Found in the Inbox: Popcaan Brings Portmore to the World on “Never Sober

Andrae Sutherland grew up in Portmore, Jamaica, where, the Rive Video Promotion campaign for “Never Sober” says, the easy roads led to drugs and crime. From the age of seven, Popcaan trained as a vocalist and performer instead, in the tradition of the Jamaican musicians who came before.

Spotted by an idol

The break came at a local talent contest, where Vybz Kartel, Popcaan’s idol, spotted the young singer. A feature on “Clarks” followed, then international hits from “Only Man She Want” to “Ravin.” The campaign says Popcaan became the first dancehall artist since Sean Paul to be playlisted on the BBC, soon followed by a US Billboard chart placement, and earned a loyal fan in Drake along with features with Busta Rhymes, Snoop, Pusha T on “Blocka” and Kanye West on Yeezus.

Where We Come From

“Never Sober” comes from the debut album Where We Come From on Mixpak Records. The campaign calls it a fresh take on dancehall that does what the genre has always done, “sculpting global pop and world club into Jamaican shapes,” and a rare album-length statement in an age of singles: “a headphone-friendly album with soundsystem-sized ambitions.”

Why it was in the inbox

As the campaign quotes Wayne Marshall: “Nimble with the syllables, sometimes Popcaan’s flow nods to Kartel’s fluid flip-tongue tumble, while elsewhere his badman balladeering recalls a modern wailer like Mavado.”

Watch the official video

Release details and quotes from Rive Video Promotion’s campaign for “Never Sober.” This feature updates Exposed Vocals’ original April 2016 post.