Dancehall star delves into Inspirations, collaborations, and Jamaican Music's Core in exclusive 'Office' Magazine interview
Skillibeng rapidly ascends to the global music prominence (Photo: Amran Abdi)
Since his breakout single "Brik Pan Brik" set Jamaica ablaze in 2019, dancehall star Skillibeng has taken the international music scene by storm.
As he embarks on his sophomore album in 2024, Skillibeng discusses his upcoming projects, revealing that his latest single stemmed from collaborations with producers during his time at England's Wireless Festival. His forthcoming album, "Mr. Universe," serves as a testament to his global musical reach. "I was in England for Wireless [Festival] and I had a couple of meetups with some producers and P2J was one of those producers. That's how the upcoming track that we're about to release came about. And the album, the name is Mr. Universe, so it's just me showing the world that you know, I'm just a Jamaican kid who is very relatable through music internationally," the deejay expressed.
Reflecting on his influences, Skillibeng pays homage to both dancehall stars and rap icons. "Vybz Kartel, Popcaan, Mavado, Aidonia, as well as rap icons like Lil Wayne, Future, and Young Thug," he recalls.
When discussing collaborations, Skillibeng underscores the importance of natural connections with artists, irrespective of genre or origin. "Lil Wayne or Future. Those are some of the artists that I haven't collaborated with yet internationally. As a kid, the only person that I really wanted to collaborate with was Vybz Kartel, and now I already have two Vybz Kartel collaborations," the deejay shared. "And I've already collaborated with the queen of rap Nicki Minaj. Twice," he added.
Reflecting on the success of his hit single "Crocodile Teeth," Skillibeng recalls how Drake encouraged Nicki Minaj to collaborate on the track. "I think Drake had told her, 'you know that this kid is ripping the streets up, he’s going places, I think you should jump on that track.' And she actually did, and she put it on her mixtape," the 27-Years-Old deejay reminisced.
Delving deeper into the essence of dancehall, the St. Thomas native emphasizes its language and culture as integral components. "It’s the language and it's the culture. How small the island [of Jamaica] is, but how relatable it is to the rest of the world. I want Dancehall to represent Jamaica and the culture, but also music overall because Dancehall is actually a genre that mixes with a lot of different genres," he elaborated.
