Jamaican super-producer Justus Arison is riding a high with his popular Overdrive riddim which received a shot in the arm with the release of a new single by Konshens called ‘Independent Girl’ a few weeks ago. On this single, Konshens reps independent girls who flash their own cheque books and hot rides. The single has been blowing up FM radio over the last two weeks.
Arguably the most popular single on the riddim is Popcaan’s ‘Smile Again’, as the former Gaza deejay laments that “dem waan mi fi sad but we ah go smile again/dem waan mi fi dead/but we ah go smile again/ghetto yute a go smile again’. This hook is on the lips of most teenagers as the Unruly Boss appears to have rediscovered his groove. ‘Smile Again’ was Popcaan’s first song on the riddim, but he has the distinction of having two songs on teh riddim. His other single, Da Ting Deh, released in November regales the virtues of freaky girls.
RDX showcase their knack for brilliant singalong hooks with Island Girl where they name-check girls from all the Caribbean islands. Supa Hype, Gyptian and Fambo team up for the ultimate summer jam, Summa Dat with hilarious moments provided by Supa Hype.
Beenie Man is his inimitable best with ‘Explode’ where he name-drops a couple of sexy female artistes such as Tifa, Danielle and Lady Saw.
The brilliant rookie Villanaire announces his arrival on the dancehall scene with ‘Charge Up’, and his best line declares: ‘the party ya shell like peas inna rice/high-grade loud gone wid mi voice’. The video was shot recently and will be released this week.
Aiasha uses her cider-sweet vocals to sing about ‘Good Vybz’, while Bramma instructs ‘Meet Me On the Way’ . Superstars like Elephant Man show up to anchor the riddim. Elephant Man boasts about his ‘Sick a We’ while Tifa delivers the goods with her inventive flows on ‘Mi Baby’. Chino goes witty metaphors on ‘Focus’ talking about girls, cameras and champagne-splashing parties.
Mavado teamed up with Nicki Minaj for ‘Give It All To Me’ which became a staple on hip-hop based radio stations Hot 97 and 99 Jamms last year. The song also hit #1 on various dancehall charts all over the Caribbean.
Overdrive is the last instalment in ‘The Overproof’ trilogy. The original ‘Overproof’ rhythm itself earned international attention when R&B singer Daniel Beddingfield recorded a song on it called ‘Sometimes You Just Know’.
