Chronixx kicks off sophomore album campaign with ‘Dela Move’
Published:Sunday | March 15, 2020 | 12:26 AMKimberley Small - Staff Reporter
Chronixx is back. Three years after the release of his debut album, Chronology, the perceived leader of the so-called ‘reggae revival’ has returned to the airwaves with a brand-new single, Dela Move. With the title inspired by Admiral Bailey’s 1987 song Della Move, the new single took inspiration from other places, biting flows from Atlanta rappers and paying homage to Shabba Ranks’ pioneering style.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Chronixx shared that the single was a freestyle, to be consumed like the opening scenes of a kung fu film.
“It’s like a freestyle, that whole song. It doesn’t have a chorus; it goes from start to finish just going from different flows, different melodies, and the lyrics doesn’t really make much sense, to be honest. It’s more of a musical jam, fusing the different sounds. You ever watch a kung fu movie where before they start fighting they would do a demonstration of all the styles? I think this is what this song is like. It’s like a demonstration of all the styles that are on the album. He has Atlanta drums, he has Ethiopian samples, he has a title from 1980s Jamaica dancehall,” the singer explained.
Maintaining his devotion
The new single and accompanying music video came along with the announcement of Chronixx’s upcoming album called Dela Splash, scheduled for release later this year. Maintaining his devotion to his hometown of De La Vega City, the album is named after a discontinued annual concert in Spanish Town. The interview also revealed that Chronixx believes this album is much darker than anything else he has ever done.
If there is no understanding to be found in the lyrics, perhaps there will be in the music video. The Dela Move clip depicts a younger Chronixx, practising in the bathroom mirror until he quite literally begins to spit fire. With sparks, smoke and flames flying from his mouth, and the calmly observant neighbours – therein is a story of a community noting talent, and allowing it to blaze at will. There was also an image of actual crabs in a barrel, sure to pull some kind of reaction from the viewing and listening Jamaican audience.
Dela Move was directed by Nabil Elderkin, prominent pop culture visualist known for his work with Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Nicki Minaj, SZA and The Weeknd. With this widened circle of collaborators, fans can expect more features on the upcoming sophomore album. According to Vanity Fair, Chronixx was excited about a recently received verse for the album. Chronixx continues to collaborate with Teflon Zinc Fence, but revealed that Dela Splash’s production will vary in personnel and style.