Skillibeng Considers Himself A Dancehall Artist, Not “Trap Dancehall”
Crocodile Teeth deejay Skillibeng has reiterated that he does not consider himself a Trap-Dancehall artist, but purely a Dancehall artist.
“I am a Dancehall artist. I don’t consider myself as a Trap Dancehall artist. I am a Dancehall artist,” he stressed during a recent interview with DJ Kash.
“People say my sound is Trap, so I am not going to really argue with anybody, because there is more people out there; there’s just me here. So, if the people are saying it sounds like Trap, that’s what its gonna be for now,” he explained, later adding: “I’m not a person who focuses on making Trap Dancehall sound. I am a person who likes making music. So it’s all kinds of different sounds for me.”
In January last year, during an interview with Seani B on BBC1 Xtra, Skilli had addressed criticisms being made by Dancehall purists, who were of the view that Dancehall-infused Trap beats had watered down the genre. The 25-year-old had said that while he had accepted the term Trap Dancehall: “at di end a di day Skillibeng nuh really go after Trap dancehall. Mi go after good music…”
He had also said the type of genre he chose on any given day to indulge in, depends on his mood at the time.
“Today mi will feel like mi fi sing a souls, tomorrow mi feel like mi wi jus kill seventy people pon a riddim, tomorrow is a whole gyal vibe, di odda day is a weed vibe, even di same day. Mi jus like fi be optimistic, nuh body nuh fi know wah me a forward wid. An Brik Pan Brik was jus ah ting like dat weh surprise dem.”
The St. Thomas native had also said that the Trap Dancehall sub-genre was good for the music as: “kids inna fi wi era nah go have a good time listening to dem parents set ah music…”
“We haffi ah buil new sound and new music fi di people dem, straight. so nutn nuh wrong if we mix dancehall wid a hip hop beat because di biggest platforms been ah tek weh fiwi style and use it how dem waah use it,” he had added.
The name Trap Dancehall was not coined until around 2017 when Montego Bay artist Rygin King, also referred to as Trap Lord, released his hit single Tuff, which was produced by Dane Ray. The origin of the sub-genre is obscure, but King is widely regarded as the man responsible for popularizing Trap in Jamaica, through Tuff.
In a 2019 interview, Rygin King had described Trap Dancehall as a fusion of his favorite genres, Rap, Hip hop and Dancehall which gives a unique melody due to “longer beats and a hook”.
Earlier this year, Bounty Killer had denounced Jamaicans whom he said have never recorded any Dancehall or Reggae songs in their lives, and so should not be labeling themselves as “Dancehall artists”, but as of the genre which they exclusively voice under, for example, Trap.
He had also said that while foreigners embrace the country’s genres, some Jamaican musical ‘traitors’ were depriving children of the music of their forefathers and that he was hearing more Rap, Trap, Afrobeat and Drill than Reggae in Jamaican parties.
“So I am saying the people who have never done Reggae, you can’t be a Jamaican artiste and you have no Reggae song. You can’t be a Jamaican artiste and you have no Dancehall songs. And den you say you a Dancehall artiste pon top a it. How dat work?” the Warlord had said.
“Di type a music weh you do, you are dat type a artiste. Suh if you are doing Trap you are not Dancehall artiste. You are a Trap artiste – inna Dancehall,” he stressed.
In May this year, in response to questions as to whether Trap songs are “drowning out” the Dancehall sound, Bounty Killer had said there was no competition, as the two genres are not in contention, but affirmed that he is pleased that Trap artists have been blossoming.
“Trap have it own little audience. I have never seen a Trap song on the Billboard that stays. Skillibeng hit the Billboard likkle bit and it came off back. It never create much impact to say Trap watering down or drowning out nothing,” he had told Television Jamaica’s Anthony Miller during an episode of The Entertainment Report.
“Trap is doing its thing and it’s making its mark. Si Skillibeng guh a England guh deal wid it wicked… Suh wi just hope it sustain and continue to grow and build…,” he had said.