on such a renowned platform about an artist that I really love, who we came from a very close, similar space—it feels very good.”