The WYFL rhythm began shaking up dancehall last last year, but the man behind it was still moving with the same quiet energy that built it in the first place. Soft-spoken, measured and almost reluctant to embrace the spotlight, producer CrashDummy, born Curt White, is now at the center of one of the genre’s biggest movements in years and he knows exactly what he set out to do.
“I really wanted to make the sound cross over into the international market a bit more and that was really my sole focus,” he explained during an interview on Entertainment Report on TVJ. “The sound itself is big enough to take us to those other countries as well.”
The Toronto-based Jamaican producer has become one of the most talked-about names in dancehall thanks to the runaway success of the WYFL rhythm, a trap-fusion production that has peaked at No. 1 on the US Reggae iTunes Chart and headline for the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart next week.
Officially released as compilation project last Friday May 8, 2026, The WYFL Riddim The Album united names like Buju Banton, Vybz Kartel, Chronic Law, Mavado, Skippa, Nigy Boy and even international acts including Remy Ma, Fabolous and NLE Choppa.
And despite the buzz, CrashDummy insists the mission was always bigger than one viral rhythm.
“I wanted to show that we in Jamaica as well can produce high quality music production — similar, comparable to your favorite rappers, your favorite pop stars,” he said. “If we can find a way to be comparable with other genres, then we will bridge the connection with other artists in those regions.”
He credits distance for sharpening his creative direction.
“It’s easy to be influenced by what is running the place right now,” he said. “Me being in Toronto, it’s very few songs make it all the way to Toronto from Jamaica. So I’m not hearing a lot of what’s happening.”
That separation, he believes, helped him hear dancehall differently.
The name “Crash Dummy” itself came long before the music success. According to the producer, the moniker was gifted to him by dancehall star Aidonia after a series of reckless driving incidents.
“Yeah, I was known for testing cars, driving them fast, but as a result, getting in a ton of car accidents,” he laughed.
But there is nothing reckless about the producer’s approach to music.
Before WYFL, CrashDummy had already been quietly building his résumé. He also credits Aidonia for giving him his first major breakthrough.
“He gave me the opportunity first with ‘IG Girls’ on a bigger scale, which is a song I produced for him that did very well,” he said.
From there came years of development alongside collaborator DJ Mac.
“Me and DJ Mac, we’ve been working over the past three years,” he explained. “We started with Chakka Rhythm, which was released in 2023. Then we went 2024 with Fiesta Rhythm… and now coming into 2025… we had to find something. Found WYFL.”
For years Trap dancehall has been given a bad rap for moving away from 90s dancehall drum patterns.
“Trap fusion would be the best term for it,” CrachDummy said.
But for him, the conversation isn’t about abandoning dancehall traditions. It’s about evolution.
“If we continue to use the dancehall sounds that we’ve grown up being used to, it may not cut through to the next stage,” he argued.
He believes Jamaican music still has “a lot of room to grow” sonically — especially internationally.
“And people have been saying that for dancehall on a whole,” he noted. “That hurts.”
Crash Dummy says WYFL was designed specifically to challenge that narrative.
“It gives the platform for us to deliver our messages and be accepted for the quality that it’s providing,” he said. “The result speaks for itself.”
Pushing back against suggestions that dancehall needs outside intervention to become Billboard-ready, CrashDummy referenced comments from Shaggy in a World Music Views interview about production quality. Making it clear that the polished sound of WYFL was intentional from the beginning.
“I was the one building the post arrangements for the Chronic Law and Nigy Boy, Mavado, all of those,” he explained. “All the songs were post-produced by me as well.”
That hands-on creative control is central to his process.
“I handle the post-production and bringing the songs to life,” he said. “I’m very hands-on with my projects. I like to work alone as it pertains to the beat production and creativity side of things.”
While CrashDummy handles the sonic architecture, DJ Mac, he says, handles the streets.
“He’s a marketing genius as well,” CrashDummy said. “He’s very connected in the streets… especially given the dynamic that I’m in Toronto and he’s in Kingston.”
And the producer believes the industry should pay closer attention to the producer-artist relationship moving forward.
“I would like for the artists to be more open to the producers’ suggestions,” he said. “Direction and production is very key to the end result.”
He also challenged artists and producers alike to stop chasing trends.
“Let’s not follow each other,” he said. “Not because you hear WYFL you go and do the same thing.”
Instead, he hopes the rhythm becomes a template for innovation.
“I would hope it sets the stage for them as well and gives a template for everyone to follow,” he said.
Now with the rhythm gaining traction in the United States and other international territories, Crash Dummy says the focus remains on expanding the movement rather than selling it.
“There’s no labels that I firmly believe can come in and help it to grow any further than it already has grown,” he said.
At 36 years old, the producer knows the moment matters, not just for him, but for dancehall.
“I want to show the power of what Jamaica can do,” Crash Dummy said. “Once we all rally together and we have a rhythm behind us, we can really tap into different markets.”
