Toppa Top ’14: The Most Essential Dancehall Singles of 2014

Words by LargeUp Crew
Popcaan photo by El Puru

Once more, in 2014, the year in dancehall could be summarized in exactly two words: Vybz Kartel.

A year that brought great lows for the Worl’ Boss on a personal level proved to be a high point for him artistically, as he continued to crank out hit after hit from behind bars, a perplexing artistic bright spot in a genre still looking for its next general. Kartel was so prolific and effective this year, that we didn’t know where to begin when it came to choosing tunes from him for this list. There was the dutty vacation anthem “Miami Vice Episode”; “Mamacita,” his Spanglish collaboration with J Capri and long-time producer RVSSIAN; the lyrical onslaught of “Do Di Maths,” each worthy of recognition in its own right.

For more evidence of Kartel’s continued reign, one need only look to the three other artists who had the biggest impact in dancehall this year. Firstly, Popcaan, Kartel’s former Portmore Empire pupil and protege, who took a page from Teacha’s Kingston Story playbook, cementing his artistic legacy with a Dre Skull-produced album full of broad-minded, man-of-the-people lyrics. Then there’s Spice, Kartel’s co-conspirator on “Ramping Shop,” the 2009 single that cemented his own place as good Jamaican society’s public enemy #1. After running tings with “So Mi Like It,” dancehall’s reigning queen clinched her biggest year yet with…wait, for it…another Kartel collab, “Conjugal Visit”—complete with a video starring a Kartel lookalike in jailhouse orange. And finally there’s Alkaline, dancehall’s new iconoclast, a rebel who seems intent on one upping Kartel’s every move feels tediously Kartel-ian.

Kartel’s fingerprints can also be found in less obvious places. Two of the currently prevailing trends in dancehall—the influence of EDM; and the return of classic ’80s and ’90s bashment vibes—could be said to have been predicted by Kartel. Years before any other dancehall stars gave Diplo the time of day, Vybz appeared on the producer’s now-forgotten 2004 debut album Florida and, five years later, he helped buss Major Lazer with his appearance on “Pon De Floor.” And he presaged the current trend of homaging classic deejay flows, when he paid homage to Shabba by adopting his style on “Gaza Ting A Ling” five years ago.

So, yeah, there’s no way around it. Love him or hate him (and there’s ample reasons to do both), Kartel is probably the single most influential artist in dancehall history. (Here’s 30 more reasons why, in case you need ’em.)

So that brings us to our annual list of the year’s best dancehall. Typically, we select only tunes that were released during the year we’re looking back on. But an overwhelming number of 2014’s impact tunes were dropped during the last gasps of 2013, too late to be considered for last year’s list, but too massive in ’14 to disregard here here. To be faithful to the guidelines we’ve followed in past years would mean that some of the biggest dancehall hits of the decade would go without recognition in any of our annual Top 10 lists. So here you have the most essential dancehall tunes of 2014—the tracks that ran the year regardless of release date.

Start the list here.

14. Gully Bop aka Countryman “Body Specialist”

There is probably no other music culture where someone can rise from literal rags and obscurity to become the object of national fascination and (arguably) and the main draw in a world-renowned music showcase in just a few weeks—and without a corny, pre-fabricated reality show and hidden money pulling all the strings. There’s an ’80s movie fit for the late Harold Ramis in the rags-to-riches story of Gully Bop aka Countryman (aka “Daddy Kartel”), a reputedly homeless deejay who came from out of nowhere to become the talk of dancehall and top draw at this year’s edition of Sting. Cleaned up for the radio as “Body Specialist” (and also referred to as “Every Gyal”), his slackful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y8YOGmbLEU freestyle over a version of the classic Punanny riddim became instant viral fodder when it appeared online last month. Gully hasn’t officially graduated from one-hit wonder status just yet, but his second single “Dem Nuh Bad Like We” is picking up, and is now the subject of an EDM remix from Major Lazer’s Walshy Fire, so his run should at least be longer than Potential Kidd‘s. —Jesse Serwer

SEE ALSO: GULLY BOP- “DEM NUH BAD LIKE WE”

13. Vybz Kartel featuring J Capri “Mamacita”

Vybz Kartel offers up some signature slackness on “Mamacita,” over catchy production from the always on-point RVSSIAN, but takes it a step further by skillfully dropping a chorus en español along with female deejay J. Capri. Voicing behind bars or not, Kartel remained ever present in 2014 and “Mamacita” offers even more proof that the Werl’ Boss is still setting the bar by which all other dancehall deejays must measure themselves. It also proved to be a great showcase for RVSSIAN, who spent 2014 blending dancehall with dembow and other Latin flavors.  —Saxon Baird

SEE ALSO: J. CAPRI – “BOOM AND BEND OVER”

12. Assassin “Sekkle and Cease”

2014 saw a wave of throwback dancehall very much led by Jah Snowcone’s Nuh Fraid riddim. Finding new life this year after originally appearing as “Duppy Nuh Frighten Vampire” from Spragga Benz’s Shotta Culture LP (in 2010), the riddim was voiced by Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Capleton, Mr. Vegas and a slew of other deejay heavyweights this year. But its Assassin’s take that might be the best. Recalling the rough-and-ready days of late ‘80s/early ’90s dancehall, Assassin unleashes a lyrical fury over the minimal, Sleng Teng-inspired riddim. In his signature guttural flow, Sasco details proper badman attire (“Clarks boot and white tees”) and even gives a shoutout to NYC (“Bushwick to Bronx, mi cyaa left out Queens”)—but no hook, though. It’s pure, old-school dancehall at its finest, where all that really mattered was showing your skills on the mic and racking up forwards. For the full effect, check the video, which offers up 90’s bashment vibes with Assassin adorned in a Shabba-like uniform of gold rings, oversized glasses and mesh marinas. —Saxon Baird

SEE ALSO: MR. VEGAS FEAT. JOE LICKSHOT – “REAL DON”

11. Aidonia “80s Dancehall Style”

With “80s Dancehall Style,” Aidonia boiled dancehall back down to its basics, inspiring a run on tracks of similar vintage. Equipped with a crackling vinyl of the Golden Hen riddim and a bit of vocal delay, the track sounds like it comes straight off a live dancehall cassette recording from the era it expertly emulates. That’s all Aidonia needs to briskly buss off a number of fiery verses (including a roll call of some of his favorite Jamaican deejays) and once again prove he has the talent to thrive beyond the aggressive, slack tunes he’s made his name with. In a year of experimentation for Aidonia (he dropped reggae tracks “Ganja Farmer” and “Youths Dem” and found Rastafari), it was this show of allegiance to “80s Dancehall Style” that made the loudest statement. —Saxon Baird

SEE ALSO: KONSHENS – “DON DADDY”

10. Alkaline “Gyal Bruk Out” 

Love him or hate him, all eyes in dancehall are on Alkaline right now—he’s easily the most notable new/young artist to come along since Popcaan. The 20-year-old with the (supposedly) tattooed eyeballs released dozens, if not hundreds, of tunes in 2014, but none were more ubiquitous than “Gyal Bruk Out,” issued on Notnice’s Boom Box riddim in the last weeks of ’13. It was easily one of the definitive songs of the year, and probably of Alkaline’s career.—Jesse Serwer

SEE ALSO: ALKALINE “YOUNG PEOPLE TIME NOW”

9. Major Lazer feat. Sean Paul “Come On To Me”

Last year, we made the controversial call to name Major Lazer’s “Bumaye” as dancehall single of the year. From a perspective of innovation and widespread appeal, we thought it was the most deserving track, even if the Busy Signal-featuring track didn’t meet the dictionary definition of dancehall. You can’t discuss Caribbean music right now without including Diplo and crew, and with Jamaican-born Walshy Fire and Trindidad’s Jillionaire in the mix, the interloper argument doesn’t quite work as well as it used to. Using similar tools to “Bumaye”—another salsa sample from Willie Colon; vocals from a globally-minded dancehall star (Sean Paul this time, instead of Busy)—they replicated the formula with “Come On To Me,” but the track came across as anything but formulaic, upping the energy in any dance it played. Also a factor was a notable but rarely-mentioned subplots in dancehall: Sean Paul’s transformation from pop dancehall icon into an unlikely player in Latin music. (As he told us recently, he doesn’t even speak Spanish). Given the salsa flavoring of “Come On To Me” and his even more successful turns on Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailando” and Farruko’s “Passion Whine,” and the failure of his latest LP Full Frequency, a Dutty album en espanol appears to be in order. —Jesse Serwer

SEE ALSO: SEAN PAUL + FARRUKO – “PASSION WHINE”

8. I-Octane “Wi Bad”

I get a reaction every single time I run an I-Octane tune in the club – there’s just something about his delivery and vocal tone that connects and turns heads, especially when paired with the right production. I lean towards his more raw dancehall tunes which were definitely delivered this year in the form of “Wi Bad” and “Don’t Give A” on the Boom Box and Gwaan Bad riddims, two of our favorite riddims from this year. Both tunes are set in a badman pose, with “Wi Bad” broadcasting a warning to all bwoys who cross the line, and “Don’t Give A Fuck” living up to its title with some sharp rhymes and ruthless attitude. Both sure shots. —Deejay Theory

7. Popcaan “Where We Come From”

Popcaan’s “Where We Come From” is a bit of an anomaly on this list—and in dancehall in general— in that it wasn’t actually released as a single, but rose to renown after appearing, without fanfare, on a full-length album. The title track on Popcaan’s heralded debut LP for Mixpak Records, “Where We Come From” is Popcaan at his best, striking a balance between the personal and the global, savvy deejaying and catchy melodies. Throw in Anjublaxx’s supremely underrated rhythm track, and you have a song so undeniable it couldn’t. —Jesse Serwer

SEE ALSO: POPCAAN – “LOVE YUH BAD”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl8CgQyJdtk

6. Kranium “Nobody Has To Know”

Kranium’s “Nobody Has to Know” is the closest thing dancehall’s had to a sequel to Gyptian’s “Hold Yuh,” arguably the culture’s last true global crossover hit. Another New York production—Kranium and producer LMR Pro both hail from NYC (“Hold Yuh” was produced by Brooklyn’s Ricky Blaze)—it came packaged with a hop-hop sensibility that easily lent itself to urban radio, a facet highlighted in Kenny Meez’s “Rah Rah” remix (over the beat from Kid Ink’s “Show Me”). More impressive than the track’s success at radio stations like Hot 97 was its impact in Jamaica, a rarity for a U.S.-based dancehall production. —Jesse Serwer

SEE ALSO: GYPTIAN – “STUCK” and RICKY BLAZE FEAT. SHAGGY + KRANIUM – “OVERRATED”

5/4. Vybz Kartel “Miami Vice Episode”/”Do Di Maths (Wah Do You?)” 

As noted above, 2014 was as bright musically for Vybz Kartel as it was dark for him personally. “Miami Vice Episode,” one of two big Kartel tunes this year inspired by 1980s pop-culture memes (the other being “Rambo Kanambo”), was his biggest anthem in the clubs this year, its airy synths bringing a wave of feelgood vibes into any room it played. From the perspective of lyrics and dlow, though, nothing could touch “Do Di Maths (“Wah Do You?”), a classic Worl’ Boss shit-talk session addressing di yutes dem who Kartel ah mek star, if you catch his drift. —Jesse Serwer

SEE ALSO: VYBZ KARTEL – “MAKE DI STAR SHINE”

3. Popcaan “Everything Nice” (Remix feat. Mavado)

Popcaan dropped “Everything Nice” as a way of announcing his debut album Where We Come From (#2 on our list of 2014’s Toppa Top Albums) back in October of 2013, but the track really took off in the springtime of this year when Mavado added his voice to a remix that officially extinguished any lingering embers from the Gully/Gaza feud. (Wow, that seems like ancient history, doesn’t it?). In both its original and remixed form, “Everything Nice” is a gamechanger—a melancholic slow burner produced by a US-based outsider (Dubbel Dutch) who’d never made a dancehall single before. Hitting in Jamaica right around the same time as Vybz Kartel’s guilty verdict, the remix’s mixture of optimism and introspection managed perfectly captured that moment in dancehall, while reaching way beyond the confines of Jamaica to become a worldwide summer anthem. —Jesse Serwer

SEE ALSO: POPCAAN – “V.S.O.P.”

2/1. Spice “Like A Man”/”So Mi Like It”

Female artists don’t get enough respect in dancehall, never have. Naysayers and doubters couldn’t help but give Spice her props in 2014, though—this was her year. The Portmore native has been making hits for years, but their success has often been attributed to her collaborators (Vybz Kartel on “Ramping Shop”) or producers (Dave Kelly on “Fight Ova Man”). The glory of “So Mi Like It” was all hers, though—from New Year’s Eve through Christmas week, the track’s been a must-play. Spice really outdid herself on “Like A Man,” challenging dancehall’s male patriarchy by asking if they would they rate her more of if she was a man? In a Biggie Smalls proud, she switched up her flow to deejay “like a man,” even dressing like one in her video. Spice was dancehall’s MVP in 2014, and these two singles were the biggest reasons why. —Jesse Serwer

SEE ALSO: J. CAPRI – “BOOM AND BEND OVER”

HONOREBEL MENTIONS

Busy Signal—”Professionally”/”Well Prepared”

We couldn’t do a rundown of dancehall in 2014 without acknowledging one of its greatest lyrical stylists. Ever the experimental opportunist, Busy Signal’s most notable recent tracks saw him co-opt a pair of international rhythms—P Square’s Afrobeats hit “Personally” and Lorde’s “Royals”—turning them into dancehall, on “Professionally” and the late ’13 release, “Well Prepared,” respectively.

KONSHENS -“Sumn Deh”

Courtesy of RVSSIAN’s Head Concussion Records, “Sumn Deh” was another gem for the producer this year. It wouldn’t be what it is though without Konshens offering up some super fun, X-rated lyrics to the riddim. A perfect response to critics who think slackness in dancehall is tired, “Sumn Deh” might make your mother blush but is bound to induce some serious whining in the dancehall.

Gage – “Throat”

The latest post-Kartel darkhorse in the vein of Tommy Lee and Alkaline, Gage isn’t for everyone. Lyrically, his blow-job anthem “Throat” is a bit tough to swallow (ahem) but his delivery on the minimal, bass-and-tom-tom riddim known as Street Mongrel is nothing if not effective.

Demarco -Good Book

Demarco dropped the toughest song on one of the year’s hardest riddims.