Sean Paul’s anti-clash message in dancehall may have resonated with Vershon, who squashed his beef with Jahmiel and announced his debut EP.
Dancehall has produced a number of rivalries throughout its existence, and many of them are still active and alive today. One of the most popular rifts in the dancehall community over the past decade was between Vershon and Jahmiel, who are both now well established acts in the genre. Urban Islandz reported that the two have finally put their differences aside after years of beefing and trading lyrical jabs.
Jahmiel revealed that he initiated the peace treaty for the benefit of the community that is often divided. Recently Sean Paul acknowledged this when he announced his new project that features a score of dancehall artists, stating that it’s “collaboration over confrontation.” Speaking of which, Vershon and Jahmiel have since spoken and worked together on a production that should arrive sometime in 2021.
Vershon expressed the importance of coming together for the greater good of the genre. “Dancehall is a very competitive sport, and at times, our egos will get the best of us,” the singjay said. “We all make missteps in life because no one is perfect but what is more important is recognizing them, and getting to a place where we can become selfless and do what is right, not just for ourselves but also for those who see us as mentors.”
Vershon’s upcoming project is a 6-track EP titled Only One, and it is due out on March 5. Produced by British outfit FaNaTix and distributed by Warner ADA, Only One is the dancehall star’s first project since penning a distribution deal with Warner Music (UK) through Saint Music/Parlophone. Vershon says he is really excited about the impending EP after gaining the backing of a huge label. “The EP has six songs featuring a carefully curated array of guests including Chip, Trillary Banks, and Busy Signal,” he said about the project.
“I feel good about the next stage of my career, of which this is the first chapter. It’s a team now, it’s with a big label. It’s well put together. I’m very excited about that. We’ve just released the third single called ‘Stick By Me,’ along with a video. The previous releases are “Original” and “Reality,” both of which continue to do very well across the region,” Vershon added.
Vershon and Jahmiel also record similarly-themed music that touches on the harsh reality in our community while pushing a conscious message. The two of them coming together to create music should be interesting to hear what they come up with. Both dancehall stars have solid catalogs between including some respectable collabs. Jahmiel has in the past recorded with Shenseea and his fellow MVP comrade Mavado.
Vershon and Jahmiel’s piece comes in the midst of Sean Paul’s strong message against clash culture in dancehall. While some artists like Bounty Killer will disagree with SP’s message, it’s resonating with a lot of other artists. A strong argument can be made that clash is part of the fabric of dancehall, but Sean Paul’s argument is that it’s also part of the reason why the genre is not bigger than it is. This argument is forcing even the most die-hard clash artist to pause and listen to what the legend is saying. And yes, the Kingston deejay’s words do carry a lot of weight, given he is among the most commercially successful dancehall artists of all time.
As a backup for his strong words in support of unity and collaboration, Sean Paul is getting ready to release a full length album, Live N Livin, packed with 15 collaborations.
“It was important to me to show that in our genre of dancehall, we don’t need to clash in order to attain the spotlight,” Sean Paul explained. “We don’t need to divide our fans to attain the rotations on the airwaves or streams. Over the years myself, Shaggy, and more recently Koffee, Shenseea and others are tapping into the world stage and we are not clashing our co-workers, nor are we dividing our fans. This album ‘Live N Livin’ is an album I hold very dear to my heart because it shows the effort of collaboration over confrontation.”
Are you looking forward to hearing Vershon’s new EP and a joint track from him and Jahmiel?
