Words by Jesse Serwer—
The growing consensus in dancehall seems to be that Konshens is its newest breakout star, a status he’s achieved not by following formula but rather with his diversity. The deejay has called out rasta imposters, larged up Jamaica’s dancing scene with “Do Sum’n,” made one of the biggest girl tunes in a while in “Gal A Bubble” and, in a rare misstep, gone the shameless crossover route with “Jamaican Dance.” But his latest move may be his most interesting one yet: he’s gone the gospel route with his feature on Richie Stephens’ “The Lord’s Prayer.”
In a video for the tune, from Stephens’ God Is On My Side LP, Konshens crashes a service at Richie’s church, attracting the ire of one parishioner (“Nobody a bubble in here!”). But, just as he’s done with dancehall fans in the last year, he quickly wins over his doubters with some uplifting deejaying in combination with Stephens’ soulful singing, while the camera offers us diverse slices of Kingston life that testify to the unity we see in the church service. Plenty of dancehall acts have gone the gospel route, from Ninjaman to Papa San but it’s notable to see one who’s at the top of their game do it, even if it is just one song. An interesting move, and an excellent video.