Likkle Addi drops first solo EP

Dancehall star Likkle Addi is gearing up for the release of his first EP, the five-track Thugz R Us, this weekend.

This marks his first solo release, following his previous joint EP, Skinny Jeans, with his brother Likkle Vybz.

"I chose to release a solo EP to differentiate the sound of me and my brother, so listeners of our songs or listeners of dancehall in general can see the different personalities and styles of Likkle Addi and Likkle Vybz," the artiste said.

As the son of one of the biggest dancehall artistes, Vybz Kartel, the artiste also hinted that his father's influence was present in his music.

"My father is the inspiration behind almost all of my tracks, from how I construct my lyrics, the way I flow, vivid storytelling and my overall delivery and demeanour on tracks," he said.

In the music game for the past nine years, the 18-year-old artiste's first professional track was released in 2014, a collaboration with his brother titled Gimme Di Money. At the time, the duo went by the name 'PG-13' and have since rebranded as 'UTG', which also represents their production label, Uptown Gaza Records.

"I'm passionate about performing my music, seeing others singing my lyrics word for word, front to back; it is really an overwhelming feeling and it gives me a huge confidence boost," Likkle Addi stated. A few of his other tracks are Dollar Sign, Easy Does It and Popular, featuring his dad.

"I'm hoping this project will distinguish me from other dancehall artistes, because I've realised that this new generation of dancehall artistes have a tendency to recycle both lyrics and flows," the artiste said.