Trap-dancehall is here to stay –UKproducer
UK-based producer Reece Dry, head of El Gringo Records, has hailed the rise of trap-dancehall in the underground dancehall scene in the UK.
He believes that the sub-genre is here to stay because its rise is driven by demand and is already making international inroads.
“Trap-dancehall is very catchy. It has also brought so much more talent to our ears with this wave of ‘new generation artistes’. While there are divided opinions, I think trap-dancehall is here to stay. And while there is a demand for it, there will always be a supply,” he said.
Reece Dry recently produced a new track titled Rich Badness on a trap-dancehall style beat with Tugga and Jah Tee.
“The song was well received both in the UK and Jamaica. We are witnessing the birth of a new subgenre. The art of it is just an amazing thing to witness, from songs like Yahoo Boyz to Gvnman Shift to even the dynamic Crocodile Teeth.
All different but similar sounds,” Reece Dry added.
Jamaican trap-dancehall music is a sub-genre of music which has raised eyebrows because of its central focus on gun violence, obeah and the glorification of criminal lifestyles such as scamming. Some fans feel that labelling the music as ‘dancehall’ is causing global confusion, and feel it ought to be called Jamaican drill music because it is primarily made for males and is actually UK drill-influenced.
Billboard- charting producer Seanizzle gave trap-dancehall a big thumbs up during a recent podcast interview with Reece Dry.
“My take is, it’s still new, it’s still a work in progress. I like it. We all know that people tend to bash things they don’t understand. But if we are being realistic and fair this is how it’s been with everything, even our own reggae and dancehall music,” Seanizzle said.
He is most known for his ‘One Day’ rhythm on his Seanizzle Records label, which yielded several crossover hits and cemented his national status as a formidable producer.
“We are now in the age where it’s technology- driven. We have social media, we have the Internet, Apple Music, Spotify etc at our leisure. So it’s very easy to learn about various genres and so a lot of musicians have been fusing genres that they like more frequently now. To the producers, I say do what works for you, big up the culture, and spread the love and the positivity equally the same as how we speak about everything else,” he said.