{"id":106221,"date":"2026-08-18T21:09:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/106221\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T21:09:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:09:14","slug":"masicka-talks-barclays-center-show-slip-slide-forever-reign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/106221\/","title":{"rendered":"Masicka Talks Barclays Center Show, \u2018Slip & Slide\u2019 & \u2018Forever Reign\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tIf DJ MAC & CrashDummy\u2019s \u201cWYFL\u201d riddim<\/a> soundtracked the winter months of late 2025 and early 2026, then Di Genius\u2019 \u201cHill & Gully\u201d riddim picked up the mantle for the springtime.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile \u201cHill & Gully\u201d has undoubtedly traversed genres<\/a> and generations<\/a> \u2014 thanks to its infectious incorporation of the Jamaican folk music<\/a> tradition known as mento \u2014 Masicka\u2019s take (\u201cSlip & Slide\u201d) is, by most accounts, the buzziest version of the riddim. According to Luminate, \u201cSlip & Slide\u201d has collected over 3.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams through Aug. 15, with its official YouTube music video boasting over 10.7 million hits. The official \u201cSlip & Slide\u201d sound also currently plays in 360,000 TikTok <\/a>posts and over 7,000 Instagram Reels<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMi seh [\u201cSlip and Slide\u201d] was gonna be a banger from when I recorded it,\u201d the Portmore native tells Billboard just days before his arena-headlining debut at Brooklyn\u2019s Barclays Center. \u201cMi neva seh it woulda run so fast, but mi definitely knew it would have that impact. The ladies love it, them just grab it up suh. It\u2019s a feel-good vibe that had to be pon di album, and mi have some more songs like it so that the ladies can hold a vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSince the arrival of his 2021 debut album 438, which won dancehall<\/a> album of the year at the 2023 Caribbean Music Awards<\/a>, Masicka has cemented himself as dancehall\u2019s brightest star this decade. He followed up 438 with the profile-raising Generation of Kings, which peaked at No. 2 on Reggae Albums, spawned hits like \u201cTyrant\u201d and \u201cLimelight,\u201d and gave way to a slew of smashes over the next few years, including \u201cHit & Run\u201d (with Shenseea & Di Genius), \u201cWhites\u201d and \u201cMute.\u201d With over 57 million official on-demand U.S. streams earned in 2026 through Aug. 18, Masicka certainly has the numbers to claim dancehall\u2019s crown \u2014 and his new Forever Reign album adds yet another stellar collection of songs to his remarkably consistent body of work.<\/p>\n

\n\tMasicka recorded Forever Reign, which arrived on Aug. 14 via Def Jam, around the world. Comprised of sessions hosted across Jamaica, Canada and Nigeria, the dancehall superstar\u2019s third studio album underscores his global, Black diaspora-centering approach to music. Across a rich landscape primarily helmed by celebrated Jamaican dancehall producer Dunw3ll, Masicka further infuses his signature foundation of trap-inflected dancehall and contemporary reggae with \u201800s hip-hop (\u201cShakazulu\u201d) and Afrobeats (\u201cG Wagon,\u201d with Blaqbonez), making for a triumphant 17-track set that reiterates why Masicka has exclusively dominated the cherished lane of streetwise crossover star this decade.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt took a lot of maturity to get where I\u2019m at now and to take the music to a different level,\u201d he reflects. \u201cThis album is definitely more on the uplifting side, lots of hope and self-belief.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOak Tree,\u201d which Masicka recorded in Jamaica, sets the tone for the album, blending percussive, midtempo dancehall production with tales of tenacity and perseverance. On Forever Reign, Masicka deejays from a place of genuine maturity: he\u2019s no longer the scrappy yute navigating Portmore\u2019s streets and the underbelly of its music industry; he\u2019s now an award-winning, top-selling musician with an international record deal and the kind of wins he dreamed of as a child.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut what do fulfillment, self-assuredness and inner peace look like on the other side of that mountain? The two duets that open and close the album \u2014 \u201c1Psalm\u201d (with Damian \u201cJr. Gong\u201d Marley) and \u201cParables\u201d (with Lila Ik\u00e9<\/a>) \u2014 attempt to answer those questions by keeping faith and gratitude as Masicka\u2019s guiding principles.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDamian Marley is a real lyrical artist,\u201d Masicka gushes. \u201cWhen we linked up for the session, I actually had the first verse and the chorus already. Mi go and play maybe 14 or 15 other tracks for him; as soon as I said, \u20181 psalm a day, dem wicked,\u2019 him a fly up inna di session, boot up, and just start deejaying. He finished the second verse, and we ended up recording three songs together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThose kinds of organic collaborations are the crux of Forever Reign. In addition to Marley and Ik\u00e9, Nigerian rapper Blaqbonez and rising new-gen trap-dancehall artist Kraff Gad also appear on Masicka\u2019s new LP. While the Blaqbonez-assisted \u201cG Wagon\u201d delivers an Afro-dancehall banger that came out of a Nigeria-set studio session that also included Victony and Ruger, \u201cHonor Roll\u201d finds Masicka lending his star power to dancehall\u2019s ascendant class of youngsters.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a way, Masicka is in his J. Cole-\u201cMiddle Child\u201d<\/a> era. His ability to seamlessly flit between generations is also on display on \u201cShakazulu,\u201d which flips 50 Cent\u2019s 2003 Billboard Hot 100<\/a> No. 1 smash \u201cIn Da Club\u201d for a club-ready bop. Between tracks like \u201cShakazulu,\u201d \u201cSlip & Slide\u201d and lead single \u201cSpend,\u201d Forever Reign doesn\u2019t completely abandon the club, nor does it leave the ladies stranded; versatility is the record\u2019s North Star, and three albums in, Masicka has perfected his sonic range to the point that it simply flows out of him.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMi used to write \u2014 and if mi have di time, I would still write \u2014 but it\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve written a chorus or a verse,\u201d he reveals. \u201cMaybe five or six years. [More often than not], I\u2019ll have an idea, drop down a piece of it, and then go work in my home studio. There, I can freestyle, listen to it back and finish it up. I\u2019m more of an on-the-spot person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBack in March, Grammy-nominated contemporary reggae star Protoje told<\/a> Billboard that\u201cevery time Masicka does a feature, he lifts the song and stays on topic. He listens to the original verse and chorus and shares a perspective on that specific journey. He\u2019s flawless.\u201d Throughout its 47-minute runtime, Forever Reign proves exactly why Masicka is so respected by his peers and celebrated by listeners \u2014 his intentionality and overwhelming love for the craft.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd he put both of those on full display with his very first headlining show at Brooklyn\u2019s Barclays Center on Saturday, Aug. 15. The Reggae Fest-presented<\/a> show packed out the NYC arena and featured several surprise guests, including Swizz Beatz, Tarrus Riley, I-Octane, Vanessa Bling, Keznamdi<\/a>, and Elephant Man<\/a>. With an upcoming headlining set at Toronto\u2019s Oasis Music Festival (Aug. 29) ahead of next month\u2019s Caribbean Music Awards (Sept. 19) \u2014 where he boasts five nominations \u2014 Masicka also has his eyes set on a proper tour of the States, Africa and the U.K. And he\u2019s already formulating a deluxe version of Forever Reign, as well as his next studio album.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI put it all back into the music,\u201d Masicka says. \u201cI don\u2019t say yes unless I genuinely like the record. If I can\u2019t enhance the track, then what\u2019s the point? It\u2019s always a joy when we can share a moment or complement each other on a song. It\u2019s a good feeling when di peers dem love di music and recognize di work. Them see me as one of di men who\u2019s bringing things to the next level. We love di work we do. We just try to stay focused and see how we can better ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n


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