The chief is ready to ‘Attack’ - Kacique tackles dancehall with ‘throwback’ vibe
Published:Thursday | September 12, 2019 | 12:00 AMKimberley Small / Staff Reporter
When Kacique, whose real name is Romaine Dailey, revealed that his favourite subject in school was history, everything made sense. Hailing from Manchester, this rising dancehall entertainer emulates a throwback flavour, both in sound and visuals, that takes us back to the ‘90s. Even the origin of his stage name, is a throwback to a much ‘taller’ time.
In the recently released music video, Attack, the lead single from Kacique’s upcoming EP called BADD, two female and one male dancers are captured on a rolling film reel, clad in ‘90s-inspired garb, wining and gyrating in style as it was back then - more than suggestive but never untoward. The visuals are likely a direct result of the young artiste’s inspirations.
Though Kacique was born in the late ‘90s, his introduction to dancehall was not as immediate as his arrival. Native to “deep rural Manchester,” he came to Kingston to attend high school. It was then the 20-something was introduced to what would become his life.
“I went through a lot of phases but Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Elephant Man, artistes like those, they are the root of my influence. This is my job. This is my existence. That is what I was exposed to,” he said.
Kacique was exposed to and found love in other genres and lifestyles, too, but dancehall stuck. Regardless of the “dancehall-trap” sounds produced by contemporaries, who find inspiration in foreign acts like Migos, Kacique hopes his more dancehall-centric efforts will carry him around the world. “I wanna spread my wings. I don’t want to channel my energy into a place where I’m not in love with the music, and I’m just doing it to make a buck. I want to do what I love and profit from it.”
History Buff
Kacique is a through-and-through history buff. Along with the music video’s costuming, and heartbeat mimicking rhythm, his investment in the past goes deeper still. Inspired by Shabba Rank’s As Raw As Ever (1991) album, he originally planned to call his debut EP As Badd As Ever.
Even his name is a throwback – with hefty historical significance. ‘Cacique’ means ‘chief’ in Arawak (Taino language). “I just changed the ‘c’ to a ‘k”’, he revealed.