While “rapper” often pops up beside his name on social media, P.Nology is not one for labels when it comes to music. He is willing to try anything once it involves creativity.

That is how the British artiste felt as he and American rapper Shifty P recorded I Am, their first collaboration together. A blend of “bashment”, hip hop and ska, it is produced by DJ Karim, who has worked with top acts such as Sean Paul and Sizzla.

They were in Jamaica last May to film a video for that track in Kingston and Negril. It was the first time P.Nology met DJ Karim after one year of correspondence by phone.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Karim, he’s very creative. It was nice to see the face behind the voice,” said P.Nology.

His initial recording of I Am is from The Blacklist, an EP of hip hop and R&B songs scheduled for release this year. After listening to beats DJ Karim sent him, he had a particular liking for a track with a unique feel.

“When I heard Karim’s beat, I knew that was the remix. I’d like it to take off in Jamaica more than anywhere else, seriously. It’s a new type of sound, it’s not every day you hear ska with hip hop,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

DJ Karim has had considerable success with remixes, the best known being Sean Paul’s Get Busy.

P.Nology was born in Coventry in the British Midlands to Barbadian parents. He lived for four years in their homeland, which helped him appreciate sounds from the Caribbean.

Although most of his songs lean heavily to hip hop, many of the artistes he admires are Jamaicans, including Sizzla, Turbulence, Garnet Silk, Buju Banton and Bob Marley.

I Am was his third release for 2022, following Get Ya Body Loose and the original version of I Am.

P.Nology plans to release a number of songs in 2023, including a collaboration with Turbulence.