Intence: ‘Public Enemy No.1 Mixtape’ Album Review

After a booming and proliferous two years on the music scene, Dancehall artist Intence has launched his debut studio album, the Public Enemy No. 1 Mixtape.

With production credits owing to Zimi Entertainment along with Jag One Production, One Time Music, Wai Fuzion Records, and ZZMG Music Group, the 14-track collection features collaborations with Dancehall acts Govana, Jah Cure, and his long time crony I Waata.

The new album provides a listening experience spanning just over 39 minutes, which opens the door on who the artist Intence is and very much so by intent. It unfolds somewhat like an opportunity for the YengBadness deejay to reveal himself as the ultimate misanthrope, an introvert, very guarded, and that “Antisocial” guy that wants nothing to do with anyone and who prefers to be left alone.

Along with his unsociable disposition, there is an underlying theme that follows through with almost all of the tracks. These disclose detestation towards his many haters, the fight he has endured from critics to reach where he is in his career, and a strong resolve to keep pushing forward and realizing his dreams to stardom.

The Intro track is a clear depiction of all this as if playing a summary of what the album holds. There is a mixture of audio clips from interviews, news bulletins, and several excerpts from Intence, one expressing the motivation behind the album’s title, which in essence brings us back to his reclusive deportment.

Intence says he keeps his distance from people and does his own thing. He competes with no one but himself and will forever endeavor to out-do his own excellence – “Every song mi do mi try fi do it better than the last one.”

In Yah Now, he’s overwhelmed with the flood of publicity he has received during the short trip to success, describing the experience as … “Yo dah feeling yah loud.” He’s in a place in his life now that feels good, “Yo you see dem life yah don? Mi nuh memba bout poor.” He’s his own boss, work opportunities are flowing and if mom wants $100k for a day of shopping, it’s no problem. If only people knew that all this rave makes him feel “proud.”

All Dat explains his ‘antisocial’ nature we’ve all come to see. Not one to care about the hype, fame, drama, or interviews – “don’t call” “mi don’t like camera” he snaps.  As for the crowd, the critics and followers, “From you nuh in ah me, just know sey mi nuh in ah you,” but don’t think it doesn’t hurt though, he has feelings but you’ll never see them nor his “dry cries.”

In a message to the fatherless youths on Believe, Intence takes the approach as if speaking with a young boy who has his whole life to look forward to. That girl he’s stressing over now, she’ll be someone’s wife one day and likewise, he will be someone else’s husband, the deejay tells him. The boy’s father isn’t here to counsel him but Intence says to take the lessons he brings because he’s got the scars to show for all the hardships he has endured – “Mi tattoo dem relate to every sword weh stuck in a mi hand,” but he has overcome and so will the young boy.

The track is quite uplifting as it inserts several prods to the youngster to “believe in yourself … you ah star” and to trust his talents because it’s the only way to advance in life.

The lead track, Public Enemy No.1, is a collaboration with the man Intence said is partly responsible for giving him his big break. “Yeah man Govi Govi dawg, nuttn change you and ‘diddi (Aidonia) ah di first artiste fi eva put me pon a stage. Strike Force, 4thGenna to mi f—kn grave,” he reveals.

Now, years later Govana is still supporting and driving him to push forward, despite the critics and gatekeepers. Govi verses in the track, “Know a di rough times a go test yuh faith but don’t make the pressure make yuh break – public enemy no. 1 – ah di hate a go make yuh great, Never shake, never scared, mi sey never fraid, if dem violate den a hell a raise.”

In another troubling missive to highlight the haters in his life, Climbs comes as his will to fight the ones that try to stunt his success. Intence knows all to well that his fame brings them misery so attests that he will be their heartache for a while because he’s not going anywhere – “Mi a mash head-side check and see if dem fine.” The deejay plays with some slick metaphors in this one to show that his a step ahead of his detractors, “Born for dis! Before mi have a car me always have the drive” and continues to throw around similes like saying they can’t hold him down like “gravity” and “all astronaut know sey mi space belong to me”.

Understanding is an aggressive vent about the struggles Intence has had with people who simply don’t get it. It has clearly been difficult to get the message across to people who can’t fathom what it means to be a misanthrope. He wants nothing to do with them, “More time mi feel fi lef earth and find a different planet dammit.”

It’s not his fault however as bad experiences with friends and family have led him to be this way. Sometimes friends have proven to be more loyal than family and “loyalty a sup’n weh mi ride on,” it’s important to him. He often ponders if he’s one of the ‘realest’ out there, unable to find someone as loyal as himself.

Relishing in his success, Winning Streak arrives to flaunt the millions he has in the bank, plus the Louis V and Christian Dior wardrobe that Intence says, “The money weh mi pay fi dem could a rent a house!” A far cry from growing up with 5 siblings sharing one bed, and often sleeping on the floor.

This is one of the more upbeat singles in the collection; Intence extends his vocal range to sound quite spirited, especially when he croons the hook – “Winning streak, King in the town.”

Like an annex to Winning Streak, you best believe Intence is going to die rich or so he hopes. But at the rate at which he’s going and seeing his dreams unfold, it’s a strong possibility. From he was a youngster, Intence vowed to get rich, “If a nuh hard work and smart work fi yuh own di Benz” he told himself. He would have the ‘house in the sky’, ‘3 fat cars in the garage’, a ‘gold toilet like his watch’ and his chains must have Cuban links. Jah Cure adds his raspy tones to harmonize the same, “Born poor but gonna die rich” on the hook.

No Dancehall track collection is complete without the ‘girl tunes’, Intence adds Jump Start and Hurt as his two. Jump Start might just be too spicy, unleashing way too many intimate details about this one girl that he has no intentions of letting go of – she gives him the “jump-start”. The other Hurt finds the deejay swallowing his pride to openly admit that his ex-girl might have been the one that got away. If only he could “teleport” back in time to when they were in love then maybe things would be different. He misses her but now she’s with someone new.

Statement with I Waata carries on a skippy upbeat riddim where two old friends link up to revel in their un-coincidental flight to fame. They are “not normal”, tooting their upper echelon mindset, which has made them the stars they are today.

Intence and IWaata share a similar journey from poverty in the track and agree they now handle the fame the same and that is keeping all the girls at a distance and staying far away from fake friends

In Nutn, Intence calls out all the fake badman on the end and challenges their meek defense while flexing his own badness. From pointing out their “board guns,” and their biggest killer as “cold up”, they are no match for him. “Nut’n dem nuh know bout we, from dem fi dead, dem a go dead,” he warns repeatedly on the hook.

The finale, Talk Bout has some interesting name-drops that are as random as they are dissimilar. From “whipping” it like Rick James to “All ah mi dawg fi rich like Bill Gate,” Intence also adds that he has always wanted to “do it large like Shabba or Kiprich.” In all, the single talks about the big dreams he has had from a youth, the house, and land, and the girls of course, but not forgetting to boast his many guns and his badness!