Offset and Don Toliver’s hit “Worth It,” which sampled dancehall legend U-Roy’s classic single “Wake The Town,” climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay after spending 17 weeks climbing the chart.
The track is featured on the Migos rapper’s sophomore solo album, Set It Off, released on October 13, 2023. It is one of the most commercially successful singles on the album, peaking at No. 92 on the Hot 100 chart. The ChaseTheMoney and Heavy Mellow-produced song was also featured on several international charts, including No. 74 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and No. 52 on the UK Singles chart.
“Worth It” sampled dancehall pioneer U-Roy’s 1970 hit “Wake The Town” in the song’s intro. “Wake The Town” is one of the most sampled dancehall songs from the early era of the genre, with Dawn Penn’s “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” being perhaps the most famous sample of the record. Produced by Steely & Clevie in 1994, the song features elements of reggae, dancehall, and rocksteady from its original recording for Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd in 1967. “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” was a huge commercial success, peaking at No. 58 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, No. 3 on the UK Singles chart, and No. 42 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
U-Roy, who sadly passed away in 2021 at age 78, was a true pioneer of the early dancehallsound known as Toasting. This unique style, characterized by rhythmic chanting or talking over a beat, earned him the nickname The Originator. Some historians argue that U-Roy’s style of Toasting in the early 1970s also played a significant role in the birth of hip hop/rap, a genre that was first introduced in the Bronx, New York City, in 1973 by Jamaican-born disc jockey DJ Kool Herc, real name Clive Campbell. This rich musical heritage is evident in the sampling of U-Roy’s classic single “Wake The Town” in Offset and Don Toliver’s hit “Worth It.”
Hence, it’s no surprise that U-Roy’s original sound is still being sampled in modern hip-hop and dancehall today.
As “Worth It” continues to soar in popularity, Offset is preparing to embark on his first solo tour, the Set If Off Tour. Kicking off on March 10, 2024, at the Fillmore Philadelphia, this tour will be a significant milestone for Offset’s blossoming solo career, marking his first solo stadium tour outside of the Migos umbrella. The tour promises to be a thrilling experience for the Atlanta rapper’s fans and will undoubtedly serve as an additional vehicle to further promote his sophomore album, Set It Off.
