“The Problem With Popcaan,” According To Vershon

Dancehall artist Vershon has explained why he and Popcaan are no longer in cahoots, echoing what some other former associates of the Unruly Boss have implied before.

“Alright, me a go tell you the real truth. Mi haffi give dat yout him flowers cause guess wha’ gwaan, Popcaan ah one ah we big star, can’t deny that,” the Inna Real Life singjay recently told the Let’s Be Honest podcast.

“Popcaan is a Garrison yout like myself, him enter music and make a man out ah himself but hear the problem with Popcaan now, is a yout weh want fi deh up yesso,” Vershon gestured above his head, “and everybody else fi deh down yesso,” he added, lowering his hand.

Vershon emphasized that he believes in mutual upliftment, a philosophy apparently not shared by Popcaan. “And me is a yout weh nuh believe in a dat, if we a flip we a flip. What me want fi myself, me want the same thing fi you, you understand,” he continued in the episode uploaded on Monday.

He noted, however, that despite their differences, he still respects Popcaan. 

“And this is no styling or no disrespect or me a try fi take nutt’n from no man, you get weh mi a say. Cause as mi say ah one a we great yout[s] and me haffi say me respect everything weh me and him ever reason bout, every par weh we ever par but some things have to just come to an end you understand. Sometimes you haffi just rate and love people from a distance and a desso it come down to,” he explained.

Vershon, who joined Popcaan onstage at Reggae Sumfest in 2016, clarified that he was never officially signed to the Unruly Entertainment record label. He said during his tenure with the Unruly team, it was understood that he was working on establishing his own brand. 

In recent years, several Popcaan associates have parted ways with the Family deejay, including Quada and producer NotNice, who separately called him out for being “selfish.”

During the sitdown with host Jaii Frais, Vershon also took the opportunity to address rumors of scamming that have circulated since 2016. He refuted the rumors, stating he was detained at the Half Way Tree police station for 24 hours for a traffic violation. “Dem say [I] overtake pon some unbroken white line or some som’n like that. Is a 1000 dollar ticket. Me spend a night,” he recalled. 

Vershon believes his Jamaican fanbase may have associated his involvement in scamming with his quick acquisition of riches, admitting he had purchased “two houses” and “two Mercedes Benz” just after releasing a handful of hit songs.

“People over Israel right, you think dem ah say the same thing? People over Germany, you think dem ah say the same thing? Italy, Africa, there are so much places in a di world, people just ah judge base on weh dem see ah happen right yesso but weh dem nuh understand seh is the music is bigger than just Jamaica alone.”

“So when a man say ‘yo him nuh have nuh hot tune now so how him a do it? … Me see it the other day enuh when dem say mi get lock up for scamming. People say ‘Oh yeah me did know cuz me see him with drop top Benz, and mi see him with Porsche and all kind a sum’n.”

Vershon clarified, however, that his main source of income comes from his “hustler blood” and investments he had made early on in his career. 

“When a man see me with Benz and Porsche and all dem tings, remember when mi just buss out enuh, mi tell myself say ‘yo mi na go back which part mi come from enuh’,” he said.

“Nuff people who know mi can tell you dis, say mi buy up a whole heap ah AD Wagon you understand, put some taxi pon di road. One a di time dem mi have two bus, we a run di route, you understand. Dem likkle ting deh bring cash bro,” he said, adding, “Mi have hustler blood in a mi, me hustle.”

Music fans can rest assured that Vershon will continue to make music, though it doesn’t afford him the lifestyle he has today. For the coming months, he will be releasing a few new singles via his current music label Soniq Music – so far releasing  In Return  and another upcoming song Cool It under the imprint.

Watch Vershon’s full interview on the Let’s Be Honest podcast below.