US-based dancehall artiste Rebnant is amping up promotion of his latest single, Bring It Back, a summer banger geared towards the females in the dancehall.
“The idea for this Bring It Back song came from just surfing on Youtube while around some friends, and I found a beat and mi buss a freestyle on a beat and I saw an immediate reaction from the females. This is definitely a song for the ladies,” Rebnant, whose real name is Fabian Johnson, said.
The song is co-produced by Cook Shop Entertainment and Passadon Music. Rebnant has been busy compiling a catalogue of songs for a soon-to-be-released EP.
“The ‘Bring it Back’ is part of an EP which will be released later this year. I am excited, the feedback has been great, the girls dem love the song and that was my goal and my intention, for the women to enjoy themselves in the dancehall space. There are plans to do the video,” he said.
He grew up in Claremont in St. Ann where he attended Claremont All Age and Ferncourt High. He faced extreme poverty and financial challenges while growing up.
He wrote his first song, ‘Down in the Ghetto’, while seated under a grapefruit tree in his rural community, the words inspired by his rough upbringing in crippling poverty.
“If you know about fruits, then you know if yu eat a grapefruit when you’re hungry, you’re only going to be hungrier. When mi sit down under the tree and saw that the grapefruits were so green so mi couldn’t even eat them if I wanted and I was so hungry and frustrated, water drop outta mi eye. I wrote my first song out of pain and to this day, whenever I experience pain, I turn to music for healing and survival,” he shared .
Years later, he migrated to live in the USA after completing tenth grade at Ferncourt. He finished his secondary education at Palm Beach Lakes High school in Florida.
He joined the US Marines where he completed four years of military service.
“I always had a song in my head and after leaving the US military, I began to dedicate my life to music but I had to get a job to support myself. During this time, mi used to fix people’s AC, but every chance I got, I wrote songs consistently whenever I felt a vibe,” he said.
After leaving the US military, he took the name Yardie Bwoy, performing as a ‘yardman style rapper’. He performed at shows in Miami, West Palm Beach and Atlanta, carving out a decent underground following.
It was during this era that he scored his most successful song, ‘No Stressing’ that racked up 250,000 streams on Spotify. The song was produced by Grammy nominated producer Jon FX.
Even though it was clear his star was rising fast, propelling him to top dog status in Jamaican dancehall circles in the US, he felt that he needed to change the direction of his music so he decided to change his stage name. Enter: Rebnant.
“A lot of thought went into the name, I told myself I was done with music, but then I spotted the word remnant, a small particle or substance left over. I am the forgotten one but mi de ya same ya, there is no definition of Rebnant, mi ah the one they forgot about but mi de ya same way,” he said.
Rebnant is focused on making relatable music and charting his own course within an industry whose standards he consistently defies.
“I am doing music because I love it so I surround myself with like-minded people, once the vibe is right, we ah work together,” he said.
