Jamballaz stay true to their roots
Musical duo Jamballaz have introduced a fresh, new and exciting sound to the international music landscape called ‘Reghop’.
The duo, based in New Jersey, is comprised of Jamaicaborn Christopher ‘Don Ice’ Smith and Joel ‘Joel T’ Topey.
“Our sound is different. It’s a hybrid of all the different genres that we grew up listing to, reggae, hip hop and R&B,” said Don Ice.
The t railblazing duo are currently putting together their latest project, which they say is going to take the industry by storm.
“Right now we’re working a new project titled Town Clock. It’s going to be hot. It’s all about our journey musically and otherwise. The title is a shout out to our original hometown Ocho Rios, where there’s a big old clock in the middle of the town,” he said.
Both entertainers grew up in Ocho Rios, where they began their musical journey together before migrating to the United States i n 2005 and began shaping their own sound.
They made their stateside debut in the summer of 2005 with the release of a mixtape titled United Rudeboyz of Jamerica.
After years of pushing their music in the US hip hop underground, the group released their first major project in 2015, a five-track EP titled Reghop Kings.
“We’ve been working hard over the years to make a name for ourselves in the US,” said Joel T. “It hasn’t been easy. We’ve been through a lot, bad contracts and broken promises, you name it, we’ve experienced it, but that hasn’t stopped us from going forward.”
Jamballaz is scheduled to visit the island in January 2017 to promote their two latest singles The Realest and Wailers. They will also shoot videos for songs The Realest and When Ur Down before returning to the US.