Marcy Chin, Kaka Highflames Team Up For ‘DIP’

Marcy Chin hopes DIP, her new collab with dancer-cum-artist Kaka Highflames, will leave listeners in a chokehold. Based on their individual knack for igniting audiences on and offline, it’s highly likely. 

Released on Saturday, the Downsound Records/Kunley McCarthy production is an easy listen of bouncy dance moves and a catchy hook, right in time for the party atmosphere of the summer. This concept comes to life in the accompanying Xtreme Arts-directed visuals, with the artists and their crews sneaking into a laundromat for a rebellious night of fun and crisp choreography. 

Fresh off owning the Marco Polo stage in Atlanta, Georgia, the ‘Chin City’ President dishes on connecting with ‘Fada Flames’, making DIP and more in this DancehallMag feature.

Seeing a collab between yourself and Kaka Highflames feels quite natural when I recall the Highflames family dancing up a storm to your songs online. How did this collab come about?

Kaka had always been complimentary about my work. I saw him at a party one night and upon greeting each other, he said we should work. I was immediately up for it because I’d already heard his music a few times and was impressed with his voice and delivery. We exchanged numbers and kept the connection. We didn’t collaborate immediately after numbers exchanged; perhaps a few months went by before it finally manifested.

You’ve also been super supportive of young dancers, even giving them solo time to shine during your sets. With Kaka being a dancer-turned-artist, was it an intentional effort to make this collab a dancing track?

I let him lead, so I’m not sure if it was intentional on his part – though it does feel like it flowed naturally for him. He came to me with a beat made by his friend and I’d say a partially written song. He already knew what he wanted to say. When it came time to write my parts, I just followed his lead and complemented his verses. After recording and listening to the demo for a couple of days, I changed my lyrics a little and then we ended up on a beat created by my longtime producer Kunley Da Kulprit, which we both thought was bussin’ way more than the original after hearing the master.

The Xtreme Arts-directed visuals are really pristine, fun and fresh. I know you take as much pride in your visual representation as your recordings. What was that shooting and choreography process like?

Shooting was pretty easy. Mali (publicist) made sure everything was organized, so there was minimal confusion and it was fun and everyone was just into it. I learned a lot of the choreography on set with everyone and some of it from rehearsing with my team, Team Ovadose, Aka ChinCity dose.

The versatility of your repertoire has offered us infectious tunes from which joyful TikTok dance videos have flourished. How much does the online space play a role in the music you create?

From a creating stand point? The internet is the virtual streets; everything that’s happening goes right there, so I get to see everything and draw inspiration from the things I see.

Summer is upon us. What are your hopes for DIP?

That it will have everyone in a chokehold lol.

Is there anything you’d love to include that was not mentioned?

Catch me on Sumfest, July 19, 2024 – it’s gonna be a movie.