Dancehall Artist Kranium On Why Jamaicans Are The Most Influential People In The World, Gal Policy, And Making The Ladies Melt
Jamaican artist Kranium grew up with dreams of making it big on the reggae scene, but if you ask him to pick another career outside music, he doesn't hesitate. “I probably would be like a surgeon or something,” he mused. “I feel like as a kid growing up in the islands, your parents always tell you about being a doctor or a lawyer.”
He then chuckled as he re-imagined himself as some sort of singing doctor, stitching up a patient and laying down a serenade in the operating room. It's this same sense of humor and charming persona that plays out in his music.
Fortunately for his fans, he found his calling in music and he’s been treating their ears with one smooth Afro-fusion Caribbean after another ever since. “[My vocals] is my superpower because I've seen it done a lot of magical stuff,” the 29-year-old told BET Digital before breaking into an impromptu riff. “Once I used my voice, a woman just melted in my arms.”
Born Kemar Donaldson in Montego Bay, he emigrated to the U.S. as a kid and was raised in Queens, New York. With a musical palate infused with his Jamaican heritage and New York upbringing, Kranium has been finding a broader audience. He released a steady stringle of singles and EPs, with his breakout song, “Nobody Has To Know” landing him on Atlantic Records’ radar. His latest release, “Gal Policy,” is proving to be a modest success, racking up nearly 8 million views in four months, and even spawning a remix with Tiwa Savage just in time for the summer season.
“Gal Policy is basically about a man who has a wife or a girlfriend that he chose as No. 1 but he has somebody on the side and that person isn’t following the rules,” Kranium explained of the song’s title. “I personally think cheating is wrong. But, if you’re gonna do it, you gotta do it responsibly. You can’t make the woman who is No. 1 in your life feel like she isn’t.”
On BET Digital’s latest installment of 106&Park Mic Check, Kranium broke down why he feels Jamaicans are the most influential people in the world, the weirdest fan interaction he’s ever experienced, his dream collaborators and more.
Get acquainted with the dancehall star below:
