Popcaan gets US nod
JAMAICA/ USA POPCAAN is billed to make his debut performance in United States this summer. According to energy drink Red Bull’s website, the dancehall deejay is one of several acts who will be performing at the indoor sound clash dubbed Red Bull Culture Clash at Windsor 787 in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 25.
Popcaan, part of the Unruly contingent, is scheduled to share stage with Eardrummers featuring Mike Will and Made-It; Disturbing London, featuring Tinie Tempah; and Enjoylife, featuring Wondagurl. The deejay’s turn of fortune came about due to his victorious face-off with American rapper Wiz Khalifa and his Taylor Gang at the O2 Arena in London last year. Popcaan was part of Mixpak, which represented dancehall and reggae. According to Red Bull, Popcaan, who has collaborated with Drake in the past, busted out a never-heardbefore dubplate (recorded on acetate just for Culture Clash that night) of the hit One Dance and had the entire crowd jumping in unison. Red Bull Culture Clash comprises four crews competing in four or five rounds of genre-bending musical competition, with the winner decided by volume of crowd response.
Popcaan (whose given name is Andre Sutherland) has never been able to secure a work permit to travel and perform in the United States since his break in 2010. However, he still manages to find success in the major market that is the US.
Recently, his collaboration Saturn Barz, with British animation group The Gorillaz, topped Billboard’s Reggae Digital Song Sales chart. His 2014 album, Where We Come From, peaked at number two on the Reggae Album chart, while his 2012 single Only Man She Want reached number 82 on the R&B Hip Hop Songs chart. Efforts to reach the deejay’s management for a comment were unsuccessful. (Jamaica observer)