Jah Niceness Releases New Song "Trap"
During the 1980s as his interest in music grew, Jah Niceness was drawn to ‘Trapped’, a song Bruce Springsteen performed in his live show. Over the years, the Jamaican singer had a burning desire to cover the track, which is written by Jimmy Cliff.
He did so recently, covering it as Trap for Open Doors Records, an Orlando-based company owned by fellow Jamaican Jason Bromfield. Jah Niceness said while researching Springsteen’s version, he discovered something new.
“I got the riddim from Jason and I started ‘vibing’ on it, but when I went on YouTube to find the lyrics, I found out that it was not Bruce Springsteen’s song, it was actually written by our own Jimmy Cliff,” he disclosed.
Cliff’s version was released in 1972 by Island Records but made little impact. Springsteen first heard Trapped when he bought a bootleg Jimmy Cliff cassette in The Netherlands, and eventually recorded a well-received live version.
Putting his signature on Trapped was easy for Jah Niceness, who hails from Clarendon parish in southern Jamaica.
“My approach to the song was positive from the get-go. Trap is such a powerful song I knew I had to deliver on this one. I added a little twist on the chorus and the outcome was awesome,” he said.
Trap is Jah Niceness’ second song for 2024, following Dusty Road.