Canadian hopes to reach J’can audience following viral remix

A remix of Dexta Daps' hit single Call Me If, crafted to reflect the results of the recent US presidential election, has gone viral on social media.

The repurposed track had Jamaicans, both at home and in the diaspora, beaming with pride. But many will be surprised to learn that the creator of the catchy remix, Troy Penny, is actually Canadian.

"I don't actually have any Jamaican family, but I do have a lot of Jamaican friends and stuff. Growing up in Toronto, it never really mattered where you went, you always saw some kind of Jamaican representation," said Penny. "You would either see a Jamaican flag or hear reggae or dancehall music blasting all over. You're gonna have best friends who are Jamaicans and so no matter what, you're going to learn the rich culture and the beautiful dialect, and you're going to fall in love with it. I guess that's how I picked up how to speak with a Jamaican accent."

He told THE WEEKEND STAR that when he decided to do the remix, he knew it would garner some attention, but had no idea it would go viral.

"This entire thing all happened really quick. My sister texted me that Biden won and around that time I was listening to a DJ Puffy mix and in it, he started with Dexta Daps song Call Me If and I was just like 'imagine if somebody took the exact same words and put it to the situation of the United States election'. And I just sat down for maybe less than 10 minutes and started writing the songs and replacing certain words. That was pretty much it," he said.

Penny added, "It was not something that I put out there to get attention; it just blew up. It's definitely been fun though, and I can now cross 'going viral' off my bucket list."

Capitalising on attention

Now that he has got people's attention, Penny says he would be looking to capitalise on the buzz.

"I gotta get into the studio now and lay down some tracks because there is an audience for that. I am an artiste, and I express myself accordingly. I have many talents. I am a poet, photographer, podcast host and musician. I see each one as a tool and will be using music even more now. I am definitely looking to target the Jamaican audience with everything I do, even my podcast. I guess timing is a helluva thing and this seems to be my time," he said.

Speaking timing, Penny's remix comes when Dexta Daps is having a Call Me If challenge on social media. The challenge requires his fans to remix the hit track and tag him. He has been reposting some of the videos on his official Instagram page. Penny says if Dexta Daps were to hear his remix somehow and repost it, it would be 'the best thing to come out of all this'. "If he were to acknowledge this thing, that would be incredible," he said.