Following the bold claims made by veteran music executive Murray Elias, asserting that dancehall artist Skillibeng had been dropped from RCA Records and that his viral single “Whap Whap” was not a commercial hit, Prism Marketing Consultants conducted checks to confirm the artist’s current affiliation with the American label.
According to a reliable source close to Skillibeng who spoke on the condition of anonymity, “Yes, Skillibeng is still signed to RCA.” While the assessment of whether “Whap Whap” qualifies as a commercial hit is pending, data from YouTube indicates a continued surge in views, currently standing at 41 million.
In response to Elias’s comments, dancehall superstar Shaggy stepped forward to defend the genre, criticizing Elias for his perceived lack of relevance in the culture for over a decade. Shaggy emphasized Elias’s disconnection from the dancehall scene, pointing out his previous role on a site scene tour bus in New York City just a few years ago. Shaggy questioned Elias’s recent involvement in any dance events in Jamaica.
“Why are we listening to a guy who has not been relevant in this culture in over a decade … this guy was working on a site scene tour bus in nyc just a few years ago .., when was the last time this guy was in any dance in Jamaica …”
Advocating for the current reggae-dancehall music landscape, Shaggy highlighted the success of artists like Byron Messiah’s Taliban and Teejay’s Drift in 2023, deeming it a good year for the culture. Shaggy acknowledged the challenges faced by dancehall artists, noting that they don’t enjoy the same privileges as artists in other genres, often dealing with limited budgets for their releases.
“This last year we have seen the success or Byron messiah’s Taliban and Tee Jays drift … 2023 was a good year for our culture … dance hall artist don’t have the privilege as other genre … each song you see coming out on these majors have at least a 3 to 5 million budget on their roll out plan.”
In conclusion, Shaggy encouraged local practitioners not to be discouraged, emphasizing that dancehall isn’t as privileged as other genres.
“DANCE HALL isn’t that privilege. TO EVERY DANCE HALL ARTIST OUT THERE !! KEEP DOING YOUR THING… DON’T BE DISCOURAGED BY SOME OLD ASS UNDERACHIEVER!!!“
He urged every dancehall artist to continue their efforts and not be deterred by the opinions of individuals he described as “old underachievers.”
