The 12 months’s most dominant dancehall riddims usually emerge through the winter, and that a lot is true for “WYFL,” a DJ Mac and CrashDummy manufacturing that has taken the Caribbean and its diaspora by storm. Launched on the precipice of vacation season final 12 months (Nov. 25), “WYFL” is a slinky, sensual quantity that’s anchored by a sticky, alluring move, courtesy of rising Jamaican dancehall star Skippa.
“Dangerous b—h a suck e software fi Brazilian hair/ Say she love di crime, dah gyal don’t have any care/ And plus her man a gi’ her battle, di mount a ting him a hear,” he rhymes in that magnetic first verse, his vocal efficiency sitting someplace between menacing and seductive.
That tonal mixture has helped “WYFL” shortly dominate nearly each nook of the dancehall enviornment. Ladies can discover one thing to latch onto in Skippa’s whispery candy nothings, whereas males can respect the steely entice parts that give the riddim its groove. And that a lot has been mirrored via the litany of “WYFL” remixes which have emerged over the previous few weeks.
A quick overview of the “WYFL” riddim unveils catchy, continuously viral variations from Vybz Kartel (“SYM”), Spice (“Clear and Recent”), Ding Dong (“Bun Bun”), Mavado (“Dangerous & BBC Wealthy”), Shatta Wale (“Hazard”), Kabaka Pyramid (“Poisonous”), Bugle (“Rasta Stulla”), I-Octane (“Prime Gyalis”), Tina (“Watch Bracelet Ring Chain”), Charly Black (“Slim Dolly”) and even NLE Choppa (“Watch Me Now!”). Even content material creator Girl Lykez scored a viral second by spitting a curry hen recipe over the riddim.
And that’s not an exhaustive checklist. A brand new tackle the “WYFL” riddim hits social media virtually each day, and it’s that form of cross-generational and cross-cultural attain that makes it such a novel monitor — and a possible industrial powerhouse. In line with Luminate, Skippa’s “WYFL” has earned over 2.9 million official on-demand streams within the U.S. — a determine that’s virtually positive to extend because the tune continues its crossover into Caribbean diaspora cities, gathering extra remixes alongside the way in which.
“I had the riddim from final October,” DJ Mac, who’s helmed previous hits like Ayetian and Machel Montano’s “Fact & Stability,” tells Billboard. “Usually, we attempt to go for drum-and-bass-type riddims, stuff that’ll play properly within the events. We don’t actually go for conventional dancehall, however there’s nonetheless some entice in there with the drums and the snare. It’s the right match.”
By the start of November, Ding Dong, the creator of the long-lasting “Badman Ahead, Badman Pull Up” dance, was the primary artist to report over the riddim, and the identical evening he laid down his vocals, Mac introduced the monitor to Skippa, who turned it into “WYFL.” The next day, Valiant hopped on the tune, remodeling it right into a full-blown riddim, which got here as one thing of a shock to the 26-year-old producer.
“It was really between this riddim and one other one,” he explains. “I wasn’t even serious about “WYFL” as the one. I used to be juggling 5 totally different songs; the intention was by no means to give attention to this one. However God works in some very magical methods, and it grew into this. Skippa and Valiant satisfied me to [focus on this one].”
The riddim’s catchy vocal loop and trap-infused drums shortly received over listeners as “di place was getting again up there with the vitality after [Hurricane] Melissa,” says DJ Mac. “Me and Skippa been working some time now, and our chemistry is unmatched. We’re a dance and social gathering tradition; we dwell for the drum and the way laborious it hits.”
Although “WYFL” made a near-instant influence regionally, the magnitude of its potential didn’t really register with Mac till Continual Legislation hopped on the riddim. “I used to be like, ‘That is going to positively be the riddim of the 12 months,’” he displays after listening to “Badness Improve 2.0”. “Particularly as a result of we post-produced his otherwise from Skippa’s. [Each artist] has a special model of the rhythm for themselves. Continual’s begins with a deep bass, and Skippa’s begins straight away with the kick drum.”
That strategy of barely altering the riddim for every artist — which CrashDummy pushed to make use of — is a nod to traditional previous dancehall riddims like “Punany.” Small sonic variations make sure the riddim avoids redundancy as extra artists be a part of the social gathering. Naturally, this method helped “WYFL” win over older dancehall superstars like Mavado and Buju Banton.
“I swear mi run up and down inna di home, bro; I needed to name my mom,” Mac says, remembering when he first noticed Buju’s “X-Rated” freestyle on Instagram. “I couldn’t imagine it — as a result of the craziest factor is, I used to be really speaking with a pal about attempting to get Buju on the riddim, and subsequent factor I do know, he drops a freestyle. Manifestation is actual; it’s thrilling, man.”
DJ Mac launched his star-studded Ups & Downs debut album final 12 months, so don’t anticipate a brand new studio LP anytime quickly. Within the meantime, he’s placing the ending touches on Valiant’s upcoming album and readying a two-part WYFL Riddim album. One facet will compile the dancehall remixes, and the opposite will host all of the worldwide takes, together with a couple of yet-to-be-unveiled Latin artists. Subsequent month (April 19), he’ll kick off his WYFL Tour on the Village Underground in London, with North American and European dates to be introduced quickly.
“Generally I really feel a stress to prime myself — as a result of naturally, as a human, you need extra,” Mac says. “Ambition is a really annoying factor, however I nonetheless have enjoyable in creating. It’s a method, bro. I’ve performed it earlier than, so I can do it many times and once more. Simply larger this time.”
