Alkaline fully focus on his Vendetta fans after hitting one billion views on YouTube and prepping for the return of New Rules Festival to Kingston.
Dancehall star Alkaline has had his ups and downs since jumping into the dancehall arena, but one thing keeps him going, and that’s his fans. The “Live Life” deejay has been heavily criticized by some and praised by others since jumping on to the scene back in 2015.
Alkaline and his team have constantly downplayed the negativity that he’s faced, and he recently told the Jamaica Star that no matter what he faces, his fans keep him going. He is currently getting ready for another installation of his New Rules Festival in Jamaica on July 2 at the National Stadium Car Park.
Even the millions of hits he’s gotten on YouTube so far cannot compare to the encouragement he feels when his fans respond positively to his music, he added.
The Vendetta Boss recently dropped a new single called “Static,” which was produced by Troyton Rami Music and Autobamb Records, and it has been doing well. That video already has over a million views. In fact, after it dropped on June 10, it immediately dominated the video app by grabbing the number-two trending position.
The track seems to be heating up the airwaves worldwide as it has charted in more than 44 countries and has even made on to Spotify’s Dancehall Official playlist.
The special thing about his upcoming performance is that it’s his first performance before a local Jamaican crowd in a while. As with most Alkaline announcements, the naysayers have already questioned his motives, with some even offering that he is no longer relevant to the Jamaican dancehall scene. This criticism he’s faced for many years but doesn’t seem to affect his efforts.
According to his team, the critics can say what they want because what matters is the fact that they rake in cash in ticket sales, and it’s no different for the forthcoming show. The team also revealed that tickets are already 70 percent sold out with limited availability of VIP cabanas.
He will be joined on stage by some of the big names in the genre at the moment, including Elephant Man, Aidonia, and Macka Diamond. His team also revealed that they reached out to some rising acts like Jahvillani and Skeng to join him at the highly-anticipated concert.
Alkaline created the New Rules Festival following an album tour. He was again motivated to do so because of the number of critics who constantly attacked his musical efforts. He recruited veterans like Mavado, Shaggy, and Tarrus Riley, as well as other acts like I-Octane and Jahmiel. The show ended up having a huge turnout, once again proving that he was relevant to the genre.
In 2018 he reached out to a more international market and launched the show at Amazura in Queens, New York. The “Champion Boy” deejay has done everything in his power to keep the critics at bay while providing tracks that his fans gobble up.
Alkaline is undoubtedly a polarizing figure in dancehall that draws large crowds of haters and lovers. Still, as long as his fans are good with what he produces, he’s going to keep pushing on in the uber-competitive dancehall space.
