Dancehall artiste Malie Donn’s début EP, The Grand Rising, is scheduled to be released on November 15 via VP Records.

The 10-track set, which features the bonus track Code Life with Skippa, sees Malie Donn working with a variety of producers, including Attomatic Records, Dan Sky Records, and DJ Mac.

The first single released from the project, Don Julio, was released on November 1.

“The track Don Julio has been in the pipeline for some time now. The massive and the audience been asking for that song, so it was highly anticipated. I believe this one is going to make an impact,” Malie Donn told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

He said the title of the EP represents his musical growth.

“To me… it signifies growth in my career and, seeing that it’s my first project ever, this is me taking it to the next level. But I need to do some more work before I consider releasing an album. Me, personally, just put together a project to put out to the world and my supporters,” said Malie Donn.

The deejay said he invested a lot into the project.

“This one is personal… [I]t was my intention, my dream, to have this EP done,” he shared.

Haiti, Uptown, Rich Forever, Energy, 7:00 featuring Armanii, Powaz, Cry featuring Squash and She Bad, are some of the tracks included on The Grand Rising.

Malie Don said that some of the songs on the EP were recorded from as far back as last year.

“I used to drop songs daily, but since the constant travelling have slowed things down a bit. I don’t have the time to voice songs as much as before. Majority of the songs on the EP were voiced from last year; you saw the uprising of me last year. Life just got busy and I had to put the EP on pause to focus on shows overseas,” Malie Donn, whose real name is Kimalie Hylton, disclosed.

Last year was a big year for the deejay. He scored a massive hit with V6, which was produced by Ireland Records.

With the song’s success major labels came calling. However, Malie Donn didn’t own the master for the song, and this prevented him from clinching a deal with a major record label.

He said he has learnt from that experience: “I’ve learnt a lot since then. I don’t regret it, sometimes you have to learn the hard way. I have gotten more educated, I have a better understanding of the business…”

Malie Donn is known for the hits Crook, Bank, Militancy, Cups Up, Rum Please, and Miss Grippy.

Asked if he thought the impact of dancehall music influences children and how he balances that with his type of music, the deejay said: “Music is a very powerful influence on children. I saw it when I was growing up. I was listening to Vybz Kartel and, trust mi, it really influenced me and mi behaviour. Music is more powerful than people think… We, as artistes, a nuh like we nuh know that, but we haffi learn that this thing is a business and business has consumers, and how yuh product ago sell? Yaw fi gi dem what dem want. If yuh nah sell what dem want, then yuh ago lose. Music is just like any other business.”

He added: “It’s not our job to protect the kids from listening, that is the parents’ job. That’s why when yuh get a TV, yuh see parental guidance on it, the remote, yuh set it so that its kids-friendly.”

Malie Donn is originally from Spanish Town, but he grew up in Portmore. He also resided for a time with his grandparents in St Mary, when his mother decided to relocate overseas to better provide for the family. His father also lived overseas.

On the point of whether his music, which targets primarily women, comes across as degrading, Malie Donn said: “To each his own. Everybody has their own opinion, and everybody haffi fend fi dem self. Their opinion naw put food pon my table… And why are we making money from this type of music? Obviously there is a market for it. It all comes down to the individual and how they look at it. My grandparents, dem don’t like the music weh mi sing. My madda, she a Christian but she understand. More while she say if mi cyaan mek a full clean song weh she can show har fren’ dem. She just pray to God that mi ago transition mi talent inna some more positive songs, a dat she tell mi.”