When it comes to self-confidence, established artiste I Octane has enough to pass around the room. With more than 15 years of musical experience under his belt, the entertainer believes he has paid his industry dues and isn’t afraid to showboat just a little. The latter is the reason the artiste has chosen to name his latest album ‘Dancehall Gift’.

I Octane believes that having contributed greatly to the local music business, his artistry is indeed a gift and dancehall simply would not be the same without him.

“This album is a dancehall gift and the reason why I named it that is because my fans have been asking me for some uptempo dancehall tracks and this project is giving them just that. I dropped an album before this called I Am Great and that was more on the positive side, social commentary, motivational etc so I just decided I was gonna do this and give the people what they’ve been asking for,” said I Octane.

“People a say dancehall dead and dancehall dis and dancehall dat, so I took the initiative to change the narrative. So this is dancehall’s gift from dancehall’s gift.”

Never one to pay attention to the critics, I Octane says he understands that by saying he’s dancehall’s gift, he may be rubbing some persons the wrong way. However, he told OBSERVER ONLINE that he could care less about the naysayers.

“If I say I am dancehall’s gift and people take offence to it, fine. You will have other people who love it. I believe in myself and I know how great I am. If people want to look at me negatively for naming my album that then so be it. I just know that the songs are fabulous, amazing,” he told OBSERVER ONLINE, indicating that he has done enough for the business to pat himself on the back.

“I paid my dues in dancehall. It nuh easy fi run the place. A lot of artistes out there become popular and have popular songs but is only few artistes run the place and I Octane is one. It’s there. History can tell you.”

“I am one of the greatest performers, I have a slew of hits. You can think about maybe 100 I Octane hit songs off the top of your head so mi deh yah so a pave the way. Mi close every major show in Jamaica, mi go every weh go raise the dancehall and reggae banner so me do a lot,” he continued. “Even if a person don’t like me personally, they cannot ridicule the work that I put in over the years. I don’t just believe that my music is a gift to dancehall, I know that for a fact.”

The album was released at midnight on Friday and was number two on the reggae iTunes chart in its first hour. The project features 10 singles.

Octane says the project will prove that not only is he a gift to dancehall but will serve to cement his status as one of music’s most consistent.

“I always say I don’t want to be the best dancehall artiste or the best reggae artiste. I just want to be the best I Octane so I know I am a gift to dancehall and reggae music. What would the music be without an Octane, if Octane never exist? I have contributed a lot to the music and my contribution has pushed the music from point A to point B,” he expressed. “And don’t get me wrong. Every artiste who contributes to the music is a gift to the music so I am not saying I am the only gift because I am not the only artiste that’s great and I am not fighting for titles. I just know I am the best Octane. I have done more than 15 years in music consistently. There is only one I Octane and what I have done in music cannot be erased.”

Emerging from the claws of the pandemic with what he describes as a renewed sense of purpose, I Octane says he’s looking forward to catapulting himself into the next phase of greatness or as he described it — I Octane 3.0.

“The pandemic was a blessing in disguise because what it did for me was change my perspective. I was too near the forest so I couldn’t see the trees’. That means I was always up too close and not willing to try different methods in the music and invest in other things, but with the pandemic, I had so much time I could reevaluate a lot of things,” he explained. “Mi have more knowledge of a lot of things and I’ve adjusted in a lot of ways. I have a different perspective on how I approach things and so now it will be like I Octane to the 3rd power.”