YARD WISDOM: AYETIAN SPARKS BUZZ WITH DONKEY CALL OFF DI GENIUS’ RIDDIM
Not many artists can make Miss Lou and Anansi feel like essential summer listening. On Di Genius’ Hill & Gully Riddim, Haitian-Jamaican newcomer Ayetian pulls it off with Donkey Call, delivering a folkloric dancehall cut that rewards repeated plays.
Behind some of dancehall’s biggest records, four-time Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Di Genius knows how to build a stage worth stepping onto. His propulsive Hill & Gully Riddim delivers precisely that for Ayetian, whose Donkey Call rolls in unapologetically Caribbean and wickedly funny.
The riddim earns that confidence. Hill and Gully is a concept woven through generations of Jamaican music, its themes of movement, resilience, and the highs and lows of Caribbean life felt as much as heard.
UNAPOLOGETICALLY CARIBBEAN AND WICKEDLY FUNNY
Di Genius channels that tradition into something loose and alive, and Ayetian, drawing on his own Haitian-Jamaican roots, sounds entirely at home within it.
Culturally, the track runs deep. It roots its wit in Anansi folklore and Miss Lou’s yard-life storytelling. What emerges carries a cultural continuity that runs deeper than novelty alone. A track like this tends to find its people. Making good on that, Donkey Call is earning its place as the standout cut on the riddim.
Ayetian’s upcoming appearance at Atlanta’s Rum Island Festival in July 2026 feels less like a milestone than a logical next step. This is an artist with this much to say.
ABOUT AYETIAN
Viral freestyles first caught the world’s attention, but Ayetian’s staying power runs deeper. Born in Montego Bay to Haitian parents, the 21-year-old blends authentic Caribbean storytelling with slick dancehall lyricism into a sound rapidly finding its audience.
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ABOUT DI GENIUS
Grammy Award-winning producer Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor grew up steeped in music. Son of reggae legend Freddie McGregor, the Kingston-born songwriter was already an acclaimed talent at just 18.
He has since written and produced for stars like Sean Paul and Shakira, with Billboard citing his work on Drake’s Controlla as pivotal in returning dancehall to the mainstream.
