Dancehall Nuh Dead: Ten Dancehall Acts That Matter Right Now

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.

AIDONIA

Photo: Martei Korley

Aidonia‘s music is a necessary part of any dancehall segment in 2014, and has been for the last ten years. He is a dark, hardcore dancehall artist who may or may not ever cross over, but for the hardcore dancehall people, he’s an integral part of the music. —DJ Gravy, Founder, Rice and Peas Party (NYC), Publisher of LargeUp.com

ALKALINE

Photo: Varun Baker

Alkaline kind of fills the gap left by Vybz Kartel—he is controversial, freaky and just different. Many would argue that he has just copied Kartel’s style, which to a certain extent may be true. Still I believe that if Alklaine gets  more experience and find his own style he can really become something. He is talented and has good songs, and he’s rising very fast. —DJ Shirkhan, DJ, Safari Sound

BUSY SIGNAL

Photo: Martei Korley

When it comes to lyrical content, after you look at Kartel, Busy Signal would be the next person. Busy is a great artist who is very lyrical, and has a lot of great songs. You have songs that sound nice, or you have songs that are in-depth, talking about things people want to hear or know about, that show you know what people pay attention to and really want to hear. Busy is one of the craziest dudes when it comes to lyrics [like that]. Remember, he had his own [legal] situation. It is not like he has had the chance to prove himself. People think he was in the game long but he hasn’t really been. He hasn’t really been on the radar. You might be around for a while and have popularity with a lot of songs, but when you hit the radar… you’re on the radar. —DJ Norie, selector/presenter, Power 105.1 FM

I-OCTANE

Photo: Simone Serwer

I-Octane is a great artist whether him doing one drop or dancehall. Without Kartel, he is really leading the way for dancehall right now besides Konshens and Mavado and the new youth Alkaline. He is one of the best performers, and he brings energy and different types of lyrics. He’s not bringing negativity, him bring happiness and fun and enjoyment into the dancehall. Sure, him have both sides but you can always listen to I-Octane in front if your kids, or anywhere, and it’s a hardcore dancehall song still. —DJ Frass, producer/label owner, DJ Frass Records

KONSHENS

I wouldn’t necessarily say Konshens is the most important artist in dancehall, but he’s probably the best placed to re-establish dancehall in the mainstream crossover market. Like Sean Paul in the early 2000s, he is making hardcore dancehall with a pop sensibility and has a bag of tunes that would be perfectly at home on Hot 97 or BBC Radio 1. Konshens may not have the lyrical ability of Kartel but he’s got an ear for melodic hooks like Sean Paul or Mr. Vegas and the same versatility that was key to Beenie Man’s success, with wining anthems (“Gal A Bubble,”), badman tunes (“Do Sum’n”), X-rated lyrics (“Big People Ting”), throwback jams (“We Nuh Worry Bout Them”), R&B remixes (“Take You Ova”) and soca (“Re Up All My Drinkers”). Plus he’s got a Sean Paul collab on the radio (“Want Dem All”) and he’s featured on the latest chart hit from U.K. Afrobeats star Fuse ODG (“Million Pound Girl”). Perhaps most importantly, female fans LOVE Konshens. And we all know that women call the shots. —Gabriel Heatwave, DJ/founder, The Heatwave

MAVADO

Photo: Varun Baker

I think the one artist that helps to fill the void left by the absence of Kartel is Mavado. He is the only current, world-renowned dancehall act in that bloodline of great dancehall deejays. That being said, Kartel and Mavado have two very different styles. I think the “next Kartel” is probably an upcoming artist trying to make a breakthrough as we speak. —Justus Arison, Producer, JA Productions.

MR. VEGAS

Photo: Kevin Ornelas

When people rattle off the biggest names in dancehall, Mr. Vegas is never one of the first people mentioned. But he should be. From “Heads High” back in ’97 to the recent success of “Party Tun Up,” no Jamaican artist has been more consistent when it comes to getting songs on the radio, and just generally making hits. You can go back to just about any year in the last decade and a half, and find at least one Vegas tune that was running in Jamaica, and around the world. And he’s done it without ever watering his sound down. The only thing holding Vegas back from getting his just due has probably been Vegas himself. —Jesse Serwer, Editor, LargeUp.com

POPCAAN

Photo: Martei Korley

Popcaan is definitely making some of the best music in dancehall right now. Personally, I think that “Smile Again” on the Overdrive Riddim is one of the biggest tunes right now in dancehall… plus it’s shelling the streets in JA. Then you have songs like “Everything Nice” for Mixpak. He’s making actual songs… without all the gimmick stuff. —Selecta Addy, DJ/Producer, Eccentrix Sound

RDX

RDX have kind of taken on the role that Elephant Man had, where all of the songs have to do with a specific dance. In all of the clubs, you have to play a whole list of RDX songs. They speak on the dances and say what it is, and that gets everybody up and dancing. —Tanisha Scott, choreographer, Sean Paul/Rihanna

Samantha J.

Photo: Kevin Ornelas

[Samantha J’s song] “Tight Skirt” is what the kids know now as dancehall, it’s what the kids are accepting in dancehall. I like what they did with “Tight Skirt”—they took a song that is classic and sounds young, and they just ran with it…What we have in Jamaica is a marketing problem. She has good marketing.—Steve Locke, Producer, Truckback Records