Xklusive gearing up to release debut EP
Dancehall artiste Xklusive is excited about the upcoming release of his debut EP titled Blood Money.
He worked on the seven-track project with the Hemton Music and Broomy Records labels, and is looking to release it at the end of July.
“You have love songs on it, reality songs, just a mixture of a whole heap of stuff that show different sides of Xklusive,” the deejay told THE STAR.
“I hope people gravitate to it and that it reaches a wide audience and the right ears.”
The title track was released earlier this month, a grimy trap-dancehall number talking about the lures of the fast life. Yet, Xklusive said the song is an example of him catering to what he believes the masses want to hear, and not an indication of the EP’s theme. His comments supported a clip of People’s National Party Senator Damion Crawford who mentioned the artiste in a recent interview. Referencing Xklusive’s breakout song Big Money Popping,
Crawford pointed out that another song by him, Life Change, didn’t receive as much attention.
“After me drop a nice song weh seh ‘ no guns, no knife’, like he said, it deh a 19,000 views. Nobody nuh waan hear that. It doesn’t really bother me that people are less drawn to positive lyrics because you have a fan base for everything; it’s just that the fan base for negative music is bigger,” he said.
And so, his EP represents his strategy: staying true to himself while appeasing the general crowd.
“I do a whole different mixture of music because people look at that so you have to study people. Mi give them Blood Money now and mi have a different song a come out soon weh dem a go seh alright, him full a style, something different, culture. That’s why mi nuh really drop nuff scamma song because I’d be labelled as a scamma artiste right now and mi nuh need dah tag deh,” he said.
Beyond new music, the Ocho Rios, St Ann-based artiste is looking forward to the second staging of his and fellow artiste Shakespear’s Artiste Football Match, slated for July 17 at the Drax Hall Football Complex in the parish. Team A, comprising artistes including Devin Di Dakta, Mr G, Laa Lee and TakeOva, will go against names like Jahvillani, Romain Virgo, Vershon and Darrio on
Team B.