by Howard Campbell
KINGSTON, Jamaica – For the overseas dancehall/reggae artist, a major objective is making a mark in Jamaica. Several have succeeded, others have not been as lucky.
Mettal, a mask-bound rapper from South London in the United Kingdom, is one of the latest to take a crack at the tough Jamaican market. He has collaborated with three top dancehall acts to get his sound across.
On Weh Me Want, Mettal teams with Spice, while he works with Sizzla and Jah Vinci on Murder. Both songs are produced by Denzil Williams Jr. for the Sound Bank Music label.
According to Mettal, recording with them was easy since his attitude is similar to dancehall artists.
“The vibes are always high with Jamaican artists. I am a high-energy artist myself, so the collaborations are enjoyable and natural,” he said.
Mettal was recently in Jamaica promoting Weh Me Want and making the music rounds to establish links with the country’s leading music industry players. He foresees similar projects in the near future.
“I have been privileged to have already worked with the likes of Spice, Jah Vinci and Sizzla, so I look forward to working with more Jamaican artists in the future,” he said.
Like American rappers NOTORIOUS BIG, Busta Rhymes, Slick Rick and Shinehead (both born In England), Mettal has Jamaican heritage. While he is big into hip hop, he was weaned on the sounds from his parents’ homeland, especially hardcore dancehall.
He began his Jamaican campaign last year with Williams who has lived in Stockholm, Sweden for over 10 years. From there, he has forged relationships between European artists and dancehall acts in Jamaica.
One of Williams’ productions was the Change, a rhythm compilation album he co-produced with Swedish musician Andre Karlsson. A reggae version of rapper Tupac Shakur‘s 1992 song of the same name, it contains songs from Agent Sasco, Queen Ifrica, Sizzla and Lutan Fyah.
