Urban Gurillaz

Tag: dancehall

  • Riddim Report: YG Marley’s ‘Praise Jah In The Moonlight’ Goes Platinum in the UK

    Riddim Report: YG Marley’s ‘Praise Jah In The Moonlight’ Goes Platinum in the UK

    The Marley legacy keeps stacking plaques — YG Marley’s debut single Praise Jah In The Moonlight just earned Platinum certification in the UK, adding to its already impressive global run.

    The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) issued the Brit Certified Platinum Award on May 8th after the track moved over 600,000 units across the pond, measured by The Official Charts Company. Not bad for a song that started as a TikTok moment and turned into a worldwide phenomenon.

    From Tour Moment to Global Hit

    The track opens with a vocal sample from Bob Marley & The Wailers’ 1978 classic Crisis, with production and writing credits going to both grandfather Bob and mother Lauryn Hill. YG — born Joshua Omaru Marley — is the son of Rohan Marley and the Grammy-winning Hill, so the bloodline runs deep.

    Praise Jah caught fire after YG performed it during his mom’s “Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill” tour in late 2023. The song blew up on TikTok, leading to an official release on December 27, 2023. From there, it climbed charts worldwide:

    • No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart
    • No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100
    • No. 1 on the New Zealand Songs Chart
    • No. 11 on the Billboard Global 200

    The certifications have been rolling in: Platinum in the US (1 million units) in December 2024, 2X Platinum in Canada and New Zealand, and Platinum in France. It’s also racked up over 505 million Spotify streams and 62 million YouTube views on the official video.

    Building on the Momentum

    Since Praise Jah, YG’s been staying busy. He followed up with Survival, which sampled lyrics from his grandfather’s iconic 1979 album of the same name. He’s also collaborated with Davido on Awuke and Chloe on Never Let You Go.

    His latest single, FIYAH, dropped on May 8th — the same day as the UK Platinum certification. Timing’s everything.

    The Marley name carries weight, but YG’s proving he’s not just riding legacy — he’s building his own. With a debut single that’s gone multi-platinum across multiple continents, the kid’s doing something right.

    Stream ‘Praise Jah In The Moonlight’ wherever you get your music. ‘FIYAH’ is out now.

  • Riddim Report: Chris Brown’s ‘Brown’ Album Flexes Deep Jamaican Roots

    Chris Brown ain’t shy about showing love to the Caribbean—and his latest album Brown makes that crystal clear. The R&B heavyweight tapped dancehall king Vybz Kartel for “F#ck N Party,” a collaboration that’s already got people talking. But dig deeper into the tracklist and you’ll find track 6, “Hate Me,” carries a Jamaican connection most fans would never guess.

    The Hidden Jamaican Link

    “Hate Me” might sound like classic R&B—because it is—but the pen game behind it runs straight through Jamaica. UK songwriter James Essien co-wrote the track alongside Alan Sampson and Plested. Essien is one half of Pick Pockets Music, a creative powerhouse he runs with industry exec Isaac ‘Blak London’ Brown.

    Blak London’s got Jamaican blood pumping through his veins. His parents are from the island, grandparents hail from Kingston, Savanna-la-mar, and St. Elizabeth. “My mom was born at Kingston Jubilee, so a lot of my people are between Maverley, Red Hills and Rema—I’m full blown Jamaican,” he said.

    Four Years in the Making

    The track didn’t happen overnight. “We wrote this song like four years ago and Chris just picked it up six months ago,” Blak London revealed. His A&R instincts sharp as ever from his days at Empire Distribution, where he discovered James Essien before becoming his manager under Blak Friday Management.

    Essien’s not playing around either. The UK hitmaker landed three cuts on BTS’s latest album ARIRANG, including the monster single “SWIM” which shot straight to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. That made BTS the first South Korean act to debut at #1 on both the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 in the same week—with Essien’s pen helping make history.

    Chris Brown’s Jamaican Track Record

    This ain’t Breezy’s first time linking with Jamaican talent. The man’s been showing up for the culture:

    • 2009: “Brown Skin Girl” with Sean Paul (Graffiti album)
    • 2023: “Nightmares” with Byron Messia on 11:11 (hit #73 UK, #22 on Billboard R&B)
    • Remixed Konshens’ smash “Bruk Off Yuh Back”
    • Linked with Elephant Man for “Feel the Steam” (Let’s Get Physical, 2008)

    “Chris Brown thinks he is a yard man, you hear how he talks the Jamaican patois like a yawdie,” Blak London laughed. “When you meet him, he’s just so humble, just chilling and vibing with everyone.”

    The Blak Friday Vision

    Blak London’s doubling down on his Jamaican roots through Blak Friday Management. He signed dancehall rising star Monifa Goss five years back, and now that Essien’s catalog is heating up globally, he’s ready to flip the sound and give Jamaican artists that worldwide polish.

    With James Essien collecting placements on everyone from K-pop royalty to R&B legends, and Blak London steering the ship with his island instincts intact, “Hate Me” is proof that Jamaican creativity is shaping global music—even when you don’t see the flag waving.

    Brown is out now. Stream “Hate Me” and the Vybz Kartel collab “F#ck N Party” everywhere.