Popcaan Talks 'FIXTAPE

Popcaan Talks 'FIXTAPE,' Working With Drake And The Globalization Of Dancehall And Reggae

Popcaan

 


 

Popcaan Talks 'FIXTAPE,' Working With Drake And The Globalization Of Dancehall And Reggae.

GRAMMY.com spoke with the dancehall star about the global reach of 'FIXTAPE,' his personal relationship with "big bro" Drake and the Black Lives Matter protests in Jamaica

Popcaan is on a mission to spread the good vibrations of dancehall around the world. He might do exactly that via his latest release, FIXTAPE.

Released last month (Aug. 7), FIXTAPE sees the Jamaica-born star taking dancehall into rap and R&B territory with the assist of some key collaborators: French Montana, PARTYNEXTDOOR and, most notably, Drake, whose OVO Sound label released the project. 

For Popcaan, who sees the worlds of dancehall, reggae, rap and R&B as part of the same extended family, the Drake link has been instrumental for the rapid growth of his own career as well as the international expansion of dancehall itself. 

"By being around Drake and the whole connection, it gave me a lot of exposure," Popcaan tells GRAMMY.com via Zoom from East Jamaica. "We have a chemistry where music is concerned and whatever we do, it's always [about] just [doing] something great … It's a very great link, and it's very good for my culture as well."

The cross-genre approach has helped Popcaan climb the U.S. charts—FIXTAPE peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Reggae Albums chart—and reach new global audiences.

"It definitely speaks across the world," the deejay/singer says of FIXTAPE, which is his second mixtape, adding that the dancehall genre as a whole is also expanding with "more and more people getting to listen" to the Jamaican-made style of music.  

As global genres like Afrobeats and K-pop, boosted by the ubiquity of streaming services and YouTube's universal reach, continue to rise around the world, the industry is looking to Jamaica as the next pop cultural breeding ground. Can it happen? 

Popcaan says yes.

"I want dancehall and reggae music to be out there just as much as hip-hop and R&B," he reflects. "I want it straight across the world, and not just me. I want a lot of stars just popping up, and I know that they're coming from my culture. That's my dream right now."

GRAMMY.com spoke with the dancehall star about the global reach of FIXTAPE, his personal relationship with "big bro" Drake and the Black Lives Matter protests in Jamaica.


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