You Rate It: Jesse Royal x The Wizard, “Wadada”

Words by Jesse Serwer, Photo by Martei Korley—

We introduced you last year to Jesse Royal but the singer has picked up a lot of traction recently, and is starting to look like he could be the next artist to buss from the new roots movement led by Chronixx. Last week Jesse took the stage as the featured performer at the weekly live music series at Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Records in Kingston, a spot more often reserved for big names like Beenie Man, Shaggy and Sizzla and the consensus is he fared quite well. LargeUp was there, and snapped the pic above: look out for more on Jesse in the coming days.

Now the singer has come with a new track that’s a bit different from the roots stuff he’s delivered in the past. A collaboration with The Wizard— daughter of Beres Hammond, member of the Courtney John Project and practitioner of a sound she’s dubbed “rootstronica”—”Wadada” might be Royal’s tuffest track yet, with a new wave-meets-rub-a-dub sound that conjures early ’80’s Sly and Robbie productions. Considering the similar vibes on Protoje’s recent 8-Year Affair LP and Wayne Marshall’s new single “I Know,” you might even say there’s a bit of a trend going on there. Stream and download “Wadada” below, and judge for yourself.