The Jamaica Premier League (JPL) has identified dancehall as an entertainment partner and will be acknowledging producer Tarik “Rvssian” Johnston with the Icon Award at the Wray & Nephew Super Finals on May 19.

Chairman of Professional Football Jamaica Limited Christopher Williams explained that he was pinpointed because of his contribution to the genre.

“We sat down and said dancehall is our partner. So what we have to do is to bring our partner to the Super Finals with us. We considered how to do it, and decided against a concert because everybody expects a half-time show. We then decided to do a salute, and opted to go to the producers because they get very little notoriety. It was a no-brainer [to choose Rvssian] because he’s hot right now — he has been hot. He’s old school, and he’s also new school, and we needed to come out of the gate with a bang and let everybody understand the direction in which we’re going,” Williams told the Jamaica Observer.

Last year Rvssian made a return to the dancehall music scene in a big way when he dropped a re-working of the Go Go Club rhythm, which he retitled Dutty Money rhythm.

A few months ago Rvssian released Payment Plan rhythm.

Meanwhile, Williams said that dancehall had been incorporated as a partner because of the appreciation the local football players have for the genre.

“The players eat, sleep, and breathe dancehall. It is their motivation when they’re training; it is their celebration when they score a goal. It is what they play in their changing room or when they’re hanging out. It’s the only thing they know. So when I witnessed that and saw how engrained it was in their psyche, that’s when it was decided,” he said.

He added: “I’m not from the communities, nor a dancehall artiste, nor a balla [football player], it was just so amazing to see how intertwined these young men were with dancehall.”

The chairman also said that, in ensuing years, other dancehall producers will be acknowledged.

“We’ve already thought out the next three years and, trust me, we have some gems. Remember the rhythms drive the songs, and the producers drive the rhythms, so when we started to put that list together we got fills because the rhythms are so strong. It’s going to be exciting for the next few years when we honour these various producers,” Williams told the
Observer.

The final four teams in the JPL include Mount Pleasant FA, Cavalier SC, Arnett Gardens FC, and Waterhouse FC. The first leg of the semi-finals will be played today at Sabina Park in Kingston.