THERE’S more to Taugea “Countree Hype” Dayes than meet the eyes. The red-hot producer is also a certified nursing assistant and a professional chef.

“I didn’t have to switch from what I studied because I already knew that I was going to do music. I was just waiting on the right opportunity while gaining different experiences in other career fields,” Dayes, 27, told the Jamaica Observer’s Splash.

He is the producer of Intence’s Yahoo Boyz, arguably one of the songs of the summer. Since its release in July, Yahoo Boyz has featured on local YouTube trending charts, while maintaining top positions on Amazon, Audiomack, Spotify, and Amazon reggae charts. And thanks to a complementing dance, Yahoo Boyz is arguably the hottest song in the country.

“I wasn’t surprised that Yahoo Boyz has taken off the way it did. From you hear the song’s intro, the dancing and the fun vibes all contributed to it becoming popular. It was just the right timing for this song because due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown for more than a year, people wanted to get back outside. We heard that the country was going to open up back a little bit, so we intentionally planned to come hard for the summer with Yahoo Boyz,” the producer explained.

Dayes said he met Intence through a mutual friend in 2019 and knew they would have collaborated on a project. The opportunity, however, presented itself this year.

“The idea for Yahoo Boyz came about naturally. He (Intence) was in Cayman Islands (in June) and while he was in quarantine for couple weeks, he was voicing a lot of songs because he said that he had to drop a summer banger. When he started voicing the song, he sent a preview and I was like: ‘A Yahoo Boyz it name, enuh’,” said Dayes. “The rest is history!”

Dayes hails from Spalding in Manchester. The 27-year-old currently resides between Jamaica and Florida, where he has a home studio.

He attended Spaulding High School, then studied at the Knox Community College (Cobbla campus in Manchester) to become a nursing assistant.

“It was my idea to pursue studies as a nursing assistant. When I finished high school and I decided not to stay home, I spoke to the Member of Parliament for my area, Mr Richard Azan, and he advised me that I could gain the experience. I studied it for a year,” he said.

“I come from a family who cook very well, so from an early age I began to cook. I studied food & nutrition and home economics while attending Spalding High and also at the HEART Trust/NTA at Above Rocks and Boys’ Town campuses. I am a qualified chef de parte,” he continued.

While he never worked as a nursing assistant, Dayes worked as a chef at Chinese and Japanese restaurants as well as in the hotel sector.

Although he ghost-produced several projects for two years, it wasn’t until 2017 that Dayes decided to create Countree Hype Entertainment. The first song he produced under the label was Mr Death by Paco General and Masicka, released four years ago.

“No one introduced me to music. The influence of music was around me since from as long as I can remember. I was recording my favourite songs on blank cassettes since the age of eight — long before social media and smartphones. I am self-taught for over 13 years. My late grandfather was also a music producer based in Canada,” he said.

Since then, he has worked with a long list of acts including Jahvillani, Chronic Law, Rytikal, Deep Jahi, Sizzla, Teebone Takeova, Fresh King and Quaiboss. He has done work with overseas-based acts including Dutchavelli (from the United Kingdom), Japanese (from Panama) and Trillary Banks (from the United Kingdom).

Some of Countree Hype Entertainment’s rhythm projects include Crown Royal Riddim (2018) which featured Shane O, among others; Dengue Riddim (2020), which had the Alkaline hit song Cree, and songs by Intence and Deep Jahi; and the Explain Riddim.

He believes his work ethic separates him from the other producers in the marketplace.

“I would say dancehall is a very competitive genre with lots of talented individuals but I would also say that my work ethic and good relationship with most artistes separates me from others,” he said.

“I do music on my own terms, not for individual awards or achievements. If I receive them, I will gladly take them, but I’m more focusing on creating a foundation and a catalogue of work for my next generation to inherit,” Dayes added.