Considered a birthplace of hip hop, the Bronx in New York has never been short on hip-hop talent. It’s where Jamaican Kool Herc gave the movement its identity in the mid-1970s, and Grandmaster Flash spat his first rhymes.

Trap Shotta Rally was born in Linstead, St Catherine but moved to the gritty New York borough when he was age 11. He credits Bronx for his love of hip hop and dancehall.

Now based in Atlanta, the deejay/rapper did a rare move in November by releasing two albums on his label, TSR Records. Shotta Life is straight hip hop, while Dancehall Trap The Album covers the latest trend in Jamaican music.They have a total 26 songs with Life of The Party being his current single.

While releasing two albums simultaneously goes against music industry norms, Trap Shotta Rally sees nothing wrong with bucking conventional trends.

“I have a label an’ that gives me the freedom an’ independence. So, why sit on the music?” he asked.

Trap Shotta Rally began recording 10 years ago, but got immersed in music through his uncles’ sound system which played mainly in the Bronx. Their set list was dominated by dancehall music which kept him in tune with the latest sounds out of Jamaica, but hip hop in his adopted hometown was just as infectious.

With an admiration for the Notorious BIG and Bounty Killer, juggling both genres has never been difficult for Trap Shotta Rally, whose given name is Rohan Wilson.

“Mi love an’ do hip hop jus’ like an American, an’ as a Jamaican doing dancehall comes naturally,” he said.

­— Howard Campbell