Skillibeng stopped by Power 106 FM in Los Angeles to have a chat with DJ Charisma. The topic of what Whap Whap means came up and Skillibeng says it has to do with the sound of a belt.
“I made it have multi reasons but in Jamaica its all about the belt sound, thats how a belt sound “whap”,
Dj Charsima then said “so this was inspired by momma whipping that ass, I love it ?”
He then said, “Sumn like that but thats where the whole “Whap” wave came from it was a Jamaican cultural thing.”
Skillibeng also explained how the Whap Whap remix came about with French Montana and Fivio Foriegn.
He said, “A case where French and Fivio wanted to be on the remix, it was two individual remixes, but you know both of them was cool, and both of them are two main stream artist, you know French is a major artist, I couldn’t say no to French.”
“Cause French was the one who made me know Kodak Black, and i listen to Kodak music and Fivio was that New Yorker that was rocking the city so it was all about just doing it,” he continued.
On the subject of dancehall musics reception on the Us Skillibeng says,
“They said dancehall is not or Caribbean music overall isn’t like poppin but surprisingly, I am.”
After signing a record deal with RCA records, last October, music producer Johnny Wonder said that Skillibeng’s entry into music will bridge the gap between Hip Hop and dancehall.
His strategy of punchline gun talk helped helped him to score several international features with his catchy, slow rhymes including a Crocodile Teeth remix with Nicki Minaj that gave him a Hot 100 debut. Bobby Shmurda and platinum selling British rapper, dancehall DJ Stefflon Don have used his slangs and punchlines for their own songs. Minaj’s remix helped to score a Billboard hot 100 chart hit peaking at 100.
When the original “Whap Whap” was released in March featuring F.S., there was a consensus on Jamaican sections of social media that the DJ fell off and that he was not living up to his earlier lyrically laced material.
Just last week Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that Jamaica should not be defined by “Whap Whap” and other trends that pop up in contemporary dancehall music.
In acknowledging the current popularity of the songs dominating the island’s YouTube charts, he said we can’t allow it to define Jamaica.
“We are being defined by some very limited things. Whap Whap and Chap Chap and Ensure… All of those things have their place, but it can’t define us. We should not allow that to define us,” Holness said during his address at a meeting of the Jamaica Labour Party in St. Catherine on Sunday.
Four months ago the Prime Minister said that his administration would not censor Dancehall artists or their lyrical content, per Dancehall Mag, even if depraved or degenerate, but would instead, privately utilize the usual gentle persuasion.
He told Anthony Miller that he is aware of the concerns raised in the general public about the distasteful content in much of the new music being released.
“There are many people who feel that the message has been diluted, diverted, and that though there is still talent, the talent may not be directed towards the social good,” Holness had said in an interview on TVJ’s Entertainment Report.
In August 2020 on Jamaica’s general election campaign trail, political hopefuls from both sides of the divide, brought into focus the influence of Dancehall to sway votes.
Watch full interview with Skillibeng on Power 106 fm
