Never expected it
Producer Notnice talks success of So Mi Like It
Music producer Ainsley “Notnice” Morris says he never expected the song So Mi Like It, recorded by queen of the dancehall Spice, to become as big as it did.
So Mi Like It, released in late 2013, is featured on Notnice’s Boom Box rhythm. The song was certified gold in Canada (40,000 units) in late July. Last Friday, it was certified silver in the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry for sales and streaming figures exceeding 200,000 units.
“Honestly, mi neva expected it fi reach weh it reach, mi nah go lie. The song was recorded at my studio, which was at Constant Spring Road at the time. Everything came together well. Spice came to me and said that she wanted a hit song, and mi just build the rhythm same time. She went home and came back the next day and we completed the song,” Notnice recalled in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Monday.
Spice, according to Notnice, was the first artiste to record on his Boom Box rhythm, which was released in 2013.
Some of the other songs on the project include Gyal Bruck Out by Alkaline, What Is This by Beenie Man, Wi Bad by I-Octane, and Tight Gyal by Chico.
“So Mi Like It wasn’t done in one take; it took long. What was special about the song are the lyrics and the beat. The dancehall sound is more accepted out in the world than the trap sound. The arrangement is catchy, the lyrics raunchy, and it grabs your attention. Da bass line deh inna di rhythm bad,” said Notnice.
He added that the promotion behind the song also contributed to its success.
“We burn like 10,000 CDs and give dem out all over Kingston. We promoted the song at street dances at nights, just a whole heap a promotion put inna da song deh,” Notnice said.
Aside from So Mi Like It, Notnice produced other songs for Spice, including No Matter What People Say, the Billboard-charting Ramping Shop with Vybz Kartel and Go Go.
“This latest certification for the song show mi dat the original dancehall sound has a foot[hold] on the international market. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment, a really good feeling,” Notnice shared.
Originally from St Mary, Notnice’s love for music was fuelled during his high school years, when he would often beat the desk at school to create rhythms. He later played around with the drum machine and, when he relocated to Waterford in St Catherine, he met Vybz Kartel, who took him under his wings and he began producing music for the Portmore Empire.
