QQ creates a ‘Boom’ on his return

It's been approximately six months since dancehall deejay QQ has been able to travel.

Following a run-in with the Internal Revenue Service in the US, QQ, whose given name is Kareem Dawkins, was forced to stay in that country to settle his taxes.

He said, "It was not a major issue for me, but I knew it would have been necessary for me to get it sorted before completing the process of filing for US citizenship."

He added, "Green card or not, many times entertainers find themselves in a similar predicament due to their negligence. I have learnt my lesson. I didn't know it took much paperwork, but I encourage my colleagues to ensure they keep their paperwork in check."

The Better Must Come deejay was happy to share that he has jumped over that hurdle successfully.

He returned to Jamaica almost two weeks ago, which he said is to re-establish a presence locally. This began with the release of a new single, Boom on a rhythm created by French record producer and disc jockey Bob Sinclair.

He collaborated with Jamaica-based Ricky Bless on the track.

He has worked with the Bless Music Team producer for previous releases such as Jack Hammer, Mosquito Net and One Drop, the single that climbed to number one in more than 15 countries. A remix was also released by award-winning producing team Major Lazer.

"Boom is the first of several tracks that I have actually co-produced. Over the years, I have never opted to give myself credit in that aspect of production since I was already featured as the artiste," he said.

He has also continued the recording of an online video series with female dancehall artiste Pamputtae.

"Pamputtae and I had the series going on, creating a wave, but my absence caused us to take a break from it," he said. "The show has already attracted persons who want to make it into something bigger, but we want it to keep the authenticity of a Jamaican series."