Konshens

Jamaican dancehall reggae singer Konshens rose to global prominence almost right after entering the music world in 2005 through the chart-topping single “Pon Di Corner.” Working both independently and as a featured voice on numerous other recordings, he contributed to countless well-known dancehall tracks across the 2010s while also issuing multiple albums, among them the upbeat 2018 project It Feel Good.

Born Garfield Spence in Kingston in 1985, he drew his earliest inspiration from Beres Hammond, shaping a vocal approach that combined power and assurance with a smooth, melodic quality. His initial recordings came as one half of the duo Sojah alongside his brother Delmark Spence, known as Delus. The pair’s “Pon Di Corner” reached the top of the charts in Japan, prompting an extended series of performances there that marked Konshens’ first time on stage. Following the release of the Japan-exclusive Sons of Jah album and a subsequent tour, the brothers chose to pursue individual careers. Konshens then issued a consistent flow of dancehall singles such as “Winner,” “Rasta Imposter,” and “Insanity,” moving between urgent social commentary and provocative party tracks. He joined Tarrus Riley on the 2009 single “Good Girl Gone Bad,” taken from the album Contagious.

Extensive international touring built devoted audiences across Europe, Africa, and South America, yet his popularity in Japan remained especially strong; as a result, his first collection, Real Talk, which gathered many early successes, appeared only in that country in 2010. His first album aimed at worldwide listeners, Mental Maintenance, arrived in 2012 on his own Subkonshus Music imprint and included contributions from Bounty Killer, Sizzla, Voicemail, and additional guests. He maintained a steady output of solo material while also appearing alongside Sean Paul, Eva Simons, Kreesha Turner, and others. Standout tracks from this period included 2016’s “Bruk Off” and 2017’s “Turn Me On.” The ongoing release of new music culminated in the 2018 studio album It Feel Good, which featured dancehall icon Shaggy together with R&B and rap figures Rick Ross and Chris Brown. Later that year he offset the polished album with the raw, sexually charged mixtape Raw. In 2019 he followed with the shorter mixtape Badman Vs. Nice Guy.