Words by Jesse Serwer
Chi Ching Ching has been a street-level star in Kingston for a few years now but 2014 finally gave him a hit. The Popcaan collaboration “Way Up” capitalizes on slang terminology which Poppy and Ching seem to be equally responsible for spreading; the term spawned a dance of the same name, and the combination of the slang, the step and the song (on Chimney Records’ Happy Hour Riddim, No. 2 on our list of 2014’s Toppa Top Dancehall Riddims) has propelled “Way Up” into one of the moment’s most ubiquitous dancehall tracks.
Now that a man like Beenie Man has hopped on the remix, this song’s only going to get bigger as 2015 wears on, so get used to it. To make sure of this, Ching, Poppy and Beenie recently gathered some friends in a gully, and shot a video for the benefit of those of you net yet up on the steps. Way Up!