Words by Emily Shapiro
Popcaan has become dancehall’s ruler of the summer in the past few years. In 2011, there was “Ravin” (on the aptly titled Summer Time riddim) followed by the smash hit, “Party Shot.” Last year it was “When Mi Party,” on the Summer Wave riddim. And now, this June, he’s given us “Unruly Rave.” Shot in Toronto and directed by Niko of Drake’s record label October’s Very Own (OVO), the song’s new video reads more like a hip-hop clip than your usual yardie dancehall scene. It’s shot in a club, rather than on the streets of JA, and, while the women are scantily clad, they’re dressed in skirts and drinking champagne rather than head topping in a bashment.
Popcaan has been parring with some big names in hip-hop like Busta Rhymes and Snoop Lion and seems to be making himself comfortable in Toronto, where he did a few performances for Caribana last year. Some folks are even saying that the video for “Unruly Rave” is foreshadowing of collaborations to come between Popcaan and Drake, who has voiced his approval and support of Fry Yiy for years. That would be a big ting for Popcaan, as not too many dancehall artists have been getting mainstream looks of late. (Which reminds us: what ever happened with Drake and Mavado’s budding partnership?)
Watch the video below to see what the future of Popcaan may just look like:
Unruly Rave – Popcaan from OVONiko on Vimeo.