Damage Musiq drops ‘Created by Pain’

Damage Musiq, one of a new vanguard of producers who have continued to define dancehall’s changing subgenres and sounds, has signalled his intention to stay on top of the game with the release of a various artistes’ album, Created by Pain, powered by raw street anthems which reflect the grit of the inner city.

“ Created By Pain is a sonic journey where pain transforms into power. It’s not just music, it’s a testament that brokenness can turn into beauty, re-shaping bad experiences into resilience,” said producer Dwayne ‘Damage Musiq’ Parkinson, CEO of Damage Musiq Recording Label.

Some of the artistes on the album are Tommy Lee, Teejay, Shatta Wale, Masicka, Shane O, Shaniel Muir, Tamo J and other dancehall heavy-hitters.

Damage Musiq is known for creating infectious, radio-ready anthems. He has scored heavily with hits such as Teejay’s From Rags to Riches, a juicy cut which has accumulated nearly 115 million streams and was ranked as a Top 5 song on YouTube at one point. He gained major props for his work on Afrobeats star Shatta Wale’s Reign album, for which Damage Musiq provided the popular track, Mama Stories. The album debuted at #6 on the Billboard charts, earning the producer his first entry on that charts.

Damage Musiq firmly believes in the producer’s role as a vital creative force in dancehall, shaping the sound, mood, and overall direction of the music. He said that trap dancehall is here to stay.

“Trap dancehall is a new wave for the younger generation,” he said. “The genre is very competitive and success depends heavily on what narrative the audience is consuming, so you have to be on the cutting edge.”

Damage Musiq is still churning out the hits as evidenced by the enthusiastic online response to a recent Popcaan single, Immortal Life, a song which is a testimony of growth, survival, and divine alignment. The song appeared on Popcaan’s album, Nothing Without God. Visuals for the track racked up more than 1.7 million views on YouTube.

“We believe in pushing positive messages to the youths, that’s why the Damage Musiq brand aligns itself with artistes like Popcaan,” he said.

Damage Musiq is well aware of the digital challenges that dancehall faces in the coming year.

“Our challenges right now are AI-generated music. AI tools are rapidly lowering production costs and creating tracks that can undercut royalties and blur authorship, which is a troubling development because of global competition,” the producer said.