The renown music magazine states that “as the genre evolves and many artists from rock, pop, and hip hop incorporate elements of dancehall into their music, the mainstream media tends to whitewash Dancehall’s influence on popular music. When it hits, It’s retitled and packaged as something else.”

Rolling Stone Magazine’s since-edited review of Rihanna’s “Work” defined it as “a tropical house-flavored track featuring Drake,” while a Wall Street Journal article positioned Justin Bieber’s What Do You Mean? as “pioneering the ‘Caribbean, beach-party vibe’ of tropical house in the mainstream”.

The LA Times, have described pop dancehall tracks as “Caribbean-flavored house beat” or “airy tropical-house bangers.”

Bieber’s Sorry, first released by Def Jam records and produced by Skrillex and Bloodpop, became one of the biggest singles of 2015 and is the most successful dancehall song of all time based on US certifications. The song peaked at No. 1 on the global YouTube charts and spent three weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

The success of Sorry helped to ignite popular music’s interest in Dancehall and several Dancehall-influenced hits followed post 2016, including Drake’s One Dance and Controlla, Rihanna’s Work, Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You which has sold more than 41 million units worldwide.

While in Jamaica dancehall is viewed as non-charting, aggressive music, sped up flows, “poor people” messaging and hardcore delivery, dancehall has giventhe world some of its biggest and most memorable hits. If it sounds like dancehall and has a riddim like dancehall, regardless of the singer’s nationality, it is dancehall.  

With Sean Paul as the most certified dancehall artist of all time, these are the dancehall songs with the most commercial success in the US and UK.

The post Biggest Dancehall Songs Of All Time appeared first on Dancehall Report.

Thirty per cent of persons polled said dancehall had ‘somewhat’ of an impact; 11 per cent only a little; while 11 per cent said not at all. Seven per cent of respondents were not sure.

In light of these public sentiments Anglican priest and human-rights advocate Father Sean Major-Campbell says he believes those who say dancehall influence crime are using the art form as a scapegoat.

He says the perspective as ‘misleading,’ arguing that blaming dancehall music for crime is a “course in obfuscation that leaves us with an anecdotal diagnosis of the problem”.

The Gleaner reported that the Don Anderson poll suggested that cumulatively, 82 per cent of all Jamaicans believe that there is a connection between dancehall music and the incidence of crime.

With Jamaica’s population being just under 3 million, the polls were done with a sample of 1,113 Jamaicans. Anderson admitted the views linking dancehall to crime were mostly held by older Jamaicans and the younger Jamaicans (18-24) were less convinced.

Major-Campbell argues that ‘Jamaica’s history of crime predates dancehall.’ He said that some people even use “religion to bless some forms of domestic violence”.

Meanwhile Stone Love Sound System founder Winston ‘Wee Pow’ Powell, told its modern dancehall that has contributed to crime as the artist are crime bosses.

“They become dons in their own way, and we all know how dons operate,” Wee Pow said in a Gleaner interview.

In an exclusive interview with Donovan Watkis of Dancehall Report producer Stephen Di Genius said they haven’t got to the root of the problem and violent dancehall lyrics work because it is relatable to what’s going on in the communities.

“Them usually quick to point at the music influencing the reality and nobody really takes account for the reality influencing the music,” Mcgregor explained.

“I think everything is perspective, and nobody really take account for the reality influencing the music and influencing how the people now are acting. For songs to get popular, and for artist to get popular and for figures to get popular they have to be doing something that is relatable. The artist himself cant force someone to like it. So when you see Skilli say Whap Whap of Brysco say ensure the song don’t work because them funny and people want to laugh after it, it works because there is something happening why it’s relatable,” he says.

“I read the other day in a book it says art was created to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. It disturbs some people but it a comfort the youth them cause music take them from God knows what they would be doing, society is changing, right or wrong thats what is happening. Not saying it’s ok, or good or bad but we can’t single out the youth them and say blame this and don’t look at anything else” The Red Bull and Guinness producer continued.

Another issue creeping up in dancehall is the use of hard drugs. With the advent of ‘Trap Hall’, songs like Pop Molly by No. 1 streaming artist Skeng and Navaz on the track Pop Molly with a music video laying out instructions on how to participate in the molly lifestyle.

The Molly theme is also consistent in Skeng and Sparta’s (Tommy Lee Sparta) Protocol. Molly culture is also celebrated in Intence’s No. 1 YouTube hit Yahoo Boyz.

Lawyers, doctors and other interest groups have made statements that ‘ecstasy’, is now accessible to children who were attending ‘pill parties’. Stephen says it is because Molly has become part of what inner city youths and artists who represent the inner cities of Jamaica are experiencing.

“Skeng dem sing bout that because that’s what they are experiencing around them, so to somebody now who probably live innah Jacks Hill, weh never ever go in the streets yet, who probably never hear bout Molly till it go in a song, the youth them probably already done innah dah world deh before, so to him, its just like ‘wow how could somebody dare sing about this and influence my kids’, but that’s what happening around them, people relate cause its relatable. Nothing is forces, its reality happening.”

Singer Christopher Martin told Dancehall Report that he doesn’t believe dancehall contributes to crime ‘fully’.

“No, not fully. Music is like a marketplace, you have buyers and vendors and you have to choose what you want. Some people might say yes and they might have strong points to it but there has always been violence. I don’t feel like if your favorite artist tells you this is what he does he will do it. Him don’t do it. It’s just how you interpret it. The PM and his friends have their experts that may show data but I don’t feel like it’s that serious. We can tone it down and it doesn’t have to be so graphic but at the end of the day, you can’t tell a man what to sing,” the singer said.

As dancehall take son different forms in countries like Trinidad the topic of violence remain in the music. Superstar Sean Paul gave advice to Trinibad artists Prince Swanny while speaking with Nigel Telesford of Overtime Media in Trinidad & Tobabgo. While praising Swanny for helping to keep Dancehall culture ‘live and living’ and for telling the stories about life on the Eastern Caribbean islands, he cautioned him about glorifying violence.

“So, that’s my only thing with the badness: meh just wha big up everybody who ah do music and say yes, yuh must reflect the badness that is in society cause yeah, because that is what the music is for, but also tell the real story dem – tell de story when yuh shoot somebody an afi go hide inna hill and yuh cyah see yuh baby mother nor yuh baby dem for months, yuh understand?,” he said.

Veteran dancehall star Cham also told our affiliate World Music Views that although he has made some songs in the 1990s that were controversial and were said to have caused havoc, he doesn’t responsibility for the impact in that time and the crime?

“I wouldn’t say the crime because the movie Killer came out and we saw this dude with a Glock 90 and he made on squeeze, that influenced rude boys but did they blame it on the movie? If the society is not reflecting what we are making in the studio. The reason why it connects is because that’s what’s going on. We normally watch the news and whatever we are seeing is what’s going on throughout the world not just in Jamaica. In Brazil, they tell their exact story. Music doesn’t influence crime, politics influence crime.”

Jamaica has one of the highest homicide crime rates in the world according to Statista. In 2021, there were approximately 49.4 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in the island nation. This was highest homicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean that year. 1,463 persons were murdered that year, up from 1,323 victims the previous year.

The post ‘Dancehall Causes Crime’, Poll Finds Older Jamaicans Believe It Does, Younger Jamaicans Say No appeared first on Dancehall Report.

The Vegas signature dancehall event dubbed ‘MILK WHITE SOIREE’ happens on September 18, will have the prestige of North American luxury with champagne flowing and an after party in true all night Jamaican style. Mona, 33 , speaks exclusively with Dancehall Report, the official media partner about why this event is important to Jamaica, the diaspora and everyone wanting to experience real dancehall in Las Vegas.

How did you get into the entertainment business?

My talent got me in, but who saw the talent and put me on was Orville Hall from Dance Expressions. He sent me on my first audition and that put me into fame around 2006-2007.

What are some of the plays you did?

I started with a feature in ‘Shebada Come To Town,’ then I did ‘Like Father Like Son‘, Then ‘The Wedding Scammer.’ After live on stage shows I moved to Las Vegas and went straight into TV shows.

You are going to take Jamaican culture and Dancehall to Las Vegas?

Why not? I see everything else here, I see the European culture here, the Latino culture here, the Caribbean culture is here but not so much core dancehall-reggae and I am that, living, breathing that. Anything I am doing I like to put my all into that. I am just going full fledged with the culture, I am adding (Jamaican) food and entertainment and that’s how the Milk White Brunch came about.

Tell me about the Milk White Brunch, this is the third year?

So it started In 2020 right in the middle of the pandemic and nobody wanted to travel or party and I thought how am I gonna celebrate my birthday? I am always cooking so I was thinking you have food. So I introduced the idea to my husband to just invite people for a plate. So he said it’s just food and no DJ? He said people are gone and want music, so I thought to myself it’s going to be a party but what kind of party? That’s when the Brunch came to me and it worked, the reception was amazing and the food sold off.

The Second year I added the ‘All White’, it worked and everybody loved it. I had Fyah Links and Chromatic, I had a couple local DJs as well and I kinda went with the same day party, incorporated the food and kept it core reggae-dancehall.I never really strayed from that and persons kept looking forward to it every year. People are requesting it twice a year, three times a year, but I have to make them want it, so it’s once a year for now. This year will be the biggest staging so far, lots of love, travelers, people are traveling from all over to come to Vegas.

What will be the Vegas effect of Dancehall?

Here in Vegas, because there are just a handful of Jamaicans here, nobody really wants to go all out with the dancehall or reggae culture, they want to incorporate it with the Spanish music or African music because those people outnumber us here. They want to incorporate a little bit of other people’s culture to get the crowd. But people want the music and they want the food and are looking for it. People are traveling from as far as Belize to come this year.

Who are the resident DJs for this year’s staging? 

Atlanta DJs, rep squad are on almost every event we have done here in Vegas, but we are bringing starts this year, IKELMARVLUS & FLABBA DABBA. The Headline DJ is the Billboard Selector Boom Boom with Harry Hype. He is very well accomplished, established and people looking forward to the one up.

Is this the first event of its kind in Vegas?

it actually is, that what makes the concept of brunch so unique, there has never been an authentic Jamaican party with Jamaican cuisine, DJs. I am a Jamaican and I don’t hide it.

With Jamaican aesthetics taking over TV in the Real Housewives of Dubai and Love and Hip Hop you think Las Vegas is ready for dancehall?

Vegas is ready, it’s entertainment central, a 24 hour city, everything else is here full fledged. The missing piece is dancehall. It is loved and copied worldwide. Why not introduce dancehall to Vegas. I live here and I think I should be doing my country justice but bringing it here.

Would you champion a Real Housewives Of Las Vegas?

(Laughs) I have never thought about that but that is something to think about. They love our accent, our food, our everything, we are so loved worldwide, I am honored to be the person that’s doing this.

What should people expect when they step into the venue?

Think Las Vegas but think dancehall. This is a luxury event, it’s a mansion party, the landscaping is stunning, it’s giving ‘island oasis‘, tropical vibe, I want people to capture the sunset. There will be some surprises too. Everybody please adhere to the dress code, wear white. Last year someone bleached their hair white, you will get complimentary champagne, I also have a surprise guest host. Don’t miss the events that will take place between 11 and 4:00 pm. The food is inclusive with the Cabana but other than that there is no free food. Find reservations at milkwhite@eventbrite.com. Everything this year is doubling up.

You think you could turn it into a Festival?

Yes and there will be an after-party, immediately following the brunch. Keep on your arm band and then we go straight to the after-party.

The post How One Jamaican-American Actress Is Bringing Authentic Dancehall Culture To The Deserts of Las Vegas appeared first on Dancehall Report.

“We just pace wiself and we just work smart, you know how Jamaicans stay, more time them say ‘you too much,’ you know and dem nah huh ever say dat about Aidonia, Vybz Kartel and other artist release a million songs and it work for dem, but mi nuh see that working for me,” the Dat Easy deejay told Debbie Bissoon for Entertainment Report.

he continued, “So me just pace miself, and work in a seasonal, Easter, Summer, Christmas, try find a song with there, from you find a hit song the the rest a catalogue is relevant again so a just smart work.”

During his Sumfest performance he introduced his usually stage shy wife to thousands of screaming fans. Aidonia says he tries to separate his on stage persona from who he  is to his family.

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“It’s two different person, Sheldon and Sheldon, and Aidonia is a different ​person​. Its the best of both worlds, family helps me with music, I say grounded, them keep me focused, a di backbone that, and then my studio is at home, my studio been at home from maybe like 2015 or 2016, so when them come with ‘Work From Home” me done a work from home already,” he says.

The 41 year old dancehall gladiator says, “It’s kinda easy to work from home cause family is there.”

Aidonia was asked about his involvement in the present dancehall renaissance called “Trap Dancehall” and he credits himself as a pioneer of the genre and even likened his flow to that of Notorious B.I.G.

“If you go so a​nd​ check the thing from way back innah the days we a the first artist to start deejaying on rap beats, anybody know Aidonia flow is dancehall mixed with rap flow. I flow like Biggie Smalls, my flow is a mixture of rap music and dancehall so ever since we always been having freestyles and stuff like that on rap riddims,” he says.

“We had a project in 2020 called “Thats A Trap” and we a freestyle pop some trap beats and thing a ting so we kinda understand the sound and dah sound deh we kinda start that rap flow and ting and ting. The thing about Aidonia, Give fada God thanks, vocally I am versatile, me can change it anytime, me can sing me can singjay, me can tone down the rough voice cause how me sound innah gangster song me sound different innah girl song, me sound different in a party song. its about being versatile enough to challenge anything musically and I ​am​ capable,” he explains.

On whether the “Trap Dancehall” sub genre is working for artists he says from his point of view it is but the artist should be versatile in an effort to be more pleasing to audiences.

“There is a lot of great young artists now that it is working for. You have to look at Skeng him a gwan great, Skillibeng a gwan great, nuff a di like youth dem 450 and Brysco, Teejay is a different talent vocally but the trap sound a work for nuff artist. Internationally you know the people dem love dancehall,” he inferred.

The post Aidonia Says He Won’t Drop A Million Songs Like Vybz Kartel And Other Artists appeared first on Dancehall Report.

July 30, marks 30 years since Flex was released. It was the lead single from the album, his only song to date to appear on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 13 on the chart on January 9, 1993.

It was the only dancehall song in the top 20 among other hits like “I’d Die Without You” By PM Dawn at No. 5 and “I will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston was No. 1. It also peaked at number one on the Billboard rap chart.

“Hard To Wet, Easy to Dry” entered the Billboard 200 chart in November 1992 at No. 199 and would eventually peak at #125. The album also charted at #17 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1992.

Flex laid the blueprint for dancehall artists to find the balance between being hardcore and singing love songs. Dexta Daps, Kranium, Konshens, Gyptian, Sean Paul and even Shaggy followed the blueprint that Cobra and Flex outlined which sensitized US audiences to the possibility of a “Hardcore dancehall Lova.”

Nolan Baynes, director at 300 Studios and former MTV executive told Dancehall Report that Flex was like “I Need Love” by LL Cool J.

“Yes! It was very much like LL Cool J “I Need Love.” he says. “A super contrasting vibe on record. Aggressive street inspired music layered on traditional R&B music,” Nolans says.

That R&B music was “Just My Imagination” by the Temptations. Cobra tells how the R&B influence came about for the track and if it was left up to him, the song would have been more uptempo. Cobra was previously known for gun-touting songs like “Shoot to Kill”, “Merciless Bad Boy”, and “Ze Taurus“.

“I was trying to do it on a quick rhythm – one of the ‘Gigi’ sound rhythm. And the tape slow down. You know, sometimes the tape too tight or something and it start give this rrrrrrrr. So I was there (he starts to deejay slowly) ‘Fleeeeeexxx, tiimmmee tooo haaaveee seeeex”. Slow. And Sly (Dunbar) sey, ‘Hol’ on, hol’ on’. And Sly start to play Just My Imagination backwards,” Cobra told the Jamaica Gleaner.

That choice by Sly to flip an in studio error into new music, was genius and exposed the secret ingredient that hardcore dancehall artists were looking for to make it onto the Billboard chart.

Nolan told World Music Views, “NY was having a heavy dancehall love affair during those times. Hip Hop was embracing it, collaborations between the genres were starting to take place. Dancehall was also spouting on college campuses, and non-Caribbean hit makers (a la, Houston, New Orleans, etc). It was the beginning of hybrid wave (hip hop/dancehall) … but the blending of a R&B soul beat w/ aggressive dancehall vocal was innovative and disruptive. Major labels were paying attention then.”

He recalls that it was the first time New York bred people were able to fully appreciate what a Jamaican artist was saying.

“My hip hop loving friends cared about that record. It was unique and allowed them to hear their influence in our music. At that time a song like that was just different from anything else. Sonically it was well produced and people just loved it! Not just Caribbean folks! Cobra and the producers of the record were Trail Blazers,” Nolan told Dancehall Report.

Steve Urchin, former Island records executive and present manager to Sean Paul agrees with him.

“I think when Cobra came out with Flex and then him and Ritchie Stephens came out with Legacy, it was a definite first peak into what dancehall could sound like on the Billboard charts,” Steve our affiliate World Music Views.

Steve breaks down the actual elements that may have made Flex crossover into the US market;

“An English chorus, something more understandable, a R&B feel to it, delivered in such a way that the genre could cross into areas where people didn’t understand patois and maybe didn’t understand the dancehall riddims as such, it was a definite crossover appeal to it.”

However Cobra says Flex wasn’t created deliberately to reach the US market, and he says he wrote his part on a plane.

“Flex was like a trial song. It was not like a planned song,” Cobra told the Jamaica Gleaner 5 years ago.

He says “The lyrics were written on a spit bag on a plane because I was on a flight coming back from New York. I was watching the television on the plane, and there was this woman doing this Soloflex exercise. She was on this Soloflex machine. So me say, ‘How this lady flex like she want to have sex?’ And me just jot it down. Me guh so, bam bam, have the idea on the bag, write ‘I rather wait …’ and rey. So me have the lyrics on the spit bag.”

Maxine Stowe, was the label A&R at Columbia Records who signed Cobra, while he was being managed by the producer of Flex, Clifton “Specialist” Dillon. Dancehall Report reached out to ‘Specialist’ for a comment but he declined.

Maxine says she recalls controversy surrounding the track.

“There was some controversy associated with the track also being that of Boom Bye Bye that caused major controversy for Buju Banton & the Gay community,” she told World Music Views.

“Specialist had Shabba & Patra on the sister label to Columbia where I was. They were doing well for Specialist & his production team so he (Cobra) was my Second signing at Columbia after Super Cat. Shabba was doing well crossing over with the duets with Maxi Priest in that hardcore lover vein.”

Both “Boom Bye Bye” and “Flex” were recorded at Penthouse Studios. As for who currently owns the masters for Flex? Stowe says,  “Ownership most likely Columbia for Flex and Specialist owns Boom Bye Bye. I haven’t seen any independent putting out of Flex.”

The post 30 Years Of Flex, Mad Cobra’s Crossover Smash Hit That Paved The Way For Dancehall appeared first on Dancehall Report.