Rvssian, Shenseea At Odds Over Her Career Direction, Haven’t Spoken In Two Years

Jamaican producer Rvssian has revealed that he and Shenseea, who is still signed to his Rich Immigrants imprint in partnership with Interscope Records, currently aren’t seeing “eye to eye” about her career and they haven’t spoken to each other in two years.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Let’s Be Honest podcast, Rvssian opened up about his experiences in the music industry, including his now strained relationship with the Blessed singer. During the interview, host Jaii Frais questioned Shenseea’s foray into pop music and its reception, and whether she’s capitalizing on the opportunities she has been given.

“I think she is capitalizing on the opportunity in terms of doing it,” Rvssian responded. 

“I just feel like maybe the choice of music is not the best of what the people want to hear from her. Because sometimes the people’s vision and the artist’s vision are different. She might feel like this is what she wants to do, but the people are not accepting her for that.”

Addressing allegations of Shenseea being a “sell-out,” Rvssian linked these perceptions to her controversial 2022 comments about “Caribbean people” and her shift away from Dancehall music.

“I think dem say that because of the comment that she said, what them never too liked, about Caribbean people. And then her saying ‘I gave dancehall four years’, so I feel like the people feel like she turned her back on them,” he said.

“To be real, me and Shenseea don’t talk in two years, but she signed to me, but me nah go control nobody. They can do what them want because I don’t want anybody ever say me hold them back or me stifle them career,” he revealed.

“I am not going to tell someone don’t talk up; I can advise you, I can’t force you. I think during these [Shenseea’s] comments, I wasn’t around though.”

Rvssian continued: “Nuff artists I help, some of them are grateful and some of them ungrateful, and it’s just human….It’s a learning process. One bad apple don’t spoil the bunch.”

The producer was keen to note that he remains supportive of Shenseea. He still follows her on Instagram, although she has unfollowed him.

“Me nuh wish nuh bad on [Shenseea], even though me and her nuh talk. I still approve everything, all of them expensive videos, I still approved. I never stopped a song.  It’s just that in this moment in time, we not seeing eye to eye,” he said.

Shenseea signed to Rich Immigrants/Interscope Records in 2019.

In 2021, she announced that her new manager was Lebanese-Canadian industry executive Wassim ‘Sal’ Slaiby, who also manages The Weeknd.

Rvssian produced four tracks on Shenseea’s debut album Alpha, released under the Rich Immigrants/Interscope deal in March 2022. The 14-track project, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, reflected her commitment to not limiting herself to Dancehall.

“I told myself I’m gonna do Dancehall for five years,” she had told her fans in an Instagram Live earlier that year. “I have given myself to Dancehall; I have given y’all hits upon hits, upon hits, upon hits, upon hits, for five years bro… And I am not leaving Dancehall because I could never.  What you f-kin thought?  I did not say that.”

Added Shenseea: “I see some tags in like my mentions saying that I should focus back on Dancehall more, and I’m gonna be the next Dancehall queen.  I have never aspired to be a Dancehall queen in my life.  Neverrrr.  I have never aspired to be a Dancehall queen.  Because I am not going to be doing only Dancehall.   I can do a lot of other different genres. I am not gonna put myself in no box to please nobody.”

Alpha‘s rollout began with the controversial track Lick, her collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion. However, she faced backlash after she lashed out at Caribbean fans, who had questioned whether she had gotten permission to sample a 2002 remix of Soca artist Denise Belfon’s Work, a track originally produced by Anastas Hackett.

“This is why some Americans don’t even f-k with Caribbean people.   You all be acting stupid as sh-t!  And that’s just the fact!  Somma you all dumb as sh-t!” Shenseea had declared in another Instagram Live in January 2022.

She continued: “Right, why would we end up use a sample from somebody else’s song that was done in 2006 or five and not clear the song?  Like how does that even make sense bro?  Like, before you guys like look at the bigger picture and be like ‘Yo, Shenseea is repping for Caribbean…’ y’all trying to say I stole somebaddy song.  Stop f-kin with me!   Cause that’s so stupid!” she added.  “And Megan is on the song.  Why would we risk being sued?”

Ironically, just two months later, Shenseea and Univeral Music Group (the parent company for Interscope) were sued for failing to clear the sample with Hackett before Lick’s release. 

That lawsuit and another one concerning the music video for Foreplay were both settled for undisclosed amounts in 2023, DancehallMag reported.