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Skillibeng Tops Audiomack, Tidal For 2021

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Skillibeng Photo By Gladstone Taylor
Skillibeng. (Photo By Gladstone Taylor)

Dancehall artist Skillibeng entered the new year with a duo of accolades that casts him as one of the front-runners among Jamaica’s most popular musical forms. The proficient youth from Surrey county leads the Reggae-Dancehall charge on both Audiomack and Tidal.

The Crocodile Teeth deejay, according to the Audiomack, managed to amass numbers which placed him ahead of mainstay Popcaan to be named the most streamed artist in the combined ‘Top 5 Most-Streamed Reggae/Dancehall Artists’ category for the platform in 2021.

His counterparts, Alkaline, Jahmiel, and Masicka, round out the top 5 on Audiomack. But, nary a female artist notched an appearance in the upper tier of the popular platform, which self-describes as “an on-demand music streaming and audio discovery platform” for the youth.

The entertainer – who hails from the east and is aptly attached to EastSyde Records – continues to retain relevance and maintain consistency while servicing his intentions among his peer group, after recently inking a distribution deal with major label RCA, to expand his global audience reach.

Among Skillibeng’s most streamed singles across platforms are Coke, Not, Mr Universe and Crocodile Teeth. The latter is undoubtedly responsible for a notable chunk of Dancehall performer’s stream numbers, considering the single elicited high-profile remixes from Trinidadian-born Queens rapper Nicki Minaj and New York-born rapper Bobby Shmurda.

In the latter part of the first half of 2021, Skillibeng told London magazine The Face that his approach to a career in music has always been serious and intentional, adding that his focus is “to be a household name in Dancehall, to be one of the best.”

Meanwhile, and equally impressive, the 25-year-old St Thomas-born maverick was listed ahead of a more diverse crop of local artists on TIDAL’s Best of Reggae/Dancehall 2021. TIDAL’s top 5 is completed by Grammy-nominated deejay and reality TV star, Spice; Interscope-signed Shenseea, and third-generation musician, Skip Marley and Dancehall star Popcaan.

Artist-owned TIDAL is one of the biggest, most recognizable and generally preferred streaming platforms around, especially by artists. The streamer caters to and is more artist-serving than many of it’s counterparts, redistributing a bigger share of the pie to it’s member acts.