Music is a balancing act for Hood Celebrityy

Staying relevant in her neighbourhood in New York and back home in Jamaica is not on the list of challenges for international recording artiste Hood Celebrityy.

She has not given up her passion for freestyling lyrics with or without a beat reverberating behind her unique voice.

But how does she manage to fare well in the American musical spaces of trap, hip hop, and R&B, and in Jamaica's reggae and dancehall spaces?

Hood Celebrityy told THE STAR: "It's simple. For me, honestly, I left Jamaica when I was 12 (already with a wide knowledge of the local genres) and grew up in the Bronx," she continued.

There, she was served a 'cultural soup' from which she acquired a diverse taste for music.

"Being around a mixture of people really had a big influence on my music - the delivery and the way I switch it up. That is how I am able to balance in the American as well as the Jamaican music spaces," she said. "I don't find it hard to connect with home at all even though I am not living in Jamaica ... (but) it is in my heart. My family is there, and I do visit. Also, in my home, all we speak is patois."

Her latest release, Run Di Road, is a tribute to her New York state of mind and lifestyle and Jamaican roots - to which, she said, she always pays respect.

"It is very important to me to always capture my Jamaican roots because that is where my passion comes from," the artiste said about her catalogue, including hits like Walking Trophy and Bum Pon It, which fuse hip hop, R & B, and dancehall. "I feel when you love music, it means you love all types of music. I love music that I don't even understand what they saying, but the way it makes me feel and move is what matters."

With Run Di Road, Hood Celebrityy has finally had the opportunity to record one of her favourite old-school rhythms, the Bam Bam Rhythm, adding her personal style to create a remix that hails artistes like Nardo Ranks and Buju Banton, and, of course, Chaka Demus and Pliers.

"I have always seen myself where I am today, but I just can't say I knew exactly when God was going to give me my breakthrough, but I knew all this was going to happen for me. I was also adamant I would remix or recreate something to the original rhythm. Music lovers should check out the song and video, and fans can look out for my album, which is already done. I's going to be a vibe," she said.