Gage Questions Dancehall In New Song ‘Wha Gwaan’
‘Wha Gwaan’, a new track released by Dancehall artist Gage on Tuesday, is a gutsy interrogation of the state of Dancehall, presented as an insightful piece of art rooted in reflection, reverence, and a bit of tough love.
Whether Gage has been underrated or is intentionally low-key, neither of those things mattered against the hook that was sure to catapult him back into the spotlight. He anchors his grand inquisition into Dancehall to it, pondering out loud:
“Wonda wha gwaan?
Wha gwaan inna Dancehall?
Dem seh di hardcore business get too soft,
Big up every young star mi see a shoot off,
tun on di lights mi see you a move off…”
Gage’s first stop for answers was at the feet of Dancehall star Shenseea. He praises her continued success but appears to call into question a consequence of her mainstream pursuits – the widening gap between her and her fans back home.
He wraps up his address to her with a reminder, “Yuh fans dem a yaad love yuh hope yuh still memba dem.”
His next stop saw him questioning the Whap Whap star, Skillibeng. He sings: “Skillibeng, wha gwaan wid di ‘beng? Shell di place and from di contract sign not a hit again…”
Here, Gage references the contract Skillibeng signed with RCA Records after blowing up in 2021. Since then, Gage seems to believe, Skillibeng has been a no-show insofar as hits are concerned, despite his management telling Billboard last year: “We’re looking forward to a really busy period ahead with lots of new music, several international shows already booked, and currently making plans to be in the U.S. and Canada very soon.”
“Alka, know yuh influential and yuh did a lot, nuh think yaa talk sh-t but if yuh did yuh nuh affi video dat” encapsulates Gage’s message to Alkaline. It is unclear whether he had been alluding to Alkaline’s penchant for polarizing content, with the most recent episode of that being his music video for Profile.
The song’s first verse wraps up with a reference to the viral moment between Popcaan and a young Valiant on stage, and alludes to the short-lived beef between Skeng and Masicka. In the case of the former, Gage relays his hopes that Popcaan has apologized to Valiant, who was publicly shunned on stage by the Unruly Boss before a massive crowd. Gage explained of that incident:
“Vali, mi see di video wid Poppy
Hope him did tell yuh sorry,
As a artist weh suh big him shoulda learn from Addi,
Hope nuh feelings nah carry,
Jus’ di link from St. Mary mi a look, mi nah tarry”
He then sings Masicka’s praises, before bringing into question the Dancehall heavyweight’s reluctance to see Skeng as an equal. He sings:
“Masicka, know yuh bad lyrically, fear nobody,
Yuh nuh tink Skeng deh pon yuh level ‘cause him pop di Molly?
But a music we a do fi mek di fans dem happy.”
As the verse closes and makes way for a smooth transition back into the hook, Gage seizes the opportunity to pour on the nostalgia with some heavy reflection, singing:
“Mi wha know wha gwaan? Wha gwaan?
Yuh memba how we did want dis, dawg?
Yeah yeah
A nuff a wi pass di hardest part,
So wha gwaan?
A now wi fi start pree smart,
How comes Alkaline and Kartel nuh have a collab yet, dawg?
Produced by the Vizionarie Music Group, the track continued its spotlighting of issues in Dancehall, and kicks its second verse off with a message to Dancehall Queen Spice. More accurately, Gage seems to be speaking directly to Grace the person, not Spice the artist. Making reference to her health scare and her strained relationship with Dancehall Rebel and other former Team Spice members, he tells her:
“Grace, hope yaa tek care a yuh health,
Hope yuh nuh deh foreign and a do too much to yuh self,
Yuh prove a lot already, nuh affi do a ting again,
Rebel a still yuh pickney dem, one day jus mek it up wid dem…”
He then smoothly transitions to highlighting Tommy Lee Sparta – expressing that he doesn’t wish to see him in jail again; Teejay, his depression and his fractured relationship with Romeich, and finally, himself.
“…And Tommy Lee, we nuh waan yuh guh a jail again,
Teacha yuh too bad enuh fi nuh deh a road mi fren it will happen,
Teejay, Romeich good enuh, jus gwaan pree yuh self
Mi want yuh out a depression and back inna yuh Benz,
If nuff yute reach weh yuh deh dem duh di rest dem self
Mi nah hate pon yuh mi rate yuh music family
Couldn’t sing all a dis and mi nuh talk about mi self
I’m still di young legend,
mi coulda be anybody else,
Ago be di brightest star mi seh dat widout apology,
And if a Dancehall mi rip dat enuh jus’ like Bounty,
If uno nuh get di acknowledgment well mi ago acknowledge it,
And mi nah beg nuh fren from nuhbaddi”
Gage shouts out Dexta Daps’ onstage antics, shares words with Jahshii and Shane O, and touches on a perceived lack of acknowledgment for Jada Kingdom’s prowess as an artist.
He also highlights Sizzla’s fiery temper and apparent feud with DJ Khaled, before ending the track on a remorseful note about Dancehall artist Shaneil Muir, who broke down crying on Instagram Live recently. He shared:
“Dapa mi know a gyal a neva man,
Shane O low di dark room and come sing to your fans
And Jahshii stop di screaming when yuh singing all these songs
Because a First Nation yuh seh not a first born,
Mi see artist a tun clown and nobody nah laugh.
Nowadays everybody chicken out dem nuh have di sauce
Nuff a dem nuh find nuh song big like Jada all now
A full time dem gi har di front page and mek she gwaan
A Gage deh pon di track enuh suh truth about fi talk
Sizzla Kalonji we know yuh smart but yuh dark
A many ways yuh ave enuh fi links get cut off
But pon di media yuh a perform like Khaled a nay yuh dawg
Top gyal Shaneil Muir wi done see wa gwaan
Pon di TV yuh a bawl
Meanwhile me deh ya a laugh
We see di tears inna yuh eye we know seh pain inna yuh heart
But obstacles inna Dancehall…”