Social media lands Di Unit in Africa

Popular Portmore-based sound system Di Unit recently made its debut in Africa, which, according to manager Tall Boss, is a great accomplishment for a one-year-old sound system.

He credits the success to social media.

"We did a performance at 'Skool Aid' with Demarco and it was uploaded on YouTube. The Africans watched it online, then made contact with Demarco and asked him to make contact with us. We are now the first sound from Portmore to go to west Africa and perform. The promoter from West Africa got in touch with us and it was a nice vibe. We are heading back there in September," he said.

Tall Boss is encouraging music industry players to use social media appropriately since it has the potential to expose their brands to wider markets.

"Social media is very powerful and, as such, we have the Di Unit page all over social media. So when we play, we upload clippings so people can get a taste of the performance. Social media is the way to go, it has helped us tremendously in our growth and it will continue to do so. I would advise anybody in music to get with the times, because the world is out there to conquer," he said.

The manager also revealed that some places in Africa are unfamiliar with the new crop of dancehall/reggae artistes. He said Di Unit had to rely heavily on the music of veteran artistes.

BIGGER MARKET

"Being hot inna Jamaica don't mean sey yu hot in the world. Jamaica has three million people, but the world has billions ... You need Jamaica as a stepping stone, but the market is bigger overseas and wi a get piece a market deh," he said.

Di Unit is already booked for Reggae Sumfest, Dream Week, Brit Jam in Dubai, and Sandz, among others. They are also gearing up for a tour of the Caribbean, while simultaneously promoting a new mixtape, King of The Pack.