Earlan Bartley, better known as Alkaline, is a Jamaicandancehall musician.
Early life
Bartley is from Sandy Park which is located in St. Andrew in the Kingston 6 area of Jamaica. He attended Ardenne High School and studied Media and Communication at the University of the West Indies. In 2010, his high school and DJ friend, Jhavere Rowe, died after getting shot at the early age of 16.
Career
Bartley began recording at the age of 16, and using the stage name Alkaline. He became popular in Jamaica in 2013 with a series of singles. His live shows have sometimes been controversial; In March 2015 he was hit by a bottle during a show in Florida, and in February 2016 was hit in the head by a bottle while on stage in St. Lucia, responding by throwing the bottle back at the offender. He became known for his distinctive look, with bleached skin, blond dreadlocks, and apparently tattooed eyes, which prompted others to follow suit, with Brooklyn rapper Mace being hospitalized after his eye became infected. It later emerged that Alkaline achieved his look by using contact lenses. In March 2016, Alkaline's debut album, New Level Unlocked, was released by DJ Frass Records, going on to top the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart in April, making him the first dancehall deejay to have a number one album on the chart for five years. He had hit singles in Jamaica that year with "Champion Boy", "Block and Delete", "After All", "12 PM ", "Formula", and "City". In November he was featured on a remix of Shaggy's "That Love". His tour of the United Kingdom in June 2016 was beset by problems, with several cancellations due to security issues. In September 2016 he was nominated for a MOBO Award for the second time in the Best Reggae Act category, and announced the launch of a clothing line. His "Champion Boy" single was remixed in October 2016 and used in an advertising campaign for the Red Stripe Premier League. New Level Unlocked was selected at number 3 in Billboard's "10 Best Reggae Albums of 2016".
Controversies
Corneal Tattoo
When Alkaline first appeared on the Jamaican dancehall scene in 2013, he caused quite the stir as he claimed to have tattooed the cornea of his eyeballs. Lauded as a publicity stunt by the Jamaican public, Alkaline received much backlash for the controversial move but also gained a heavy music following. An ongoing theme in much of his breakout music was the year "2016", which generated much intrigue as he never explicitly stated the year's meaning or significance. He would keep up this charade for about 3 years, until he finally revealed the "tattoos" to be nothing more than a stunt as the Jamaican public ushered in the year of 2016. He soon revealed that the significance of 2016 lay in the fact that he was giving himself until 2016 to have his music speak for himself, and no longer require publicity stunts for any form of media coverage. This prompted the release of his debut album, New Level Unlocked. He has since halted wearing the black contact lenses that would cover his cornea, and has solidified his place in the Jamaican dancehall scene.
