Top notch music producer Damage Musiq is one of a new vanguard of producers who has continued to define dancehall’s constantly changing subgenres and sounds.

As 2026 unfolds, he has signalled his intention to stay on top of the game with the release of a various artistes’ album, Created by Pain, which boasts his best work — an album chock full of catchy and commercially successful club bangers, and raw street anthems which reflect the grit of the inner city.

“Well, the album speaks for itself – the title is Created By Pain, a sonic journey where pain transforms into power, it’s not just music, it’s a testament that brokenness can turn into beauty, re-shaping bad experiences into resilience,” music producer Dwayne ‘Damage Musiq’ Parkinson, chief executive officer of Damage Musiq Recording Label, said.

Some of the tracks on the Created by Pain album include Tommy Lee’s Blessings, Teejay’s From Rags to Riches, Tommy Lee’s Militancy and collab tracks by Shatta Wale, Masicka, Shane O, Shaniel Muir, Tamo J and other dancehall heavy-hitters.

Damage Musiq is known for creating infectious, radio-ready anthems. He has scored heavily with monster hits such as From Rags to Riches, a juicy cut which has accumulated nearly 115 million streams and was ranked as a top 5 song on YouTube at one point.

He gained major props for his work on Afrobeats star Shatta Wale’s Reign album, for which Damage Musiq provided the popular track, Mama Stories. The album debuted at # 6 on Billboard, earning the producer his first entry on the coveted charts.

Damage Musiq firmly believes in the producer’s role as a vital creative force in dancehall, shaping the sound, mood, and overall direction of the music. He said that trap dancehall is here to stay.

“Yes, it’s growing…trap dancehall is a new wave for the younger generation who consume hip hop and trap,” he said.

“The genre is very competitive because it varies and success depends heavily on what narrative the audience is consuming, so you have to be on the cutting edge.”

Damage Musiq is still churning out the hits as evidenced by the enthusiastic online response to a recent Popcaan single, Immortal Life, an uplifting song which is a testimony of growth, survival, and divine alignment.

The song appeared on Popcaan’s sixth studio album, Nothing Without God. Visuals for the track racked up over 1.7 million views on YouTube.

“We believe in pushing positive messages to the youths, that’s why the Damage Musiq brand aligns itself with artistes like Popcaan,” he said.

Damage Musiq is well aware of the digital challenges that dancehall faces in the coming year.

“Our challenges right now are AI-generated music , AI tools are rapidly lowering production costs and creating AI-generated tracks that can undercut royalties and blur authorship, which is a troubling development because of global competition,” the producer said.

He wants to be considered a “positive producer” even in an age where young teens who listen to trap and dancehall are enamoured with narratives that glamorize violence and criminality, and promote hyper‑masculinity.

“Positive producers shape identity and aspiration for youths globally by embedding messages of resilience, education, and community into rhythms that travel globally. I consistently promote constructive messages with my productions and seek out artistes who espouse more positive values of unity and upliftment…. I want to build a legacy that I can be proud of years from now,” he said.