Ascension into the American mainstream market is the ultimate dream for most dancehall entertainers, most of which spend years grafting in their musical careers, dropping song after song with the hope that one will hit the jackpot and break the barriers of international stardom. Rising dancehall artiste Ria Rania, whose real name is Racquel Service intends to break these barriers by mesmerizing and captivating the audiences’ attention with her style, versatility, creativity and adaptability.
Over the past decade there has been a bleak trend in the American music industry as it relates to dancehall music. The trend signals a curious case where only a handful of dancehall releases receive the international nod of approval and make their way through mainstream hip-hop/r&b charts and maintain credible airplay circulation . It’s fair to say that even though hundreds or even thousands of dancehall tracks have been released over the past several years, the ultimate and despairing truth is that only a select few end up being chosen to wave the coveted mainstream banner of success. While there are a plethora of issues that contribute to the majority of dancehall songs unsuccessfully making the transition into the American mainstream music spectrum; Ria Rania believes she has edge over those artists who have failed, identifying language barriers and a lack of authenticity as the main culprits.
“Songs struggle to crossover because a lot of the current dancehall artists are trying to mimic artists in different genres, like in Hip-Hop, for example. These dancehall artists are putting themselves in boxes that they don’t belong to. They are trying to force it so the delivery becomes hard to comprehend and ends up sounding unnatural and unappealing in my opinion. I have an edge over most because I’m able to switch up my accents and be fluent without much effort, be it dancehall, pop or hip-hop,” Ria told HipHopSince1987.
Ria Rania has been no stranger to the hip-hop scene with her breakthrough rap hit ‘If You Choose Me’ garnering rave reviews since its release in 2020. The single has been hailed as one of her most prolific songs, with some even comparing Ria’s rapping delivery to the likes of legendary Grammy-winning female rapper, Eve. In the midst of the mass appeal that ‘If You Choose Me’ generated since its inception on streaming platforms, Ria credits her initial success to several household hip-hop musicians that paved the way for her and promises to use what she has learned to fuel her international music journey while remaining true to her Jamaican roots.
“There are so many people in the rap game that have helped me to deliver stylistically. I have studied and learned from many of them. I have so much respect and gratitude for artists like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Diddy, and Nelly, just to name a few. Much like these icons before me, I see myself making music for everybody worldwide to enjoy. I see myself in the next 5 years being one of the biggest entertainers worldwide while representing my country, Jamaica,” Ria explained.
Albeit the current music climate where only a sparse portion of local dancehall hits transcends into international mainstream popularity, Ria hopes that her latest collaboration ‘Flea Market’ with Billboard charting artist Charly Black, who she respects with the utmost gratitude, will become the next hit song in line to gain worldwide notoriety. On the Reggae Itunes charts ‘Flea Market’ so far has peaked at #2 in Switzerland, #6 in France, and #15 in the United Kingdom since its global release in October 2022.
“The song is doing so well and I’m so grateful. Through the grace of God and through the hard work from my team, my music journey is reaping deserving rewards. I have to say big up to Charly Black for believing in me. Charly gave me the opportunity and introduced me to the world with ‘Flea Market’. He handed me the baton and said go girl, go out there and win, so it’s my responsibility to take that baton and run with it until I achieve glory,” Ria told HipHopSince1987.
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