SOUND CHECK with Jamaica Dancehall Queen HoodCelebrityy

Before Celebrityy

During this segment, we sit back in the plush confines of a sleek, jet back SUV for an honest chat with HoodCelebrityy. While being chauffeured around pre-show, the bubbly artist talks about her roots of being a Jamaican kid finding her way in New York City. She also gushes about the excitement of being home and having her family supporting her.

The Sound Check video shares the glitz of the gorgeous Gramercy Theatre, gives us a glimpse into the luxurious solitude of being an artist getting ready to do a show, and it reveals the hard work it takes to put on Hood’s energetic show. We see contrasts of the backstage party with her KSR management team alongside shots of Hood fine tuning dance moves with her onstage posse. Throughout this portion, Hood talks about studying violin, her love and dedication to dance, and her Monster-fueled drive to stay active onstage and off. She also shows us what it takes to be a world-class performer—no matter what size the crowd is, she gives it her all.

What Is Dancehall Music?

Hood’s songs are often empowering female anthems with undeniable dancehall grooves. She cites inspirations such as New York rap royalty 50 Cent, and authentic Jamaican icons like Vybz Kartel and Lady Saw. Dancehall as a genre is an outgrowth of reggae music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, it was a stripped-down version of reggae, but, since then, its infectious beats have been used by pop, hip-hop, and modern world music artists. Over time, digital instrumentation began to feature prominently in the music, paralleling the trend in pop and hip-hop music in America. By the 2000s, dancehall had become a big part of modern pop groove culture with big producers and artists building on its slinky beats. Hood leans into these sizzling grooves on her music, but she adds pop hooks, and a lean and mean hip-hop rhyme flow over the top. She salutes her Jamaican roots by furthering the tradition with her balmy dancehall-pop-hip-hop cocktail of sound.

Tina Versus HoodCelebrityy

Sound Check’s Hood-edition snapshots a superstar artist at the peak of her powers. Her vocal flow is fierce and her musicality is undeniable—an infectious mix of sun-splashed Jamaican culture and gritty, swaggering New York City hip-hop. Her onstage outfits are stunning and glamorous, and Hood glides through her dance moves with ease and elegance. It all looks so natural, but that kind of precision and polished performance takes a lifetime to put together, and many, many hours to maintain to keep the physical stamina.

During the Sound Check, we learn that Tina Pinnock is still there behind HoodCelebritty. Both are hyper, and ready-to-go spirits. Tina lets us into her daily life off-road, revealing many of her daily rituals. We won’t spoil the big reveal here, but we will say drinking tea at home is a favored ritual.

To date, HoodCelebrityy has released two Billboard-charting mixtapes in 2017, Can't Believe It's Just a Girl and Trap Vs. Reggae, and four singles, each racking up millions of spins, with 2018’s “Walking Trophy” up to 25 million-plus on Spotify. Many first got a glimpse of her talents through Cardi B, who in addition to posting her video on Instagram, included her on Cardi B's mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 2, on the song "Back It Up" which also featured Konshens. Hood’s fly style, her magnetic stage persona, and her many talents have earned her comparisons to legends Aaliyah and Left Eye, though HoodCelebrityy is always her own person: self-made through hard work and dedication to her multicultural musical vision. Currently, Hoodcelebrityy is readying new music for 2022.