Popcaan Signs Management Deal With Since ’93
Jamaican Dancehall star Popcaan has inked a new management deal with London-based Since ’93 as he continues the rollout of his upcoming fifth studio album, Great Is He.
Now part of the RCA label group, Since ’93 was founded in 2009 as a label, management and publishing company with the “aim of nurturing a new generation of grassroots talent to international success.” The company’s management arm is home to artists like Loski (who Popcaan collaborated with on Avengers in 2020) and producers like Naughty Boy (who Popcaan collaborated with on Should’ve Been Me with Kyla in 2016).
“Popcaan is an amazing musician, representing Jamaica and its rich culture globally. Having sold out shows from London to Gambia, Popcaan is the definition of a global sensation and we’re thrilled that he’s joined the Since ’93 roster this year,” co-founder Riki Bleau told Music Week.
Since ’93 previously worked alongside Starboy Entertainment on African superstar Wizkid’s Made In Lagos.
Annalecia Sutherland, affectionately called Unruly Squid, had worked with her brother over the last four years as his road manager, in addition to overseeing the business of the deejay’s label and company, Unruly Entertainment.
Popcaan, whose real name is Andrae Sutherland, rose to prominence in the early 2010s with his mentor Vybz Kartel on Clarks with Gaza Slim. His subsequent hits included Only Man She Want, Party Shot, and Dream.
After signing to Mixpak Records, he released his first album Where We Come From in 2014. Mixpak founder Andrew “Dre Skull” Hershey executive produced the album, which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart with hits such as Everything Nice and the title track Where We Come From.
In 2018, Popcaan’s sophomore album Forever followed under Mixpak with production again being primarily handled by Dre Skull. Forever, which included Firm and Story, Silence and A Wha Suh, entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 171 and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.
The St. Thomas native 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.
His fourth album, the FIXTAPE, was released in August 2020 under Drake’s OVO Sound and Warner Records. The album, which included songs such as Twist & Turn, All I Need, Friends Like These, My Way, and Bank and God, peaked at No. 94 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.
Popcaan 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.
Popcaan has promised that the forthcoming Great Is He album will be his best album yet.
“It is going to be an amazing album. The FIXTAPE was like a warm-up for this album. It’s a different energy and it’s more inspiration. The more I travel, the more inspiration I get. I had some good times whilst I was here, so that will definitely roll out in the music as well,” he told the UK’s GRM Daily last year.
Skeleton Cartier is the first single from the album, which does not yet have a release date.