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Fresh Rap Stars Mooski, Bree Runway Grabbing Attention With New Dancehall-Infused Videos

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Mooski, Bree Runway

Fresh talents on the scene Alabama rapper Mooski and British singer-rapper Bree Runway are grabbing major attention for their new Dancehall-infused singles and music videos.

Mooski has been turning heads with the official video for Track Star, which dropped yesterday on YouTube and is trending No. 3 on the platform with over one million views.  It features a boost from New Jersey-bred rapper and the daughter of rapper Benzino, Coi Leray who plays his love interest.

The new music video, which shows Mooski’s first encounter with Leray in what appears to be a Jamaican nightclub, has many folks talking about its semblance to the island’s Dancehall culture.

Over on Twitter, @zxsmithh tweeted, “Jamaica has a chokehold on the world. Y’all just throwing our culture into anything even when it don’t make sense,” referring to a clip from the video.

The responses from many pointed out that the rapper could be Jamaican so he has every right to represent his roots.

“He’s Jamaican, the beat is a dancehall type beat, what’s wrong?” said one, while another chimed in “The artist himself is from Jamaican decent, I think he’s just paying respect to his fam n island.”

Several others felt the new song was very reminiscent of the genre, “You can definitely hear the influence of Dancehall in the beat and in the cadence of his vocals,” tweeted @PrimoMosi, who went on to say he felt a little Beenie Man sampling in Mooski’s track.

@iconicbadboy agreed, “Hmm idk I could definitely hear a dancehall artist take on the beat.”

DJ Live took the cue to dub Vybz Kartel‘s Last Man Standing over the Track Star riddim.

Track Star didn’t quite gain popularity when it was originally released in January, until a TikToker named City Boy J used it in his She’s A Runner Challenge. The song has since been used as the music to hundreds of thousands of TikTok videos.

According to HotNewHipHop, City Boy has called out Mooski for not including him in the official video, a courtesy previously extended by other rappers who’ve had viral songs thanks to TikTok creators.

Bree Runway

Mooski isn’t the only one getting attention for his Dancehall-imprinted music. British singer-rapper Bree Runway seems to be having the same effect with her official video for Hot Hot.

While Bree Runway likes to consider herself the love child of Lady Gaga and Lil Kim, her latest single Hot Hot is sparking all kinds of vibes with some undeniable Dancehall influences. From swinging on the beat of Busta Rhymes’ 2009, Touch It, the video spurs likenesses to TLCs wardrobe style in No Scrubs and oil dancing scenes from Christina Milian’s Dip It Low .

Her portrayed Hot girl image however comes to life when she mixes some local Jamaican dance moves into her choreography while decked in some exuberant Dancehall fashion styles from the 90s.

It’s clear the 28-year-old singer is inspired by many genres, in the past she has described her sound as “genre-bending” and doesn’t like being labeled or placed in box when it comes to her music. Hot Hot is simply a reminder to everyone that she can switch it up, add different flares and musical influences to create her own style.

The Pulse Films visuals produced by Eleri Evans and directed by Jocelyn Anquetil is certainly creating a buzz with the fans, even gaining some new ones that were awestruck by Bree’s effortless dance skills, raw talent, and swag. Many even drew comparisons to Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat while others simply couldn’t shake the late 90s and early 2000s vibes Bree brought to the current stage.

“This is so fresh yet it also has old-school vibes???? LOVE IT ♥ ♥ ♥” said one fan on YouTube, another agreed, “I felt like I was transformed back to the late 90s and early 2000s I love it.”

Then, “I love her and her whole spin on her music and presentation!!! Not to mention I’m so happy to see more representation of melanated talent! ✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿 I hope she keeps pushing cause SHE’S GOT IT!!! 😻” said one admiring fan.

Both Bree and Mooski’s new projects seem destined to be noteworthy additions to their music catalogs thanks to their Dancehall dabbling. Like Rihanna’s Work and Drake’s Controlla that used Dancehall beats and style, it’s certainly one way to up one’s game and create hit records as long you credit the origins of those beats and style.