Laden Reunites With Di Genius
Dancehall artist Laden has reunited with Big Ship Records producer Stephen ‘Di Genius’ McGregor for the first time in eight years to make new music, which the Time To Shine artist has described as long overdue and magical.
The unreleased track is titled Good Name but as Laden explained it, it was more than a studio session and a link up of two of dancehall’s hitmakers who dominated the airwaves in the early 2000s. It was nostalgia and chemistry on full display.
What began as two creative minds vibing on the outside of the well-known Big Ship Recording Studio in Havendale, St.Andrew quickly became what Laden is confident will become a hit record when it is released.
“We were vibing underneath the gazebo and he was putting the rhythm together, playing around sounds and tracks while I was finding the vibe and pattern for it, he had this melody for the chorus and suggested it to me and I liked it ,I went ahead and filled in the lyrics and then we coordinated the idea for the song and then went into the studio and laid it down,” Laden shared with DancehallMag.
“It was a one-track studio session that can lead to a project because it is a very solid track. It was so refreshing, it’s needed, it’s uplifting, lyrical, it feels good, and it has the mark all over it like a hit mark. It’s a timeless piece, very relatable,” he said.
Laden reminisced on the songs he had recorded with McGregor, who gave him his break in music.
“I linked with Di Genius in 2008 and started to link with him and I think by late 2008 a few tracks started to release with me, I was on the Chiney K riddim with a song called Don’t You Like It and that was my first production to be released by Di Genius and then I had tracks like Gal Coward on the Daybreak riddim which was followed up by I’m Sorry and Time To Shine and Money Over War.”
He said that he has been a mainstream recording artist for over a decade and has worked with several producers but considers McGregor in a league of his own with unmatched brilliance.
“He has this soulful thing about him, he is gentle, humble, the love he has for his craft which is music, he is very talented, super talented as a matter of fact. So, with me and the unique melodic sound that I have, filled with lyrics, to collab with Stephen McGregor is the greatest thing in music for me. I have worked with other producers before, but I haven’t got the type of vibe I have gotten that I get when I work with Stephen and whenever he suggests something, it is like he is always on point,” Laden said.
Laden said he is also working on several other tracks.
“I have a collab with Popcaan you know the unruly boss titled Unbroken. I also have a collab with Chronic Law,” he said.
“In terms of working with producers, i/m working with DJ Mac and I am also releasing songs on my label , I have a new label, New System Entertainment on which I released a recent single My Blessings and I am working with some new young producers who have this new sound and add my creativity to it,” he added.