Ghost Pepper rhythm bringing the heat
The Ghost Pepper rhythm, courtesy of Upsetta Records and Loud City music, peaked at #5 on the iTunes US Reggae Chart.
Speaking on the achievement, Thomas Dubee of Upsetta said he is pleased to see dancehall projects on the major charts.
“It’s true in many ways that dancehall is not charting the way it was, let’s say, 15 to 20 years ago, but everything goes in cycles and it’s a sound that is too influential and addictive for it to ever go away. It’s the job of the labels, artistes, producers, and promoters to see what works and what doesn’t,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
Paying homage to the early 2000s, the Upsetta Records/Loud City Music compilation features Bugle, Sizzla, Leftside, Badda General, Bobby Hustle, Darrio, Cappa Caliente, Ghandi, Prohgres, and Ras Ajai.
“We knew our debut dancehall rhythm needed to be something that brought the heat, so to speak. The first few versions of the rhythm that Dante worked on were great, but just not quite ‘hot’ enough. Once Loud City sent over their version we knew he had it,” explained another member of the Upsetta trio JJ “Dante” Vezina on the inspiration behind the project’s name.
“The original plan for this version was to be a single, but the artiste fell through and we decided the rhythm was worth a juggling. Bugle, Leftside and Sizzla have been three of our favorite artistes from selecting over the years and having them be a part of this historic release for us was a no-brainer.”
Debee added: “We had several projects, including Ghost Pepper, in the works as the pandemic hit and it slowed progress down quite a bit.”
Founded in the early 2000s, Upsetta Records went from playing on their turntables to making the hits in studio. Alongside a steadily growing modest discography, Upsetta Records has also delivered such stellar projects as Grammy award-winning Koffee hit debut Burning and Dutty Man by Romain Virgo, as well as Winning Right Now by Agent Sasco.
