OMI Samples Mad Cobra, Beenie Man Tries Drill, And 10 More New Songs
Dancehall artists have been in the lab, and the wave of new music, coupled with a few albums sprinkled in between, is evidence of that. From promising talents like Yaksta to veterans like Charly Black, here are some new tracks to keep your playlists rocking.
OMI – Formula
OMI sheds the innocence of his Cheerleader days for a risqué Dancehall/R&B fusion track titled Formula, which samples instrumental elements from Mad Cobra’s Flex, released back in 1992. The nostalgic track is produced by Clifton “Specialist” Dillon, who also produced both Cheerleader, which topped the Hot 100, and Flex, which peaked at No. 13 on the Hot 100).
Formula appears to be not just an experiment for OMI, but a pivot and an overdue reintroduction to mainstream music. The song is a steamy narration of bedroom ‘sexcapades’, and he fully embraces his role as the ultimate lover.
Krept and Konan ft. Abra Cadabra, Backroad Gee, French Montana, Clavish, Beenie Man, Pa Salieu, Bandokay, Lz, K-Trap & DoRoad – Dat Way
Krept and Konan, Beenie Man’s nephews, according to the King Of The Dancehall, pulled out all the stops for the remix of their track, Dat Way. Among the host of UK Drill artists they tapped for this one, Beenie unsurprisingly held his own.
The song’s lofty aspirations were exceeded in the eyes of most fans, who are hailing the ambitious project as a much-needed Drill reset. While that ruling is in no way definitive, what’s certain is every act featured on this track did just enough, and in some cases more, to not be embarrassed or outshined by their peers.
Charly Black ft. Sean Paul – Gyal Generals (Turn It Up) + New Album: No Excuses
Charly Black’s persevering career in Dancehall is one built on knowing who to tap, knowing exactly what to talk about, and, perhaps more importantly, when to talk about it. To that end, the Party Animal singer’s resume is almost unmatched in current Dancehall. And, to his credit, despite his noticeable absence from many local charts in recent times, Black has crafted an enviable, globally palatable career. It’s no wonder veterans continue to trust his ability to accurately finger the pulse of a genre, in which he has reaped massive success.
His latest album, No Excuses, captures that element perfectly, with legends like Sean Paul, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer featuring on the 15-track project. Gyal Generals (Turn It Up) features Sean Paul at his party-blazing best, and Charly Black flexing his vocal chops on what is most certainly a party anthem/girls’ anthem.
In the song, both men take turns flaunting their respective statuses as ‘generals’ who can get any woman they want. The manage to spread this flex across an energetic and upbeat track that feels less like the typical brag show, and more like a track centered on good vibes and unadulterated fun.
Yaksta ft. Chronic Law – Conscious Badness + New Album: 22
Yaksta’s humble ambitions have carried him a far way and these days, they seem poised to carry him even further. After sending shockwaves through Dancehall over two years ago with the simple yet radical content of his music – with tracks like Ambition and even later ones like Assets (Fowl Coop), he has graced 2023 with new music and his debut album in tow. Titled ‘22’, Yaksta’s 20-track album is expected to be packed with more conscious, uplifting music, as evidenced with his newly released single, ‘Conscious Badness,’ also from the album.
The song features Chronic Law, who provides a certain grit to Yaksta’s characteristic soulful delivery. And though the track takes a noticeable detour from Yaksta’s ‘pure conscious’, it does maintain the soul of his style of music. Chronic Law satisfies the subset of Dancehall fans who are proponents of uplifting themselves by any means necessary, while Yaksta satisfies those who are committed to lifting themselves up by focusing on more traditional and legal means of elevation. Overall, the song comes off as a refreshing collaboration that demonstrates Yaksta’s growth as he successfully experiments with a style he hasn’t quite been accustomed to.
Yaksta – Super Human
Yaksta again demonstrates his ability to make music that touches the soul with ‘Super Human’ – another single from his debut album ‘22’, produced by Anju Blaxx and Bush Music.
The song is an honest commentary on the human condition, and it provides a painfully clear picture on how progress is often twinned with failure. In the track, Yaksta creates and capitalizes on opportunities that offer grounding reflection on past wrongs, and how karmic retribution almost always comes true. He explains that life can be hellish sometimes, but that the beauty of resilience is that it gives us a chance to learn some valuable lessons. Yaksta promises that despite the dark and rough times, there is always “smoother road ahead”.
Mavado Jay-A, Dexta Daps – Pain
Grit, soul, and honesty make this collaboration by Mavado, Jay-A and Dexta Daps a potential hit. Taking each artist out of their comfort zone, the song anchors itself to the gloomy and dark realities of modern life, and drives home the point that at any moment, you could lose your life if you aren’t careful. The decision to have Dexta Daps’ soulful vocals on the chorus gives the track more heart than it would have otherwise had. Mavado’s reputation as a Dancehall great lends credence to the artists’ declarations that they are no strangers to pain. For his part, Jay-A carries his own as, giving a convincing delivery about the life he has had to live and the consequences of it. The song is produced by Mansions Records and Sponge Music, and premiered on February 24.
Govana ft. Aidonia – Earthquake
Govana and Aidonia proved to be the collab we didn’t know we needed on this catchy, melodic party-starter, ‘Earthquake’. The song is a textbook demonstration of lyrical mastery by the two Jamaicans, whose control over their melodies, as well as their colorful descriptions of how the female body moves seductively, proved an absolute treat in this Chimney Records-produced track. At points, when Govana complements Aidonia’s melodic flow with hints of his conversational style, the song shines even more as a free-flowing, light-hearted ode to how much both men appreciate the company of women.
Teejay – Weirdo
Teejay spared himself no pleasures on this new track, ‘Weirdo’, and therein lies its charm. Produced by Oniel ‘Paranoid’ Grey, the Uptop Boss manages to make the track a love song, a badman anthem, and a sexually charged tribute to his ‘weirdo’. The song’s music video also complements the imagery painted by the lyrics. At points, it even goes beyond the lyrics to give an absolute show of female sex appeal in its many forms, all while keeping the love and desire element in the song completely alive.
I-Octane – Better Days
It’s been a while since we’ve had this version of I-Octane, so much so that you’d have to go back to ‘Lose A Friend’, to find it. That’s why ‘Better Days’ days is such a refreshing, honest and encouraging reflective project by the Puff It singer. He grounds this ballad in themes of friendship, struggles and triumph, and does as well as most would expect him to. After all, he’s had some of the most pivotal moments of his career exploring those themes. It is unclear whether he recognizes that, but ‘Better Days’ is no doubt a return to his roots, and fans of I-Octane will see that just a few seconds into the track.
Valiant – Protect Me
‘Protect Me’ is a vulnerable and introspective track from Valiant, in which the themes of fear, doubt and paranoia are explored to haunting effect. The song takes a laidback approach on a simple instrumental, coincidentally bringing the bulk of the attention to Valiant’s voice. In this track, his unique voice takes on a certain quality that inspires empathy in his words as a man who wants to love, but simultaneously convinces himself that he doesn’t need to. He instead asks for Divine help to protect him from the love he has for other people who may not love him.
While he ironically sings about that protection, the video does a good job of depicting what such a request brings him – paranoia, instead of peace of mind and clarity. He seems to resign himself to that fate – accepting paranoia as cost of living a life his fame has brought him, all while singing with a palpable pain that seems to communicate that he would rather not live like that. The son was produced by Dynasty Records and Kyle Butler, and was released on the 24th of February.
D’Yani – Live A Little
D’Yani reminds fans to always make time for joy in this beautiful and soulful song about contentment and happiness. While his message isn’t hard to swallow, D’Yani’s vocals make the track that much more palatable as he continues to dominate his lane in Reggae music. The accompanying music video plays up the light-heartedness of the song, and takes the general approach to ‘live and let live’ – a sentiment that goes well with D’Yani’s words to ‘Live a little’ and to understand that “Every mickle mek a muckle”.
Rytikal – Been There
Rytikal has seen all the streets has to offer, and he has no interest in partaking in it. That’s at least the case he’s making in this reflective track. Produced by Moon People Recordz, ‘Been There’ also shines a light on fake friendships and fragile relationships, and positions Rytikal as someone who is especially aware of the people around him. He sings that these friends are “worse than groupies”, and expresses that he now prefers to stay home and deal with his demons, his depression and other hardships in life.