Interview: Papie Keelo Talks New EP, Working with Shawn Storm, Pioneering Trap Dancehall and More

October 1, 2024

For almost a decade, Dancehall artiste Papie Keelo has been making a name for himself through catchy songs, as well as music videos that coincide with the culture and everyday reality. His tenure in what looks to be a long-term career has also involved him working with notable act Shawn Storm, as well as setting trends which have spread like wildfire throughout the Jamaican music industry.

Yardhype conducted an interview with the deejay to gain more insight into this talent, as well as matters associated with his promising career. To begin, we inquired about the sustainable connection which exists between Papie Keelo and Shawn Storm who most recently collaborated on the track ‘Faith’. The single forms part of Papie Keelo’s debut body of work— “Super Bold EP Vol. 1”.

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A post shared by Papie keelo Di spanish Boss (@papiekeelogram)

“The connection with Shawn Storm was there long time,” Papie Keelo said. “Growing up, I was a Gaza Fan. Vybz Kartel is like my idol, so, growing up, I used to only listen to Vybz Kartel. When they had ‘Street Vybz’ I used to go there to see them and party in the club where they were at and tried to connect myself as an artiste, who was still a fan, at the time.”

The entertainer went on to explain that during those nostalgic Street Vybz Thursday stagings, he would only greet Vybz Kartel, Shawn Storm, and the other members of the Gaza clan. There wasn’t much room for lengthy conversations. However, eventually Papie Keelo landed a collaboration with Shawn Storm, and have since worked together several times.

“It’s a real feeling to know you’ve been listening to these people on the radio as a young person, and then you finally get the chance to collab with them on one track. That’s bad!” he told Yardhype.

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A post shared by Papie keelo Di spanish Boss (@papiekeelogram)

Fortunately for Papie Keelo, the freshly released deejay is a part of his EP— a dream come true. As for the entire body of work, he noted that the ‘streets’ have been giving nods of approval.

“It’s a good vibe because everybody has been playing it, purchasing… I’m getting a lot of interviews. So, we have a lot going on,” he said.

Adding that he is the full package in Dancehall, Papie Keelo reasoned that he doesn’t mind the evolution of the genre, and believes others should embrace the changes, as well. He also said that he is confident that he would be able to perform any variation of Dancehall.

“Dancehall before, and Dancehall nowadays is a good vibe. Yuh cyaa try tek everything for yourself. Whether it’s Trap Dancehall or the original vibe… people still party and people still enjoy it. So, I wouldn’t compare myself to first time Dancehall. I’m still young enuh, so the root of Dancehall would match me. Any form of Dancehall match me,” he detailed.

In the same breath, the deejay said that he popularised trap Dancehall in Jamaica almost a decade ago, however, he has not been given due credit.

“When mi drop mi first trap style song, and go to Uptown Monday, people used to cuss… the selector and say that’s a Hip Hop vibe. But, I knew exactly what I was doing. I was just trying to create something fresh. Many people say that they created trap music, but that’s a lie because I’ve been here doing that before many of them even existed. Many of them who say they are trap artistes took my image,” he emphasised.

Check out his latest Trap Dancehall endeavour, a song titled ‘NY’ off his EP below.

Despite the hurdles, Papie Keelo still hopes to team up with Vybz Kartel, Travis Scott and Offset.

In the meantime, the deejay is encouraging emerging acts to remain persistent in pursuing their musical dreams.

“Don’t get tricked by the capping lifestyle, and the lies that a lot of artistes tell. Don’t follow or believe in that. Just keep writing music and believe in yourself. Try work on your craft to get better. You can be the best in the world, you know? Don’t think less of yourself just because another person ‘reach’. Most of who you think ‘reach’ don’t even reach anywhere,” Keelo said.