Caribbean-tinged music is everywhere on the radio right now. From PARTYNEXTDOOR and Major Lazer’s massive dancehall banger “Run Up” to Drake’s incessant sonic dives into island culture (“One Dance,” “Blem,” “Mama Riddim,” etc.), it looks like pop’s patois lyrics and breezy rhythms aren’t going anywhere soon. But for all the superstars embracing the dancehall-meets-pop trend, there are as many emerging artists blessing the internet with fresh interpretations of pop’s new direction. One noteworthy offering is “Hotspice,” created by Paper Son (Nick Lee) and Halima Edozie-Akinlade, two NYC college kids. On the sonically flirtatious track, Halima turns “hotspice,” a British-Caribbean slang word, into a catchy-as-hell refrain with her Lauryn Hill-esque vocals and silky rap-singing — aided by Paper Son’s bubbly production (look out for a sprinkling of iPhone sounds).”‘Hotspice’ is slang for someone who’s hot and you’re like, ‘Oh, they’re hotspice!'” Halima (who was born in New Jersey and raised in London) explains.
Halima and Paper Son are both putting serious thought into their creativity and careers, training themselves for world domination. Halima is a student at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and Paper Son is enrolled in Juilliard’s Jazz Studies program. The pair perfectly embodies a generation raised by the internet, possessing a remarkable DIY approach to making music. “I mostly do my recordings in my room,” says Halima. “It’s a safe space. I’ve been doing it from such a young age that I thought everyone made music like that. I didn’t realize there were so many different fragments that other people — producers, engineers, and topline artists — often handle.”
The two are also well-versed in explaining their art, too. Nick’s stage name “Paper Son” is a reference to the Chinese Exclusion Act passed in 1882. “The U.S. banned all Chinese immigrants,” he explains. “The only exception to the rule was if you had a father living in America, then you could immigrate. So a lot of young Chinese men assumed the false identity of being the son of someone already living here. My grandfather was a paper son.” He credits his grandfather for shifting his musical focus from jazz to pop; it was right after his grandfather passed away a few years ago that he created his first pop track.
Despite still working on their musical educations, Halima and Paper Son are already stepping into the big league: they’ve released “Hotspice” through the independent label BonFire and made the song available on iTunes and all major streaming services, and, well, have caught i-D’s eye. When we asked how they plan to follow up this perfect carefree summer melody, their answer was simple: continue making great songs. Check out i-D’s exclusive premiere of the song that will be stuck in your head this week.
Credits
Text André-Naquian Wheeler
Image courtesy of artist