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Though his sound often carries the smooth melodies and rhythm of R&B, Jamaica-born, New York-based entertainer Kranium insists he is no "crossover artiste", but a proud representative of dancehall music.

"I'm a dancehall artiste who represents dancehall, and I don't try fi do nothing else," Kranium declared in an interview with THE WEEKEND STAR. "There's no crossover sound - that's a myth. That's impossible, not even close to possible. Yuh can tell yuhself dat, but it will never happen."

The Nobody Has to Know hitmaker insists that dancehall is global and doesn't need rebranding to reach international ears.

"Yuh see the realness in weh yuh duh is what makes it [your music] international. Every song that became international from Jamaica, isn't it a dancehall song? But when it becomes international or deh pon a certain level, dem try fi categorise it, fi mek it look like you got in the easy way because yuh have dah particular sound deh, but it's not that. Once you be real with dancehall ... from a song hit, it just hit," Kranium reasoned.

He credits artistes such as Sean Paul, Gyptian, Shabba Ranks, and Shaggy as the trailblazers who, he said, have proven that dancehall doesn't need to bend to appeal to the world.

"You just have to be ambitious enough fi want to reach international, but they think you can create it, or if it happens, it's by luck. But the realness of dancehall music as a crossover is dancehall music," he argued.

A platinum-selling international superstar, Kranuim's musical identity is deeply rooted in dancehall. He said that his fusion with R&B happened organically, due mainly to his life in New York City.

"The blending of both cultures and connecting the dots create it without even me knowing, because I was just being a Jamaican living in New York," shared the We Can artiste, who migrated to the US at age 12.

Kranium has secured an impressive five nominations for this year's Caribbean Music Awards, highlighting his versatility and influence across genres. His collaboration with Chronic Law on Higher Life has earned nods for both Dancehall Song of the Year and Dancehall Collaboration of the Year, while the track's visuals also landed him a nomination for Reggae/Dancehall Video of the Year. He's also up for the coveted title of Dancehall Artiste of the Year (Male), and Caribbean R&B Artiste of the Year.

Kranium is especially eyeing the Caribbean R&B Artiste of the Year title.

"It would mean a lot to me," he admitted. "I take that [title] more seriously than every other one, because I know how hard it was fi mek people seh, 'Yuh a one a wi enuh.' It's not like mi a go pretend to be supm I'm not, but fi know seh mi own dat -- it wasn't easy."

The singer reflected on the uniqueness of his sound. "It's crazy that when mi sing, yuh can tell there's a mix of R&B but it just still sound authentic."

The Caribbean Music Awards show is set to take place on August 28.

Meanwhile, Kranium said that despite him pushing boundaries and breaking new ground -- like blending Afrobeat and dancehall long before it became trendy -- he has not always promoted his accomplishments.

"Mi duh some crazy work inna a short space a time and tek some chances, even with Can't Believe. Even when [merging] Afrobeat with dancehall wasn't even a thing, I was like 'Let me try offa dis', and I strike," he said with a smile.

"I just neva take ownership for a lot of my achievements and accolades, but if mi nuh start talk 'bout it, smaddy else a guh come seh a dem dweet."