Koffee Fans Beat Down Questions About Her Sexuality, As She ‘Locks Down’ Summer Playlists
Within 48 hours of its release, Koffee’s Lockdown shot to number one on YouTube in Jamaica with 1,000,000 views by Sunday evening. The new visual, which includes scenes of the Grammy award winner driving to a Portland beach, with Dane Ray riding shotgun and two girls huddled in the backseat, has also reignited the conversation on Twitter about the singer’s sexuality. Ray, a Dancehall artiste himself, is also the producer for the track.
There was an outpouring of love from fans across the world on her Facebook page where snippets of the music video were posted, as well as on YouTube and Twitter, as Koffee supporters celebrated what seems destined to be not only the biggest summer banger but also the biggest quarantine song of 2020.
On the Spanish Town native’s Facebook page, fans from Colombia, Kenya, Nigeria, and other far-flung parts of the globe praised her for releasing music that gave them good vibrations.
Over on YouTube, her fans were just as gleeful when they saw the Unruly Boss Popcaan, Skillibeng, Dre Island, and others vibing with her in what appears to be an inner-city area in Kingston, in the Lockdown video, which was directed by Yannick Reid and Habibi.
“This song slaps harder than my mother’s belt,” one wrote, while another said, “No nudity no sex, no girls shaking their ass, just pure vibes upon vibes. The queen has done it again, such a talented and empowering woman! God bless her.”
On one of Popcaan’s fan pages, his supporters were also happy to see the support given by the OVO artiste to the Ardenne High School graduate. “Chune bad. And mi love the vibes unuh a ole. It look so real, not true it was a video shoot, but mi boss full a vibes love you pops,” one wrote. Another fan urged Popcaan to do a remix of the song. “Hope seh Popcaan Mek a remix wit this song. Cause mi know it will be a hit. Even though it’s already a hit in my books,” he said.
Over on Twitter, Sevana locked it down with what one fan called some “top level whining.”
#lockdown https://t.co/cf6Ki5xqxC pic.twitter.com/DqxzZ21CzG
— Sevana (@callmesevana) July 18, 2020
Jamaican photographer Destinee Condison (@celestial), who was part of Lockdown’s production team, hailed Koffee as well as the directors and videography outfit as “some a di baddest creatives inna di game.”
“Big ups to @originalkoffee on the release of her new single & video Lockdown directed by di greats @TheTherapistSOL, @DiFieldMarshal @randyrandeh,” she noted.
big ups to @originalkoffee on the release of her new single & video Lockdown directed by di greats @TheTherapistSOL @DiFieldMarshal @randyrandeh. ✨ pic.twitter.com/KWmpVtNHZR
— celestial (@cedestial) July 17, 2020
“Big up Koffee , all over the new Music Friday playlists too. Lockdown a bad song. Dancehall a stand up this week, dem need fi mek it a regular ting on these platforms,” said another user. Lockdown trended ahead of Alkaline’s We Up , Intence’s Antisocial and Guidance , Masicka’s Just A Minute, and Govana’s Likkle Bit A Money .
But while the world was celebrating with the 20-year-old, there was another set of people on Twitter, mainly Jamaicans who were taking on a full-fledged battle against detractors and curious fans alike, who were questioning the superstar’s sexuality. The verbal clash raged on as Koffee fans took the fault-finders to task, labeling them nuisances who were obsessed with the 20-year-old’s sexuality, as opposed to her unsurpassed musical accomplishments.
One such conversation was started by Twitter user tokiotrev, who asked: “What does Koffee identify as?”
Responses to her question included calls to leave the artiste alone so she could enjoy her youth. Others gave sarcastic responses, while some said she was the epitome of “black excellence”.
“Unu obsession with Koffee’s sexuality is sickening. Imagine being so talented and achieved so much at that age and all people are concerned with is your sexuality,” one fan said.
Unu obsession with Koffee’s sexuality is sickening. Imagine being so talented and achieved so much at that age and all people are concerned with is your sexuality.
Tragic.
— Claire Dunphy (@cee_suella) July 17, 2020
“Y’all ask bout Koffee’s gender every time she drops new music…y’ all not tired?” added another.
Some declared that the Toast singer was the ‘youngest and the baddest’ while others said they had grown tired of the sexuality questions.
“Everytime Koffee releases something some dingbat thinks that’s when they should tweet and ask what she identifies as or ask about her sexuality in general,” one Twitter user said. Another noted: “It baffles me as to why would someone be more interested in Koffee’s sexuality than her talent? The way this young is talented, her sexuality SHOULD be the last thing we talk about.”
One woman, in dismissing the detractors took to great extremes to register her disgust.
“I hope Koffee never mek uno find out her sexuality. Mek me me see if uno gonna die,” she wrote.
I hope Koffee never mek uno find out her sexuality. Mek me me see if uno gonna die..
— 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🌸🌸🇯🇲✈️ (@Crysanthemum876) July 18, 2020
Koffee’s next release will be Pressure on July 30. She recently performed the track for fashion designer Thom Browne in Highsnobiety’s “Not in Paris” online exhibition.
Watch the official visuals for Lockdown below.