Words by LargeUp Crew
Konshens continues the rollout of his upcoming album Red Reign with “Pay For It,” a radio-friendly dancehall duet with Spice.
The followup to last month’s “Can’t Stay Sober” is Konshens’ first collaboration with the queen of dancehall, and the latest of many releases with Rvssian. The beatmaker previously produced Konshens and the late J Capri’s “Pull Up To Mi Bumper” and featured Konshens on his 2017 single “Privado,” alongside Latin stars Nicky Jam, Arcangel and Farruko. Konshens also appears on Rvssian’s “Hard Drive” with Shenseea.
“Pay For It” follows a similar musical trajectory as another of Rvssian’s productions for Shenseea: ”Lighter” with Tarrus Riley. Like that tune, it’s short and dramatic, unpacking its storyline in just over two minutes. The back-and-forth banter between the two artists may also remind listeners of some more vintage dancehall hits, namely Lady G and Papa San’s “Round Table Talk” and Vybz Kartel’s “Ramping Shop.”
The video brings us deeper into the storyline as Konshens plays a Coaster bus fare collector who takes a shine to a passenger played by Spice. (Spice recently noted on her IG that this is the first video appearance from her alter ego “Grace.”) She’s got her own money, though, and ultimately his offer to “pay for it” and buy her nice things isn’t accepted.
The decision to set the video on a Coaster bus is a nice touch. These cost-effective, independent (some might say “renegade”) alternatives to public buses are known to crank the latest dancehall at loud volume, and typically come adorned with bold slogans pulled from one dancehall tune or another. In “Pay For It,” the windshield reads “Miami Vice,” which could be a reference to the ‘80s TV series, but is more likely inspired by Vybz Kartel’s hit song “Miami Vice Episode.”
Listeners can expect more new music from Konshens as he continues rolling out tracks from Red Reign, currently anticipated for a release in late Summer via Ineffable Records. The album marks Konshens’ first release through the label arm of the multi-faceted Oakland-based music company Ineffable Music Group.