Dancehall legend Cham is entering a new chapter in his career—one marked by reflection, global resonance, and the upcoming release of his third studio album Sherlock, 25 years after his debut Wow…The Story was released. Speaking exclusively with World Music Views, the “Ghetto Story” deejay shared insights on the state of dancehall, his recent UK promo tour, and how three decades in music have shaped his perspective.
Cham’s career officially began with his breakout track “The Mass”produced by Dave Kelly in 1995—making this year his 30th in the business. “Wow. I didn’t even realize that,” he laughed. “It’s been a journey you can’t even put into words. At the beginning, it was just about helping my mom and doing something I loved. Now, it’s evolved into something that keeps transcending generations.”
He recently returned from London, where he participated in a special YouTube UK performance marking the platform’s 20th anniversary. The timing aligned with the rollout of his latest single, “Hustling In My Blood,” produced by UK-based Fanatix, (Master Piece, C Dot, and Dro) featuring Stephen and Damian Marley. The trip was a promotional blitz—five days of performances and press—anchored around both the song and the UK connection of his collaborators.
“It just worked out perfectly,” Cham said. “We planned to be there for the YouTube show, and then all the producers on the record are based in the UK, so we tied everything together—promotion, performance, connection.”
Though he wasn’t on the Wireless Festival lineup, Cham was in the crowd, soaking in the historic moment when Drake brought out Popcaan and to witness Vybz Kartel perform “Clarks”—for the first time in the UK. “That was a vibe,” he recalled. “Seeing Popcaan, Spice, Masicka, and that dancehall energy front and center… Wireless isn’t usually dominated by reggae and dancehall, so it was powerful. Even people who didn’t know all the songs showed up for the dancehall acts.”
Cham sees this growing UK and U.S. interest as a parallel to the early 2000s, when he, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Elephant Man, and Vegas were charting globally. “Those were Billboard records,” he said. “They charted because people bought them—not just the hype from shows. That’s what we need again—support the records, not just the vibes.”
On the topic of his absence from Bounty Killer’s historic Barclays Center show, Cham kept it diplomatic. “Killer would have to answer why I wasn’t on it. Would I have loved to be there? Of course. But sometimes there are other things at play.”
He remembers how the industry initially pushed back on his early crossover sound, calling songs like “Boom” and “Ghetto Story” sellout moves. He recalled people saying that he was trying to be a “foreign artist.” “But look now—those songs are classics. You have to give artists time and space to express themselves. Let them push boundaries.”
Cham also touched on the evolution of production quality, contrasting engineers of the past like Dave Kelly, Tony Kelly, and Bobby Digital with the newer generation. “Back then, producers were engineers first. The sound quality—the mixes and EQ—was different. But the new producers are talented. You’ll never hear me knock them. The music’s in good hands.”
Songwriting, Cham said, remains a central pillar of his artistry. “I’ve got a one in Literature, two in English,” he laughed. “Writing has always been important to me. You’re not always going to write your best song today, but keep writing, and tomorrow you might. Dave Kelly probably has 1,000 songs with me that never got released—but that’s quality control.”
His upcoming album Sherlock has 8 tracks and features production from Fanatix (UK), Kappa Shab, DJ Kareem, and Cham himself. Notably absent is long-time collaborator Dave Kelly. “This is the first time he’s not on a Cham project,” he revealed. “But everything good. We’re just trying different grooves.”
Cham also expressed admiration for Buju Banton, with whom he’s worked closely and say Buju also has an upcoming album. “That new Buju album? Fire. We were in the studio while it was coming together—it’s going to be something special.”
Reflecting on the 30th anniversary of Til Shiloh, Cham recalled his Calabar High School days when the album dropped. “Everyone wanted to be a Rasta after that. It had real impact.”
