Growing up in Long Beach, Southern California, Muka listened mainly to hip hop. Being African American, she identified with that sound which made mega stars out of other ‘Cali’ acts who emerged from the ‘hood’, including rapper Snoop Dogg and producer Dr. Dre.
A chance meeting with Jamaican deejay Dizzle JA resulted in ‘Aye You’, her first dancehall song.
“I came across Dizzle JA at a pool party where I performed and instantly wanted to do a dancehall/ hip hop song. I have limited knowledge on dancehall music, but I always admired dancehall music and Jamaican culture,” she said.
Produced by Copilot Records, ‘Aye You’ was released on August 1. While her knowledge of Jamaican culture was limited, Muka tuned in at times to Beenie Man, Buju Banton and Sean Paul.
Dizzle JA was also eager to step outside his comfort zone and record a song with the potential to reach the hip hop and dancehall communities.
“It’s always good for dancehall artists to do collaborations with different genres, especially hip hop artists. This is also my first time doing a song with a female artist,” he said.
From St. Thomas parish in eastern Jamaica, Dizzle JA was raised on dancehall music. For several years, he has been an integral part of the Los Angeles dancehall-reggae scene.
He has released a slew of albums including ‘My Time Now’, ‘Benzion’ and ‘Sex Tape’.
