Long Beach, California was ground zero for the gangsta rap movement that erupted during the early 1990s. It was the stomping ground for edgy rappers like Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Warren G.
A native of that city, Muka listened to those acts and became a rapper in her teens. Recently, she stepped out of her comfort zone to record Aye You, a dancehall song with Jamaican deejay Dizzle JA.
They agreed to a collaboration after Mika performed at the Pool Party Sundayz Summer Series in downtown Los Angeles, a weekly event promoted by Dizzle JA.
Produced by Copilot Records, the song was released on August 1. It is Muka’s first dancehall song.
“I have limited knowledge of dancehall music but I always admired it and Jamaican culture,” she said.
As a longtime Southern California resident, Dizzle JA is familiar with the region’s buoyant hip hop scene. He is also aware of dancehall’s successful ties to the genre, with several Jamaican artistes recording songs with their hip hop counterparts over the years.
“It’s always good for dancehall artists to do collaborations with different genres, especially hip hop artistes,” said Dizzle JA, who is from St Thomas.
The rugged setting in African-African communities in Long Beach inspired early gangsta rap music, most notably The Chronic, the 1992 album by Dr Dre. It contained songs like Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang which featured Snoop Dogg (then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg).
While she was weaned on those sounds, Muka said she listened to some dancehall music. She points to Buju Banton, Beenie Man and Sean Paul among her favourite Jamaican artistes.
— Howard Campbell
