Aidonia is championing unity in dancehall amid his link-up with Busy Signal.
The dancehall veteran gave an electric performance at Sandz New York over the weekend, an event he is a longtime supporter of. Following the tragedy of losing a child in the last year, Aidonia is focusing on the music as he calls for a united front from dancehall artists. In his post-performance interview just off stage with OnStage, the dancehall star opened up about life after his beloved departed son and what’s to come in music.
The dancehall star says he has a compilation project coming titled “Occupied Mind,” which he easily already has 30 songs for. Aidonia has amassed a lengthy tracklist over the time that he says he has been recording music nonstop. His latest single, “Frsh Drop,” is also a part of the project, and there are more music videos to come.
“A jus music keep we going everyday all day; the fans and the music,” Aidonia said. He explained that he is still living for his son just as he was for the duration of his child’s short life.
He continued, “’cause a one Khalif and everybody know what Khalif means to me – a mi one child yuh know dem deh way deh? So mi family and mi friends dem deh deh but a just music a occupy the mind and just a keep we from fall in a ting called depression.”
Ultimately, Aidonia says, unity in dancehall is the aim so that its stakeholders may see the genre live out its full potential. The deejay, who recently shared a post with Busy Signal on Instagram, says there are more surprises to come as he is leading with action.
“We as a dancehall we need fi unite,” he said. “That a the way forward fi the music not fi yuhself. Every man buss and every man a star inna dem own way and dem own right but for the music it’s bigger than us. It’s bigger than Aidonia, it’s bigger than any name wah yuh waan call. It’s always dancehall and the music before anything so we need fi unite. Yuh even see the vibes with me and Busy and people love it? A whole heap more shockers deh deh fi dem. We been a talk bout we aguh show dem through action.”
Aidonia and Busy Signal recently came together to end a decade-long feud when they both shared a photo together on Instagram. The unexpected post came as a shock to many dancehall fans who know the history of the longstanding grudge between the two dancehall artists who were members of rival factions for most of their careers. Thankfully, that chapter has come to a close, and the artists are hailing unity as the way forward.
“Dancehall and Jamaica needs this,” Donia continued. “We done see wah a gwan inna Jamaica and the world and as a music we just need fi unite and show the world the power of dancehall because dancehall is very powerful. Whole heap of genres of music was created from dancehall. But jus tru the unity and just to how we a live with one another inna di industry, we just waan change all a dat, unite and show the world what Jamaica and what dancehall is about and own back the space.”
Aidonia doubled down on his cry for unity when he appealed to Jamaicans to put an end to senseless crimes. “Man dem need fi wake up dawg and jus have ambition and jus a push fi summn inna life dawg. Anybody can mek it bro so the man dem fi jus tek life serious and stop kill off di people dem,” he said.
Didi is back full-fledged as he takes on upcoming dates across the U.S. and Caribbean, advocating for love, unity, and peace.
