The Jamaican dancehall music scene is gearing up for a high-energy new release, as veteran industry insider turned hitmaker Ricco Diplomats, born Rick Foster, has joined forces with two rising independent production houses to drop an anticipated new banger titled *Redemption*. The track, fronted by fast-emerging dancehall talent Tielo Lanez, is a core offering from the collaborative Mercy Lap rhythm project, and is set to showcase the combined creative force of up-and-coming players in the Caribbean music space.
In a statement discussing the upcoming release, Diplomats expressed unwavering confidence in the track’s commercial and cultural potential, framing it as a potential career-defining breakthrough for the young collective of creators behind it. “This *Redemption* song has the potential to be a big hit. I believe this song will give us the big break as young producers. We all believe in Tielo Lanez so we’ve come together to bring different vibes and energy to make it happen,” he shared.
The new single will be released jointly under three independent imprints: Diplomats’ own Ricco Records, Moji Records, and Black Satin. For those unfamiliar with the collaborative context, Lanez is currently signed to prominent industry figure DJ Mac, who the production team has also partnered with on the project. Diplomats noted that the young dancehall star is widely tipped to become the next breakout face of the genre, a trajectory the team is fully backing.
The instrumental backbone of the entire Mercy Lap rhythm project was crafted by production collective Team Upgrade. *Redemption* is not the only track featured on the project, either: established fan-favorite dancehall stars Valiant and Skippa are also set to appear on the rhythm compilation, adding further star power to the collaborative release.
Diplomats, who currently serves as a core member of Valiant’s professional team, says this is far from the first time the collective has worked with Lanez. The artist has already cut multiple tracks for the team, including a song called *Fat Fat* featured on the Street Mongrel riddim, a reimagined version of the classic Throat riddim. *Redemption* marks the third full collaboration between Lanez and the Ricco Diplomats-led collective.
For Diplomats, the path to producing has been a gradual one built on years of experience in the music industry. Before stepping into production and artistry, he worked as a road manager and industry insider, cutting his teeth on the operational side of Caribbean music. He made his own debut as a dancehall recording artist in October 2021 with his first solo single, *Tek Go Off*. After cutting his teeth in promotions work, he made the shift to full-time recording and production, operating out of Core Upgrade studio located in Stony Hill, Jamaica.
A native of the Duppy Gully/Rocky Valley area of St. Andrew, Jamaica, Diplomats is an alumnus of St. Andrew Technical High School. His first formal industry partnership came back in 2017, when he joined forces with Ricardo ‘Shrimpy’ Meikle to launch Gold Plaque Entertainment, laying the groundwork for the independent production work he is leading today.