Andrae Hugh Sutherland, better known by his alias ‘Popcaan’, is a world-renowned dancehall artiste who has been performing for close to 20 years. Profitting from a wildly successful career, he is well known for his songs such as Ova Dweet, El Chapo, and his feature on Vybz Kartel’s hit single Clarks, among others.

However, there is far more to ‘Popcaan’ than just meets the eye.

Sutherland was born in St Thomas, Jamaica, and was brought up in a strict household. He was raised by his maternal grandparents, who maintained a Christian mindset and instilled a strong sense of morality into Andrae during his early years. Both ‘Popcaan’s’ mother and grandmother are pastors of local Jamaican congregations. Sutherland’s mother has expressed a wish that her son perform Gospel songs, but still supports him in his career.

After spending his first few years in St Thomas, Andrae Sutherland moved to Portmore. While he was performing at a talent show there in 2007, he was noticed and scouted by the controversial Dancehall Artiste ‘Vybz Kartel’. Kartel took on Sutherland as a protégé, with the latter joining the ‘Gaza Music Empire’ in 2008. Despite this, their relationship has seen its share of ups and downs. ‘Popcaan’ allegedly never visited Vybz Kartel during his incarceration. The two appeared to have made amends as of late, with both expressing a desire to perform together in the United States earlier in 2025.

In the years since his breakthrough into the public scene, ‘Popcaan’ has also dipped into the field of film. In 2018, the musician starred in the movie The Intent 2: The Come Up, playing the character of Soursop. This product, a British crime thriller, earned over four times its initial budget at the box office but was poorly received by numerous media critics. Nevertheless, a third installation is supposedly in the works.

Andrae Sutherland has also been politically active, coming out to participate in several campaigns by the People’s National Party (PNP).

He has performed at rallies for Danishka Williams, the PNP caretaker for South West St Ann, and at the People’s National Party’s 86th General conference in 2024, among others. In doing so, he has joined other Dancehall artists, such as Chronic Law and his mentor Vybz Kartel, in giving official support to the opposition party.