Tyla Taps Skillibeng, Gunna For ‘Jump’ Off Her New Album: Listen
South African songstress Tyla tapped Jamaican Dancehall star Skillibeng and American rapper Gunna for Jump, an infectious song on her just-released self-titled debut album.
Partly recorded during her October visit to Jamaica, Jump is a vibrant blend of Afrobeats, Dancehall, and Hip-Hop that’s primed to be a party anthem or the next viral dance craze.
Speaking with Apple Music, Tyla explained the inspiration for the song: “I really just wanted to tell people who I am, and I had to show my confidence through the song.”
She highlighted Skillibeng’s powerful intro — “Original gyal, you aren’t a replica (No) // Smooth, dean, no regular degular (No)” — and how it set the stage for her own declaration of self-worth.
“That intro was already perfect, and it segues to that line of me saying, ‘They’ve never had a pretty girl from Joburg/They see me now and that’s what they prefer,’” she said. “That line is just-it’s too iconic for me, and I’m just so excited to hear all the girls sing it, all the Joburg girls sing it, all the girls from home.”
According to her, the addition of Gunna on the track adds another layer of cool. His verse complements Tyla’s energy, boasting about showering her with diamonds and indulging her every desire. “I really feel like it [Gunna’s verse] took me into that world further, making it even more raw and cool,” she added.
Tyla, who rose to fame with her hit single Water, is signed to Sony Music’s Epic Records through a joint venture with Johannesburg/New York-based Fax Records. The song reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance earlier this year.
Water and its Travis Scott remix are both featured on the TYLA album.
Other collaborators on the 14-track project include South African DJ/producer Kelvin Momo (Intro), Tems (No. 1), and Becky G (On My Body).
Skillibeng, who is signed to Sony Music’s RCA Records in partnership with Eastsyde Records, has collaborated with several international artists over the last two years, including DJ Khaled on These Streets Know My Name (2022), Coi Leray on Radioactive (2023), Busta Rhymes on Bulletproof Skin (2022), and Wizkid on Slip N Slide (2022), and Nicki Minaj on the Crocodile Teeth (Remix) (2021) and Forward From Trini (2023).
His latest track is Missbnasty.