Murda She Wrote: October 2023
October’s hottest dancehall tracks from Beenie Man, Mavado, Ice Spice & Rema and Popcaan, Fivio Foreign & Vybz Kartel.
by Reshma B
A “duppy” is a ghost or evil spirit, and they’ve been part of reggae since day one. From roots classics like the Wailers’ “Mr. Brown” to dancehall bangers like Sancho’s “Chase Vampire,” Jamaican music has always been fascinated by ghosts and goblins. With Halloween season in full swing, we’ve got some very scary reggae and dancehall selections to fire up your Fright Night festivities.
As the old Jamaican proverb goes, “Duppy know who fi frighten, and who fi tell good night.” In other words, tough guys always pick on the ones they can mess with, and leave the real ones alone. As DeMarco says in one of his toughest dancehall tunes, “You have a problem, talk direct to me.” And that’s what Murda She Wrote is all about — straight to the point, we don’t sneak around the corner. So let’s skip past the long-talking and get right to the latest dancehall hotshots. All treats, no tricks.
Beenie Man
“Simma” Video
Earlier this month, Beenie Man released the visual for “Simma,” the title track from his 17th studio album, Simma, which has been simmering in the kitchen for quite some time now. The King of the Dancehall first announced the project three years ago, shortly after his legendary Verzuz performance with Bounty Killer in May 2020. Plans for the release were put on hold when Beenie’s mother passed away in September 2020. Devastated by the loss, the man born Moses Davis took a break from making music to mourn and let his spirit heal. Then in May 2022, he released an uplifting song giving thanks for all of his “Blessings Pon Blessings” in life.
Things were looking up until November 2022, when Beenie was injured in a motorcycle accident. The pain didn’t stop him from flying to Barbados for a performance. That’s why Beenie sings that “one king alone govern the pavement” on “Simma.” The song is all about serving notice that he’s “solid pon the ground,” even when others get “shaky.”
Packed with hits from start to finish, Simma serves up 20 tracks across multiple styles that showcase Beenie’s versatility. The guest list includes top-shelf stars from Jamaica (Sean Paul, Shaggy, Popcaan, Dexta Daps), Africa (Stonebwoy, Patoranking), the U.K. (Giggs, Ms Banks) and the Bronx (Hoodcelebrityy). The Girls Dem Sugar connects with R&B star Mýa 23 years after their first collab (from the Grammy-winning Art and Life), and builds up crazy vibes with Shenseea and Ms Banks on the sexy tune “Fitness Instructor.” Family band Morgan Heritage lays down sweet harmonies on Beenie’s roots-reggae jam “Dem Want More.” Never one to leave out the soca massive, Beenie connects with Trinidad’s own Bunji Garlin on the blazing “Hel-eva Bumpa,” which is sure to get the carnival jumping. Beenie even reached out to Machel Montano and Destra for a remix, which has yet to be released. There’s only one way to get so many legends on your album — respect.
Some may assume that the title of Beenie’s new album refers to his 1997 smash hit “Who Am I,” also known as “Sim Simma.” But for Beenie Man, the title goes deeper than just one song. “I was just telling everybody ‘chill out,’” he explained to me. “’Cause everybody’s talkin’ this and talkin’ that. Beenie Man this and Beenie Man that. Bounty this and Bounty that. Buju nah have this and Buju nah have that. We are the ones that make this thing right here.” That’s what he means when he chats the lyric about “them still inna the style that we created” on “Simma,” just in case anyone needs a reminder. “Everybody that’s here came after us,” Beenie adds. “So when you hear ‘Simma,’ just know the king is still here.”
Mavado
“No Sorry”
Sometimes in life you have to go it alone. When facing our darkest hour, sometimes we find out that nobody else is there for you but yourself and God. “Only the Father above did watch over me,” Mavado reflects on his latest release, “No Sorry.” Produced by Son Son Productions and released via the artist’s own Mansion Records imprint, the new song finds Mavado pouring out his deepest thoughts over a mournful piano arrangement. The Gully Gad holds up two middle fingers on the song’s cover art, but just in case there’s any question where his head is at, he opens the song by sending out a special request “Fi mi haters dem.”
“A ghetto youth pon the top of the mountain ah di greatest story,” Mavado sings. “Them love show the bad side of narratives now, no real love for we.” Over the years, Mavado has always expressed a sense of pride at how far he has been able to progress in life. As a ghetto youth, David Brooks was really living on the gully side before he realized his dreams of becoming a successful recording artist. He made dancehall history by going head-to-head with Vybz Kartel in the epic Gully vs. Gaza beef. “Situations can change for the best and sometimes for the worse,” Mavado once told me. “But I myself David Brooks try to change my situation … It’s all about going from nothing to something.” And make no mistake, Mavado has worked hard for each and every thing that he’s achieved. As he sings on the new song, “Don’t make excuses, we make sacrifice.”
Ice Spice & Rema
“Pretty Girl”
Rema, the Nigerian singer and rapper who blew up worldwide with a catchy song called “Calm Down,” took things to the next level when Selena Gomez hopped on the remix. Both songs bounce along on a warm and easy guitar groove that sounds like it could be a mellow distant cousin of “Murder She Wrote.”
Rema was born in 2000, the same year as Bronx drill rapper Ice Spice, who’s coming off the massive “Barbie World,” her movie soundtrack cut with Nicki Minaj and Aqua. It was only natural for Ice Spice and Rema to join forces on this sweet, romantic collabo, which Ice Spice released earlier this month, just before her Saturday Night Live premiere. Rema’s melodic hook sounds so infectious over a bass-heavy, polyrhythmic riddim. “Haters super mad, we got them all livid,” Ice Spice raps on her new song. “Thinking about my future, got you all in it / Shooting for the stars, the sky has no limit.”
Popcaan & Fivio Foreign & Vybz Kartel
“Tequila Shots”
“Vybz Kartel put me to the world,” Popcaan told me back in 2013, “so big up Vybz Kartel everywhere him deh right now, you see? Nuff respect.” From “Clarks” to “We Never Fear Dem,” the Worldboss and the Unruly Boss have had some classic combinations over the years that lifted up the legacy of the Portmore Empire. But they haven’t recorded much music together in the decade since Kartel was incarcerated.
So it was a big deal this July when Kartel and Popcaan released “Dull Colour,” their first collab in ages. “Things rough inna the street dawg,” Kartel states on the track. Popcaan chimes in that he’ll keep his kids warm by “any means necessary.” “Nobody don’t wan’ live poor,” he chants on the chorus.
This month, Popcaan shared another Kartel collab, this one more of a party track. “Tequila Shots” also features Brooklyn rapper Fivio Foreign, who appears on Skillibeng’s “Whap Whap” remix along with French Montana.
“Love how the gyal them a bubble and a whine up,” Popcaan sings on the chorus. “Touch e highway, bare spaceship line up.” This good-time tune is all about feeling the vibes. Popcaan says he’s “high like a drone, like a pilot.” Kartel says, “me high like when the sound buck.” And Fivio says his girl “only like me when I’m drunk.” You already know what kind of party this is gonna be. As Kartel says at the end of his verse, “Pour me a drink nuh Poppy, please.”
