Young acts can generate int’l interest – Producer

In recent times, young dancehall acts have faced some serious backlash for deviating from the musical blueprint left by their predecessors.

In fact, many critics have suggested that authentic dancehall is dying a slow death. Naysayers have also posited that with the current crop of front runners, crossover success may be elusive. But internationally renowned producer Johnny Wonder is warning industry insiders to not be so quick to 'write off' young dancehall artistes.

He told THE STAR that while they are not following in the footsteps of the veteran dancehall stars to a T, young dancehall acts are still making an impact internationally.

Still riding high off the collaboration between Skillibeng and Nicki Minaj, Wonder says all young acts need is a solid track and a chance.

"Nicki just had a baby and wanted to come back, and this was one of the songs she wanted to be a part of. It was on her radar, and that just goes to show how big Crocodile Teeth is. It was also on Drake's, Bobby Shmurda, Burna Boy and all those other big-name stars who were singing along with it," Johnny Wonder said. "This (the collaboration) all happened within a week, but it happened because they (Nicki Minaj's team) loved Crocodile Teeth. That song is massive. I think it was bigger than Skilli at one point and once you have a huge song, the possibilities for you as an artiste are endless. It's impressive and the sky's the limit right now."

The remix was released last Friday and has amassed 1.7 million views on YouTube, and is currently the number one trending song on the streaming site's local chart. The single is also number one in nine Caribbean countries on Apple Music. Johnny Wonder told THE STAR that the song's success is an indication that though they're taking a different approach, young dancehall acts are getting people's attention.

"What this does for the young artistes is give them hope. It saying to them, if Skilli can do it, then maybe we can do it too one day," he shared. "Quality cannot be stopped, so young artistes, just keep on going. Don't mind the heat, just keep doing your thing."