Bounty Killer says his upcoming album will show his diversity in musical styles.
In the song “Free Up”, his collaboration with Bunji Garlin that will be on the album, he swings south of the Caribbean to Trinidad and Tobago with a nod to soca in the track which is a fusion of Soca, Afrobeats, Dancehall and Reggaeton.
The collaboration is the culmination of years of friendship and mutual respect between the two artistes whose styles have been compared for years.
“This is a great friendship, I would say. We met back in the early days when I was just starting coming to Trinidad. He was like the second soca artist that I gravitated towards as I liked his crossover sound and I found his sound was similar to mine,” Killer told Loop News of his relationship with the Viking.
Garlin started his musical career singing dancehall, honing his lyrical dexterity on the streets of Arima, the Eastern Borough where he is from.
When he was introduced to soca, Garlin maintained the cadence and lyricism of dancehall, his gruff tones and lyrics reminiscent of Killer, who he says is his favourite Jamaican artiste.
Killer aka the Warlord and Poor People's Governor, said marrying their styles was something their fans have longed for.
“People always compared our styles and even said that if the two sounds were combined it would be a great link up,” said the Grammy Award-winning artiste.
“Well I must say I feel the same as Bunji, he had been my favourite soca artist from the time he emerged on the scene even until now,” he added, echoing Garlin’s sentiments about him.
“Free Up” was produced by Jamaican producer Christopher Birchill and is part of his Sambana Riddim.
The song speaks to the pandemic and the fatigue many are experiencing due to the attendant restrictions.
“The song "Free Up" was inspired by everything going on right now and they want to be freed up. A lot of people are growing tired of being locked down so free up came as an inspiration to the current happenings,” Killer said.
Speaking about his album, King of Kingston, Killer said it’s going to be a reggae/dancehall album because he is not confined to one genre.
“I do Jamaican music,” he stated.
King of Kingston will be his first album in 18 years and he said he wanted to make it special to showcase his diversity in musical styles.
“You will have different sounds on the album, Reggae, Dancehall and Hip Hop. I got the opportunity to work with many artistes in the past and I can say this album will feature a host of superstar surprises. I will not give away any more on it as the album is not quite finished yet. I would like to give the fans the opportunity to be surprised when it is released,” he said.
In a recent Instagram chat with DJ Khaled, the duo revealed that they will be collaborating on one of the tracks. Killer recently appeared on Khaled’s new album Khaled Khaled on a track with Buju Banton, Barrington Levy and Capleton.
King of Kingston will comprise two albums, each named after the two communities in Kingston where Killer grew up and where, he said, he got most of his inspiration as an artiste.
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