R.I.P: Dancehall Star J Capri, 1991-2015

Words by Jesse Serwer

Jamaican dancehall star Jordan Phillips, better known as J. Capri, has died after sustaining injuries in a car accident last week. She was just weeks shy of her 24th birthday.

J. Capri was discovered by producer Tarik Johnson, aka RVSSIAN, and worked primarily with his Head Concussion Records team, as one of the label’s in-house artists. She made her entrance into the scene at the start of 2013 with the single “Whine and Kotch” with Charly Blacks, and soon followed with “Pull Up To Mi Bumper,” another collaboration, this time with Konshens. Those tracks became two of the year’s biggest dancehall singles worldwide, amassing over 30 and 18 million views, respectively, on YouTube.

After the success of those early collaborations, she stepped out on her own with “Boom N Bend Over” and “Reverse It” and was later featured on “Mamacita” by the incarcerated Vybz Kartel on Johnston’s RVSSIAN riddim.

Her songs most often dealt with the time-honored Jamaican pastime of wining, while her videos frequently featured retro styles inspired by ’80s and ’90s dancehall. Although J Capri was one of the more successful female dancehall artists to emerge from Jamaica in the last few years, she enjoyed her greatest popularity overseas, particularly in France, and spent much of the last two years touring. Her latest track, the Grillaras-produced “Wife Me,” was released just last week.

Here’s a look at all of the key tunes from J Capri’s sadly brief career.

“Whine ‘n’ Kotch”(featuring Charly Blacks)

“Pull Up To Mi Bumper”(featuring Konshens)

“Reverse It”

“Boom and Bend Over”

Vybz Kartel feat. J Capri “Mamacita”