Words by Jesse Serwer, Photo by Martei Korley—
Jamaica’s Tarik “Rvssian” Johnston keeps his studio in Kingston, but the dancehall producer (formerly known as Russian with a ‘u’) currently resides in Miami. It is fitting then that a Latin thread runs through his latest batch of productions.
First up is “Mamacita,” a track on the heavy-hitting Rvssian riddim (the only other tunes are from Sean Paul on Konshens), which pairs long-time client Vybz Kartel with J. Capri, the first lady of Rvssian’s Head Concussion Records camp. The Werl’ Boss chats en espanol as his female counterpart, one of LargeUp’s 2014 Artists to Watch and the voice of two of 2013’s biggest dancehall singles, adds vocals distinctly reminiscent of Shakira.
“Passion Whine” a new track from Puerto Rico’s Farruko which dropped yesterday on iTunes, teams the reggaeton MC with Sean Paul. The result is a seamless hybrid of dancehall and reggaeton, with Dem Bow and reggae drum fills colliding under an infectious, movie soundtrack-ready melody. Play both tunes below, and look out for our exclusive feature story with Rvssian shortly.
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