Major Lazer’s WALSHY FIRE
Announces Debut Solo Album ABENG
Featuring Top Names in Dancehall & Afrobeats including Mr Eazi, Wizkid, Kranium, Ice Prince, Demarco, & More
Shares Video for Lead Single “No Negative Vibes” (feat. Alkaline & Runtown)
ABENG is out June 7th via Mad Decent
“a multi-genre and multi-lingual deep dive into the unbreakable connections between the African continent and the Caribbean — a historical and still evolving musical synergy that’s already manifested in the birth of everything from reggae to salsa to zouk, to the full-circle bridging of soca and afropop.” – The FADER
Walshy Fire, the MC of Major Lazer and producer and international DJ alike, gathers his friends from Africa and the Caribbean for his debut solo album ABENG, a first-of-its-kind album bridging the two regions, set for release June 7th via Mad Decent. Listen to lead single “No Negative Vibes” (feat. Alkaline & Runtown). Full tracklist and more information below.
WALSHY FIRE – “NO NEGATIVE VIBES” (feat. ALKALINE & RUNTOWN)
ABENG was inspired by the Jamaica-born, Miami-based DJ, producer and MC’s roots in the Caribbean dancehall scene, and his recent travels across Africa. The title ABENG refers to a horn instrument brought from Ghana to Jamaica and used by runaway slaves to communicate across long distances.
With Major Lazer, Walshy regularly toured Africa over the last five years — travels which have allowed him to fulfill his dream of helping bridge the divide between the regions and the broader African diaspora. ABENG brings together some of the biggest names in Afrobeats and Afropop with top dancehall, soca and reggae artists from the Caribbean for unique pairings of artists from each region across each track, like the lead single “No Negative Vibes” featuring Runtown (Nigeria) and Alkaline (Jamaica), and a remix of Walshy’s debut single, “Bend Down Pause” featuring Wizkid (Nigeria), Runtown and Machel Montano (Trinidad).
Other artists featured across ABENG include Mr. Eazi (Nigeria), Ice Prince (Nigeria), Demarco (Jamaica), Masicka (Jamaica), Adekunle Gold (Nigeria), Nailah Blackman (Trinidad), Vanessa Mdee (Tanzania), Stonebwoy (Nigeria), Timeka Marshall (Guyana), Bunji Garlin (Trinidad), Ketchup (Nigeria), Shizzi (Nigeria), Efya (Ghana), WurlD (USA/Nigeria) and Christopher Martin (Jamaica).
“The intention is to make the Caribbean and Africa have a conversation that is louder, and in the same studio or the same stage, at the same time,” Walshy says of ABENG, which he speaks more about in a new interview with The FADER.
“No Negative Vibes” is out now and available across all DSPs.
ABENG is out June 7th via Mad Decent.
Walshy Fire – ABENG Tracklist:
01. Call Me (feat. Mr Eazi & Kranium)
02. Round Of Applause (feat.Ice Prince & Demarco)
03. No Negative Vibes (feat. Alkaline & Runtown)
04. Outside (feat. Adekunle Gold & Nailah Blackman)
05. Xcellent (feat. Ice Prince & Masicka)
06. Amazing (feat. Stonebwoy & Timeka Marshall)
07. African Lady (feat. Ice Prince, Jay Newton, & Vanessa Mdee)
08. No Laziness (feat. Ketchup & Bunji Garlin)
09. Show You Off (feat. WurlD & Shizzi)
10. Until The Dawn (feat. Efya & Christopher Martin) [Remix]
11. Bend Down Pause (feat. Wizkid, Runtown & Machel Montano) [Remix]
ABOUT WALSHY FIRE
Walshy Fire is an international DJ and producer; ambassador for Caribbean music and culture; and one-third of Diplo’s massively-influential, reggae/dancehall-inspired EDM outfit, Major Lazer. While performing on some of the world’s largest stages and contributing production to Major Lazer’s albums, he has used his platform to shed light on rising talents within the Caribbean, helping launch the careers of Chronixx, Jesse Royal and, most recently, Koffee, whose breakout hits “Toast” and “Throne” he co-produced. In 2014, Vice tapped him to host Season 2 of its Noisey Jamaica documentary series, exploring dancehall and the “reggae revival” movement then taking the island by storm. When not touring with Major Lazer, Walshy balances his time with solo DJ events around the globe, including his signature Rum & Bass party.
Follow Walshy Fire: Twitter // Facebook // Instagram // Soundcloud
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