Brother-sister team connects musical dots

The only sibling rivalry between producer/rapper Kamal 'Chillaa' Palmer and Dahlia 'DJ Rosegold' Palmer is the one that both Canadian entertainers are tackling together to make a mark locally.

Although admitting that the bond was not always strong, Chillaa and DJ Rosegold acknowledged their shared interest in music from an early age.

Raised in Toronto, the two entertainers have decided to harden connections in Jamaica.

As the children of Mandeville-born dancehall deejay Garnett 'Terminal DG' Palmer, the island was always important to the siblings.

"In Toronto, one thing people like to see that gives you street credit is that an individual is going out of the country. Getting a booking here prompted the trip, but it was for us to listen to how DJs play or artistes perform and [make] the connection," DJ Rosegold told The STAR.

Both visited Mandeville recently, where DJ Rosegold, who has played for the likes of Cardi B, PartyNextDoor and Tory Lanez, explored her abilities to play for an audience of primarily born-Jamaicans for the first time.

Focused on fusion

As for Chillaa, the focus has been finding artistes with a flair for fusing reggae, dancehall, hip-hop and electronic dance music.

He has already released work featuring a fairly new voice in the dancehall fraternity from the parish called Nemesis.

He produced Call Me in 2015 and Bad Gyal Like Riri in 2017, which has over two million Spotify streams and was endorsed by Drake on OVO Radio.

"Back home, if people don't know the songs, they stand up like posts, but the street-dance crowd in Jamaica is more encouraging," said DJ Rosegold.

Chillaa added that there is an underground dancehall scene that everybody wants a piece of.

"So, in essence, we are pushing ourselves faster and further out there to be that connection. The ultimate goal is networking, to be recognised by various artistes," he said.

The duo live by the motto, 'Working together works'. As a disc jockey, DJ Rosegold is acting as a gateway for the music.

Chillaa, and others like him, produce. She has created an underground mixtape called The 6ix Mix that features unheralded artistes or music outside of the mainstream.

"The typical music used [in Canada] to transition into dancehall, such as Drake's Controller and Kranium's We Can, which features Tory Lanez, is easier used to get the attention of the people, but there are so many other new voices that need to be heard," DJ Rosegold said.