* En anglais uniquement
Genre-bending Jamaican dancehall singer
Popcaan rose to international success in the early 2010s thanks to singles like "Only Man She Want" and "Party Shot." First as a prominent member of
Vybz Kartel's posse and later through work with
Dre Skull's Mixpak label as well as
Drake's OVO Sound roster, the versatile and prolific artist transcended genres through his own singles and on tracks like
Jamie xx's 2015 smash "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" and
Gorillaz's 2017 "Saturnz Barz," all leading up to the release of his 2018 sophomore album,
Forever. After the 2020
Fixtape mixtape, he focused on churning out singles including 2022's "Skeleton Cartier."
Popcaan's dancehall journey began in 2007 when he joined
Vybz Kartel's posse and was introduced to the Jamaican public via
Kartel's shows at festivals like Reggae Sumfest and Sting. Singles like "It Nuh Work So," "Jah Jah Protect Me," "Hot Grabba," and "Gangsta City" helped make
Popcaan a regular feature of Jamaican radio, but in 2010 he became a global reggae name when he landed on the remix of
Kartel's massive hit "Clarks." The year 2011 saw
Popcaan hit big with the solo singles "Ravin" and "Party Shot," but the next year's "Only Man She Want" hit even bigger, winding up on reggae and R&B radio worldwide along with aptly titled compilations like Reggae Gold 2012 and
Certified Boomshots.
As
Kartel landed in prison facing murder charges,
Popcaan became the leading artist in his mentor's camp, dubbed Gaza or Gaza Empire. Singles and mixtapes like 2013's Yiy Change kept the Gaza Empire in focus, while 2014's
Where We Come From broadened
Popcaan's horizon with electro production coming from Brooklyn's
Dre Skull. The album was released by
Skull's Mixpak label and debuted at number two on Billboard's Top Reggae Albums chart. In December of that year, a collaborative album between
Popcaan and the still-imprisoned
Kartel appeared under the title Gaza Unruly.
Over the next two years,
Popcaan's appearances on high-profile tracks like
Jamie xx's "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" and
AlunaGeorge's "I'm in Control," as well as a bevy of his own singles including 2016's "Ova Dweet" and 2017's "Family," ensured that he remained in the limelight as he prepared his second album. In early 2017, he appeared on
Gorillaz's track "Saturnz Barz" and served as
Drake's opening act during a stint in Europe. A year later, he delivered his sophomore full-length,
Forever.
Continued associations with
Drake led to
Popcaan's signing with
Drake's OVO Sound label in late 2018. His first effort was the
Vanquish mixtape, a ten-song project that saw release in December 2019. The
Fixtape mixtape appeared a year later in 2020 and again featured
Drake as well as guests like
PARTYNEXTDOOR and
Jada Kingdom, peaking at number 94 on the Billboard 200. Throughout 2021, he released and was featured on a barrage of tracks ranging from solo efforts like "Win" and "Wine All Day" to Solid Focus Riddim, a joint EP with Furnace and
Zamunda.
Popcaan's first solo cut of 2022 was "Skeleton Cartier." ~ David Jeffries