DJ Cassidy, Shaggy and Rayvon redo 70s classic

Reinterpreting the classic Escape (The Pina Colada Song) has long been a dream of American DJ, record producer and MC, DJ Cassidy, and he has done just that, having joined forces with two big names in dancehall, Shaggy and Rayvon.

" Pina Colada is one of my all-time favourite summer bangers," DJ Cassidy told THE STAR, adding that after he met Shaggy and Rayvon while producing the Reggae Edition of his famous show Pass the Mic, he experienced a light bulb moment.

"I stumbled upon the answer and knew that I wanted to call them and ask if they would be interested in doing a modern day version. What was surprising was that as soon as I asked, they went ahead and wrote their parts and sent over their demo. I gave them no direction about musical interpretation or anything. I was immediately blown away," an animated DJ Cassidy said.

To further bring his vision to life, he linked up with critically acclaimed Grammy Award-winning Jamaican producer, Dwayne (iLL Wayno) Shippy, who has worked with Shaggy on mega hits including Banana, the collab with Conkarah. The result has him beamning from ear to ear.

"I am so excited that this long-term vision has finally come to fruition. Shaggy and Rayvon are so iconic in their own right and their voices are so recognisable. This is a song that captures the energy of Angel, which they performed on Pass the Mic. It is a feel-good song that is a summer anthem and an all the year anthem," said DJ Cassidy, whose is known for his trademark boaters, cricket sweaters, bow ties, colour-blocked tuxedos, and 24-carat-gold microphone.

Titled If You Like Pina Coladas, the single and music video from the trio will be released on June 30 from Ranch Entertainment/VP Records and Club Paradise Records, and Shaggy promises that it will be "a party in paradise".

Escape (The Pina Colada Song) was written and performed by British-American singer-songwriter Rupert Holmes in 1979 and peaked at yearend to become the final US number-one song of the 1970s. It tells the story of a man who is bored with his current relationship and one day, he sees a newspaper ad from a woman seeking a man who must like pina coladas and other stuff. He is immediately intrigued and submits his response and arranges to meet the woman at a bar. As it turns out, the woman is actually his current partner and the song ends on a high as they find each other again.

Since its premiere in July 2020, DJ Cassidy's Pas s the Mic has amassed more than 100 million digital views, and he has now passed the mic to 211 legendary music superstars including Earth Wind & Fire, Nile Rodgers, Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, Gladys Knight, Charlie Wilson, Boyz II Men, TLC, Run DMC, LL Cool J, Salt 'N Pepa, Missy Elliot, Wyclef Jean, Nelly, Ja Rule, Ashanti, Sean Paul, Luis Fonsi and Ozuna.