Black Queen trades ‘Weed Baby’ title for ‘Darling Rose’ in new rhythm project

Reggae artiste Black Queen is giving her reggae compilation a name change and sacrificing her own title-track spotlight in the process. The singer and first-time executive producer has renamed the Weed Baby Riddim as Darling Rose, betting that a softer introduction will give its songs a wider audience. Shakespeare’s rose might smell just as sweet under another name, but in the music business, Black Queen believes the label can affect who stops to listen. “BQ Productions decided this name change to ensure that the reach and impact of the project is not harmed by negative first impressions because of the name ‘weed’ in the title. This project is a multi-faceted one with the artistes tackling subjects such as love, betrayal, hot-button youth issues, religion and politics so a ‘Weed Baby’ title would only limit its scope,” said Black Queen, who also performs as Maroon Queen. The decision comes with a personal trade-off. Her collaboration with Dan Gio, Weed Baby, would have been the compilation’s title track. The song remains on the project, but its name no longer gets top billing. “Sometimes you have to take one for the team and this sacrifice is for the long term good and visibility of the Darling Rose project,” she said. That team includes Chuck Fenda, Turbulence, Steve Tulloch, Teflon, Ras Bogle and Ginjah, alongside Maroon Queen and Dan Gio. Produced by BQ Entertainment, the compilation marks her first venture into executive-producing a “juggling” project — the Jamaican tradition of bringing multiple artistes together to record different songs over one instrumental. On Darling Rose, that shared foundation carries sharply different stories. Turbulence digs into romantic betrayal on Sorry (For Your Lies), delivering soulful melodies with a wounded edge as he recalls a partner who “tek man fi punk, tek man fi fool.” Chuck Fenda follows with Ghetto Girl, while Teflon shifts the conversation toward Knowledge Is Gold. Ras Bogle brings the project’s social concerns into focus on Say a Prayer. Addressing the pressures facing young people in disadvantaged communities, he calls for compassion, love and understanding, with a reminder that “we have work to do.” From there, Steve Tulloch offers a romantic breather. His Love Is a Beautiful Thing pairs its tender message with stirring background vocals, before Black Queen and Dan Gio introduce another mood with their marijuana ode, Weed Baby. The range supports Black Queen’s argument for the rebrand: one song can celebrate marijuana without defining an entire compilation. Her ambitions for the project also extend beyond its established names. It was inspired by Tara Chande, an aspirant in the Ms Jamaica contest whose singing caught Black Queen’s attention. BQ Productions is a major sponsor of Chande’s pageant bid, and Black Queen sees potential for her to explore music. “Tara likes singing, she has a very good voice, BQ Productions is about uplifting females, and this riddm creates the opportunity to explore singing in the future for rookies like Ms Chan,” she said. For Black Queen, the executive producer’s chair means making room for those possibilities — and knowing when her own song should step aside. Weed Baby keeps its place on the track list. Darling Rose gets the name on the door.