Toppa Top 8: Beyonce’s Most Dancehall Moments

Words by Emily Shapiro—

The first round of Beyoncé’s Mrs. Carter tour sadly came to an end with Queen Bey chopping off her locks, but we are commemorating things Large Up style by giving you Beyoncé’s top moments inspired by dancehall. Like her other half Jay-Z, Beyonce doesn’t have any known West Indian roots, but she has been dabbling with the music, dance and culture for the better part of her career, and has done so increasingly in the very recent past. Check out the highlights from the beginning til now and get your Beyoncé fix covered, until she hits the road again.

1. “Baby Boy” (2003)

Early in her solo career in 2003, Beyoncé linked with Sean Paul, the most mainstream artist in the dancehall game, to bring us “Baby Boy” from her debut LP, Dangerously in Love. The song was followed with a bashment video showing the pair wining in a party, the electricity from which was so strong Jay-Z allegedly forbid her from performing it with SP. That same year she performed the song on July 4 at the Grant’s Tomb Memorial in NYC, where she rocked the Bob Marley-inspired dress by Jamrock clothing which you see above.

2. “Ring the Alarm (Transformaz Remix)” feat. Collie Buddz (2006)

It took awhile for then Ms. Knowles to get inna di vibe again, but after recording the vaguely dancehall-inspired girl power anthem “Ring the Alarm” (airhorns, same title as the one of the genre’s most classic tunes) for her second album B’Day, a remix was commissioned featuring samples from the original Tenor Saw “Ring the Alarm” and guest vocals from Bermuda’s Collie Buddz.

3. “Get Me Bodied” (2006)

Also featured on B’Day in 2006 was the dance track “Get Me Bodied.” The song tells listeners to “Wind It Back,” which she clarifies in the video, is the Bogle, and the song directs dancers a chance to hit an old school dance. In the video, Bey’s old-school dance of choice is the butterfly.

4.”You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” (2010)

In 2010, Bey took dancehall from the studio to the stage, projecting a Jamaican flag behind her as she did a sultry version of Dawn Penn’s “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” on her “I Am…” world tour. She also tried out some dance moves that we continue to see in her performances now.

5. “Run the World (Girls)” (2011)

Beyoncé was one of many artists to co-opt the beat from Major Lazer’s daggering anthem “Pon di Floor,” on her album, I Am Sasha Fierce. Her 2011 track “Run the World (Girls)” was wildly popular, and the video kept to the theme with some Jamaican- and African-inspired sets and dance moves.

6. “Party” (2011)

Beyoncé Bogled once more, along with her sister Solange, in her video for “Party” in 2011.  In addition to the dance reference, the video definitely has some commonalities with other dancehall videos. The girls are scantily clad in sequins and bright colors and everyone is dancing in the streets.

7. Beyonce at the Super Bowl (2013)

Perhaps the most epic tribute to dancehall the queen has ever done came this year, when she bussed a serious “Dutty Wine” during a full-on reggae sequence during her performance at halftime of this year’s Super Bowl, which also included a brief performance of “Baby Boy,” plus samples of Cutty Ranks). It’s not the first time we’ve seen her do this dance, or Shelly Belly’s Cowfoot, which she does at the beginning of “End of Time,” but since this was the most viewed broadcast of the year, it was a pretty serious look for dancehall. Beyonce has taken this portion of the show with her on her recent Mrs. Carter Tour. She has been dutty wining all over the world, and we hope she continues to step it up.

8. “Standing on the Sun” Remix feat. Mr. Vegas

Finally, Beyonce has just released a remix of her latest single “Standing on the Sun” featuring Mr. Vegas, an artist at the top of the dancehall game. All of her recent forays into dancehall culture have been pretty successful, and we’re looking forward to what she’ll try next. Maybe she’ll be headtopping on her next tour.