Bayka hits key notes with Mob Ties

Dancehall artiste Bayka hopes his debut mixtape, Mob Ties, will give fans a sense of who he is as an artiste and a person.

"Mi ah try show dem who Bayka and Ronaldo Billings is in a sense, you know? I'm trying to show them that I'm a superhero, but I'm a human superhero," the 1Uptown deejay said.

Inclement weather last Thursday night would not stop fast-climbing star from going forward with the launch and listening party held at The Balcony nightclub in New Kingston. The 12-song project, the first full body of work from the Mob Style deejay since he entered the Jamaican music space in 2021, was heard first by the exclusive gathering of friends, family and music industry peers before a special performance of a selection of tracks including songs from the mixtape and the artiste's greatest hits.

Mob Ties, though a dancehall project, transcends the genre by dipping into music alternative to Jamaica with pop, trap, R&B and latin influences heard throughout.

In many tracks, the deejay even abandoned the quintessential dancehall toastings to show off his vocal prowess on moody and passionate ballads. Despite his experimentation, Bayka asserted that remaining true to the genre of his island is especially paramount to his artistry.

"Dancehall will never die. It will always have a special place in my heart and I treat it like a treasure ... I am Bayka and I do dancehall music," he said.

"Whole heap a work guh inna dis EP ya, mi life go inna dis EP ya", he told patrons.

An intense rendition of Mob Ties saw the artiste doubled over as he belted passionate lyrics into the mic before he expertly flowed into the high energy collaboration with Najeeri for 1086. He then moved into the deadly smooth Nice to Meet You where he began on a stool on stage before venturing into the crowd to hand out white roses to a few lucky ladies.

After going through his newest songs, he went into some crowd favourites such as She Like It and Mob Style.

The evening was not without surprises as before the end of the event, attendees to the launch of Mob Ties were treated to guest appearances by Jafass and Pablo YG much to their excitement.

" Music is life and me live my life through my music," the fast-rising artiste said.

The overwhelmingly positive reception of Bayka's debut body of work has since solidified itself on the ITunes charts with Mob Ties' 1086, Gracias and Mob Ties earning the number four, 10 and 11 spots, respectively, on the music platform's Kingston Top 25 list.