10. “Protection”
The ruling JLP government’s birth control campaign was in full swing in 1987, with the popular tagline “Two is better than too many,” and the artist Screwdriver topping the charts with “Yes Mama (Sharon a Pregnant You Pregnant).” Ninjaman saw an opening and took advantage of the country’s mood with his self-produced “Protection.” Featuring an already popular Courtney Melody singing the verses from “The Greatest Love Of All” over a new version of the Punanny rhythm, and tackling a subject already a part of the national conversation, this song had all the right ingredients for a hit. But no one thought it would give rise to one of the most controversial—and the greatest—clash deejays in dancehall history.