Photo: Lawless

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. June 6, 2017 - Jamaican dancehall sensation Charly Black continues to represent well for the Caribbean. He’s earning high praise by international music connoisseurs but amid it all, his Caribbean realness remains untouched. Earlier this year, Trinidad and Tobago music producer, Shane Howell, a young singer and music producer who is best known in entertainment circles by his sobriquet, Lawless, connected with Black and as he tells it, magic happened.

The pair, according to Howell, initially connected in 2014 through a mutual alliance. He said when he met Charly Black back then, the Jamaican entertainer immediately began expressing his likeness for working with young, up and coming entertainers. It would be his first time collaborating with an artiste out of Trinidad and Tobago at that time. He has since teamed up with Machel Montano on ‘VIP Girl’. Earlier this year, Charly and Lawless collaborated on a project called, “Like Dat,” which, since being released with a video on YouTube in April, has amassed close to 25,000 views. Lawless says he feels privileged to have been considered for the collaboration by the Caribbean entertainer who has become something of a global sensation. In December 2016, Black became a Diamond certified artiste, having sold some 10 million units of his smash hit single, ‘Party Animal.’ “We met in Trinidad over a two week period and we strategized. During that time, we built a good connection,” said Lawless. “My team at Bing Bang studios got the assistance of other reputable producers like Mush, Sherrif and Team Unstoppable,” he explained, expressing gratitude for the input they had in the final product. “We had conversations about how Charly’s career was taking off at that time. His biggest bit of advice then was, never stop pushing and promoting our music. He told me, ‘you just never know when that big break would come,’” recalled the T&T up and comer.

On the heels of that release with Charly, Lawless kept the momentum up. He subsequently collaborated with Reggae hit maker, Sizzla Kalonji, releasing a track called, “Closer.” The song was written collaboratively by Kalonji and T&T’s Tichard ‘Screws’ Barrington. The track, he explained, morphs trap music with a strong dancehall undertone, delivering something that’s quite different to the Caribbean market. It was however written in condemnation of the violence and crime that abounds in Trinidad and Tobago.


Photo: Charly Black

Still on the grind, Howell is making moves to deliver more music in the coming weeks. “There’s no stopping. We’re all about bridging the cultures of the Caribbean, blending the music and fusing the vibes,” said Lawless. His hard work, he knows, will pay off. “It’s not work when you’re doing what you love. I love this. My team loves this. We’re going to show the world how passionate we really are. Wait and see,” he warned. A follow up project involves Jamaica’s Fanton Mojah. The Bing Bang Studios executive and his cohorts are working arduously to deliver a monster project that’ll be lapped up by everyone, he said.

Jamaican dancehall artiste, Charly Back is fast becoming a global sensation. His recent success on Spotify’s music chart in addition to obtaining Diamond artiste status in December 2016, has catapulted him to heightened Caribbean-wide and even global recognition. His humility has however kept him a trusted and highly respected person among those who are still striving for the acknowledgement of their music and efforts. Lawless- a young Trinidad and Tobago based music producer and artiste, is one such person. He’s releasing a new single that was done with Charly, complete with a video, but what he speaks of most when Black’s name is mentioned, is the advice has has received from the Jamaican superstar.

“Like Dat” will be the summer anthem of 2017. With the ground campaign to market the dancehall single, already in motion, the collaborative track, which was written by both artistes in conjunction with songwriter, Tricks, is set to take the Caribbean by storm. “We initially began talking in 2014 through a mutual alliance,” explained Lawless, whose real name is Shane Howell. He said when he met Charly Black back then, the Jamaican entertainer immediately began expressing his likeness for working with young, up and coming entertainers. It would be his first time collaborating with an artiste out of Trinidad and Tobago. “We met in Trinidad over a two week period and we strategized. During that time, we built a good connection. My team at Bing Bang studios got the assistance of other reputable producers like Mush, Sherrif and Team Unstoppable,” said Lawless, expressing gratitude for the input they had in the final product. “We had conversations about how Charly’s career was taking off at that time. His biggest bit of advice then was, never stop pushing and promoting our music. He had said, “you just never know when that big break would come,” recalled the T&T up and comer.


Photo: Sizzla Kalonji

The soon to be released single is the first of many projects to come between Charly Black and Bing Bang studios, said Lawless. He explained that Bing Bang is being outfitted to be a premiere studio where excellence is the order, in years to come. “Bing Bang Studios must eventually be internationally reputed,” he said, highlighting the need for more knowledge to be acquired by Trinidad and Tobago’s producers on matters concerning the music industry. “Our goal is to eventually become a music production, distribution and publishing company,” said the young entertainment stakeholder. With no set boundaries when it comes to genre at Bing Bang, Lawless compares the production element offered, to that of Caribbean seasoning, saying, “My work is like seasoning. You can’t cook a tasty pot without it. It’s the flavor that’s required,” he chuckled.

Charly Black returned to Trinidad and Tobago following the song’s completion. A video with featured both artistes has since been created. It’s nearing finalization. “It’s been a really enjoyable project. Charly has been like a big brother and I appreciate the advice he’s shared with me over the period,” said Lawless. He credits the entire group of people who’ve contributed to the song and video, saying, “My team and management, people like Ro’dey the Entertainer and Bluemoon Productions, Stunner, Prtnsky, Tekeisha Williams, Sammy Jo, Sagittarius out of Nigeria and of course the producers who helped with this song, must all be thanked for their hard work and commitment.”

Lawless and the Bing Bang Studios family will release a follow up project- the Ben10 riddim in the weeks ahead. Before that however, fans of Charly Black and fans of dancehall music, will revel in delight when the new single, “Like Dat”, with Lawless, is released in the coming days.