Recording artist and Wile Side Government originator Jahvillani has announced the release date of his album ‘Dirt to Bentley.’ The project will be released July 9, 2021. The 13-track debut is a triumphant expression of Jamaica’s youth-driven Dancehall.
The lead single for which the project is named is “Dirt to Bentley” which features the smooth vocals of New York-based Dancehall star Kranium. The two tell the story about their rise from humble beginnings (‘dirt’) to their successes (‘Bentley’). The follow-up single, “Pro-Gress” will be released on June 25th, 2021.
Dirt to Bentley was recorded in Jamaica with production from Tevin “YGF” Richards (for YGF Records), Adrian “Mastermind” Martin Lawrence, Ridwaan Razak, and Jahvillani. The collaborators take listeners on a sonic journey through Jahvillani’s ascension to his newfound life. The braggadocious sounds of celebration and retrospection are pushed to the fore. The atmospheric “1Gov’t Bad.Ness” sees the artist spitfire lyrics atop the grime-influenced bass-booming production. We see the convergence of Trinidad’s finest with Prince Swaany on “First Class Flight.”
The Skillibeng-assisted “Smooth” lives up to its name as it becomes a catalyst for an energetic lyrical exchange between the two artists. Both artists deliver slick lyrics for the ladies of the millennium who are his paramours; he dotes over the myriad of beauties who vie for his attention. Songs like “Love At First Sight,” “Powerful (Brand New),” “Dat Way” and “Broken” speak to his charisma.
Incisive and sharp, Jahvillani includes Trance1 GOV for “Scheme,” a boastfully canorous explanation describing the attention their presence demands. Over a repeated string chord “Pro-Gress” aptly illustrates the triumphant Afrobeat-inspired “GOD.ly”.
As the project comes to an end, Jahvillani delivers an introspective and plea-ful “Journey” before wrapping with “Jahvi 3:16,” the artist’s creative interpolation of John 3:16 that acts as an outro as he speaks more candidly about the lessons he has learned from life’s ups and downs.
Though his career is in its infancy, it’s clear Jahvillani has carved out his own space within Jamaica’s musical landscape and his ‘Dirt to Bentley’ is just the beginning.
