Toppa Top 21: 21 Artists To Watch For 2014

21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
January 27, 2014

16. Alkaline
alkaline-sting
Photo: Varun Baker

Alkaline definitely has people talking. The young deejay claimed last year to have tattooed his eyes and, while this may or may not be a publicity stunt, it caught the attention of Vice, which turned eye tattooing into a social media meme last week. At home in Jamaica, the attention has centered more on his tunes, like “Things Mi Love” and “Gyal Bruk Out.” (There’s also his “dancehall in space” outfit from Sting, above). We won’t claim to be particularly impressed by either, but we can definitely understand their appeal with young Jamaicans raised on Vybz Kartel and Tommy Lee. —Jesse Serwer