Popcaan mines gold as “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” with Jamie xx and Young Thug gets certified gold after six years.
Popcaan, whose real name is Andre Sutherland, is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after dancehall acts out of Jamaica. The impact he has had on dancehall music has left an indelible mark. It comes as no surprise that he has added more accolades to his name and the genre. For the first time, the “Unruly Boss” has certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the track “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times).” The track features rapper Young Thug and is from Jamie xx’s debut album “In Colour,” released in 2015. The track was certified Gold after selling over 500,000 units. It also accumulated over 19 million views for the official music video.
The video was filmed in Jamaica and New York and depicted both Popcaan and Yung Thug singing on the beat, produced by Jamie xx. The song has grown quite popular with each passing year and peaked at number 115 on the UK singles chart and number 90 on the ARIA charts. It was even given even greater recognition when it was featured as the soundtrack for a video game NBA Live 16 and NBA 2K17 and also for Kobe Bryants MyCareer spot.
Interestingly as Popcaan has grown and his brand of dancehall has been exposed to the masses, he has also managed to get another track off his “Promise,” also featured on the NBA 2K21 soundtrack. He joins fellow Jamaican artiste Konshens, who also recently received a Platinum plaque for the track “Succa Proof,” which he was featured on from Nipsey Hussle’s 2018 album “VICTORY Lap.”
Popcaan has been recognized by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), where he earned Silver certifications for “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” and “Should’ve Been Me,” which featured Naughty Boy and Kayla and also “I’m In Control” with Aluna George. His two latest albums released in 2019 and 2020 have also been recognized, and he received plaques from Billboard for both. The artiste has expressed in the past that he has a great love for music, and it was an “awesome feeling to be acknowledge for di hard work.” Saying he makes music for his fans and peers, he stressed that numbers do not lie.
Even on the heels of his latest accomplishment, Popcaan is still celebrating the success of his recent cameo appearance on veteran reggae singer Beres Hammond’s virtual show “Love From A Distance.” Both artistes did a preview of their soon-to-be-released track “God is Love.” Although Popcaan has done numerous collaborations over the years, this one is different as it is the first one they are doing together. The track is slated to be released this Friday.
In 2019, Billboard named “Good Times” among the Greatest Dance Songs of the Decade, which further cemented the song as one of the greatest singles released in the 2010s.
During a 2015 interview in Trinidad, Popcaan revealed that he was the first artiste to record the song and had actually recorded a full version. He also revealed at the time that he was not too thrilled about recording with the often controversial Atlanta rapper.
“I was the first person to record on that track still, I actually recorded a full song,” Poppy said. “Then they were telling me about another artist would be featured on that song but I didn’t know who it was at the moment. Because you done know how they do their thing. They reach out to other people and after a time I heard that it was Young Thug. It did also took a while to through because you done know that we are from Jamaica so we have to run people file. It wasn’t my choice you know because Young Thug kind of shaky.”
Congratulations to Popcaan on securing his first Gold certification. Perhaps a Grammy award is up next.
