More accolades for Shane O
DANCEHALL artiste Shane O is currently enjoying a new wave of success after recently being endorsed by American producer DJ Khaled. Local producer Kemara “New Empire” White believes the big up is justified as the Jamaican deejay is in a league of his own.
“I would describe Shane O as a multitalented individual — he’s a great songwriter and also a versatile deejay. I think his creativity is unmatched. He puts his all into the project and has been very supportive,” White, principal of 324
New Empire Records, told the Jamaica Observer’s Splash.
White is the producer of Shane O’s latest single 7 Jacket, released on September 6.
The official music video has already racked up more than 500,000 views on Youtube and peaked in the top 5 of Youtube’s trending chart in Jamaica.
In late June, DJ Khaled shared a video of the deejay reciting verses from his hit single Dark Room.
“They didn’t believe in us; God did,” Khaled said, right before Shane O’s voice chipped in. The international sensation then ‘bussed blanks’ as Shane O deejayed and chimed in with an occasional “Fire” while he nodded approvingly to the lyrics of the song.
At 16 years old Shane O, whose real name is Roshain Mcdonald, burst onto the music scene while still attending Kingston Technical High School. He was discovered by producer Rohan “Sno Cone” Fuller in 2006 and recorded the hit Lightning Flash on the Applause Riddim.
Following this hit, Shane O continued to produce hit songs including Crab Inna Barrel, Dogs In The Street and Ghetto Prayer. He has also worked with numerous producers including Jam 2 Productions and Stephen Mcgregor.
He experienced a resurgence four years ago with hits such as Last Days, A Million, and Take It Tell Me.
In the meantime, White — who has been a producer for approximately seven years — believes that the new crop of artistes would strike gold by experimenting with foreign genres.
“I think dancehall has evolved and is heading to a more international level. We just need to keep up with the times” he said.
“International experiments would definitely bring dancehall to a next level worldwide, and that’s what we want for dancehall — more exposure and uplifting.”
New Empire has built quite an impressive resume of hits, having worked with a slew of talented artistes such as Mavado, Richie Spice, Chino, Beenie Man, Elephant Man and Bugle, among others.
The producer said his longevity is owed to the fact that he is a risk-taker.
“My style of music comes from any genre of music. Whether it’s dancehall, reggae or anything that speaks to the people, I am willing to try it,” he shared.