Popcaan is a breath of fresh air in an industry that is currently choking on the smog coming out of its speakers. Popcaan’s high-pitched high energy lyrics and delivery, creative slang, and catchy singles bring a wave of Dancehall hope into the overseas market, where “Ravin” and “Only Man She Want” have been gaining spins on urban radio.
Last night, Chromatic Sound unveiled Yiy Change, a 38-track mixtape of Popcaan’s latest singles, freestyles, and remixes that should satisfy the masses that have been waiting rather impatiently over the past year for Popcaan to drop a full-length album.
Yiy Change is kind of predictable, but extremely entertaining all the same. Off-the-cuff interludes from Popcaan, Vybz Kartel, and their cast of quirky Gaza affiliates (my favorite is the Track 34 ‘mad rass’ interlude, and all of the commentary from the “quick quick quick” dude), a guest appearance from his lyrically ill Portmore Empire breddrin Tommy
Lee, and some surprising lyrical gems make Yiy Change worth the storage space on my hardrive.
Popcaan’s freestyle over Wiz Khalifa’s and Snoop Dogg’s “Young, Wild, and Free” beat wards off the badmind and haters from the jump on Yiy Change’s sing-songy first track.“Pagans hate me so muuuuch/still me love dem baaaad…”
Track 5 (I am bit more than a bit peeved that none of the tracks were labeled…wait, did I type that outloud?) finds Popcaan chanting “dem know mi head mad/so mi tan bad/so mi tan bad” over Black Solidarity’s 1987 Mud Up Riddim. It’s refreshing to hear Popcaan deejay over Mud Up, and the Answer Riddim in Track #9, as opposed to the typical watered down American pop beat with a slight hint of Dancehall that most producers are using these days…
…but I digress…
Track 7 features Tommy Lee’s bizarre vocal style over Rookie Productions’ 2001 Superstar Riddim (made famous by Spragga Benz’ and Lady Saw’s “Back Shot Mi Love”).
Tommy Lee’s razor sharp lyrics and peculiar deliver make this track both fun and wicked to listen to.“Ain’t no other/lyrical bomber/explosive rhyme we a drop pon da’ one yah…” I’ve got to keep my eye and ear on Tommy Lee…
Popcaan flows seamlessly with rapper Ace Hood and an unidentified rapper on Track 11. Surprisingly, this is one of the better unofficial “Hustle Hard” remixes I’ve heard to date. “Born Bad” over rapper Meek Mills’ “House Party” beat is another one of Yiy Change’s standout tracks, as is Popcaan’s humorous American-esque freestyle on Drake’s “Motto” beat.
“Party Shot,” “We Nuh Fraid a People,” “Only Man She Want,” “Back It Up,” “Naughty Girl” and a few more of Popcaan’s recently released tracks round out the rest of Yiy Change. Overall,Yiy Change isn’t groundbreaking, earth-shattering or stellar, but it is a great representation of Popcaan – lyrically lively, energetic, versatile, and colorful.
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