Bob Marley is credited with bringing the world Reggae music which still reigns as the number one selling album on iTunes (Legends Remastered). Scan the Reggae top 10 singles and you will find “Three Little Birds” as number one, followed quietly by Shaggy’s “It wasn't Me”. In fact when you scan iTunes you will find more “Top 40 Adult Contemporary (AC)” Reggae, it’s what the rest of the world is snapping up. But… what happens when other artist grow cold, have no new material and need to get back on the “hot now” train? The answer; switch music genre’s so you can appeal to a wider audience and find a style that others have already done, and then hop on their train. Well if you are a young artist like Jr. Pinchers, you are the Locomotive, the lead conductor, and the train station everyone else uses to get back on top.
"Back Broke", technically is an Electronic song according to iTunes, the largest digital music retailer in the world, and does not easily fit the current radio format of dominate stations like Irie FM, known more for their smooth Reggae vibes and news based morning shows hosted by Ron Muchette. So how does an artist from Jamaica, whose fan base knows him more for soft Reggae love songs, do on radio dominated by controversial dancehall singles laced with lyrics that get them banned off of the radio as fast as they can play them? Quite well, Jr. Pinchers first single is enjoying heavy rotation on Irie FM; Zip FM and Hit FM among others and is gaining momentum/stations daily.
How does this match up to what Jamaicans are listening to on the radio in Jamaica? I took a look at some of the charts used in Jamaica to gauge the top 20 songs. If you use “Richie B’s Energy Beat chart” or “Stampede Street Charts” you will find that what is popular on iTunes does not match up to either chart. I also took some time to review the top singles on both charts and realized that in Jamaica it’s all about the Dancehall (Jamaica’s answer to Hip-hop/Rap of the U.S.). Dancehall is more bravado, more sexual, and grittier than the smooth vibes of Reggae music. Enter any dance hall in Jamaica, you will find more of the “dance” in “Dancehall” and people who will jump from the tops of speakers rising 2.5 stories high. Dancehall is that pent up frustration that needs an outlet on the weekends, so you can go back to work Monday with a clear head.
Juniors’s new style has caught the attention and hearts of the people of Jamaica, so much so that other artist took notice almost immediately. Back Broke is the first single off of Jr. Pinchers as yet untitled 2nd album is a mash-up of hip-hop, Rock, Pop, Dance, and Electronic music all rolled into one, a style that Twinz Beatz call “Slop-Hop.” Reviewing these charts you also realize that what SloppiShizzle Records artist Jr. Pinchers and Producers Twinz Beatz are doing does not fit into either genre, a clear departure from the traditional Reggae or Dancehall album. Dancehall albums in Jamaica are more a mash-up of singles from the top ten to twenty artist playing on the radio with albums released by TAD’S, Roaring Lion, JamJam, and VP Records. Scrambling to release new music, many artists have hit the boardrooms and basement studios to replicate this "new sound". The streets aren't the only ones who noticed these "copy cats". Jr. Pinchers stepped into the studio and recorded a track which can be called a "dis track", but he says he's "just keeping it real"... you be the judge.
Listen/download the new track called “Imitators,” from his SloppiShizzle Records Official Website then give your feedback directly to Jr. P via email(JrPinchers@SloppiShizzleRecords.com)then call your local radio stations and demand they call out all the "Imitators" on their stations by name… But I could be getting ahead of myself, after all “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, but I somehow doubt that other artists are being sincere.
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