IQ wants to prove his versatility in dancehall

Recording artiste IQ has proven to be a versatile act to his London fan base, which, two years ago, was primarily made up of listeners of rap and drill and the UK dancehall community.

Born and raised in London, he is heavily influenced by drill and has a few productions, like Which One, that has that community projecting that he is going to explode on that scene. However, IQ has expressed that he wants to focus on dancehall and recently told THE STAR that he has his work cut out for him to gain the respect of that community in Jamaica.

"It was definitely hard to branch out to Jamaica, being from the UK, and I want to be strictly dancehall," IQ shared. "I know I am part of the new generation coming in but I want to hold a big position, meaning, I want to be one of those that opens crazy doors for the genre to have it solidified or at least recognised by awards as dancehall and not under reggae."

With his latest collaboration featuring Stefflon Don, titled Bun Fi Bun, he has become a viral TikTok sensation and he expects that it will not only help him gain more followers but garner attention for the dancehall genre. The fast version of the song has been receiving more radio play than the original but he said that's nothing new. His Righteous single, once officially released in 2019, had a fast version as well.

"I don't mind it because it helps with the promotion of the song, which is still mine. So there's two sets of listeners and, whichever the disc jockeys play, works for me. Either way, I am winning," the artiste said.

IQ, also known as IQ Di Prince or Prince IQ, being the son of artiste manager and event promoter Joseph 'GQ' Dawkins and brother to dancehall child star QQ, said that it was a big accomplishment to team up with Stefflon Don for the production. He said that it was one of the things he has always wanted to do and that he shares that success with his family.

"If I put pressure on myself now to top Bun Fi Bun, it won't happen. I realise, over time, things will work out because it's not like I had intention for the track to be a world hit. But it got there. There's no plan other than to release great quality music that will highlight my culture," IQ said.