Words by LargeUp Crew—
In light of the recent developments surrounding Vybz Kartel, we’ve heard a few voices proclaiming that dancehall is dead. But we’re not ready to call Mr. Madden just yet. To the contrary, dancehall is better and healthier than it has been in quite a few years. Veteran acts like Mr. Vegas and Konshens are getting burn on Hot 97 and BBC1Xtra, new acts like Alkaline and J. Capri are making their impact felt not just in Jamaica but around the world, and the records that are coming out are sounding more like dancehall again (and less like cheap hip-hop, pop, etc.) as artists rediscover the value of their Jamaican-ness. We polled a panel of experts and asked for their picks for some of the most important dancehall artists right now. Click here to scroll through the list.