12. Latty J
The success of Spice in the last few years has proven that there’s room for more than one queen in dancehall. There’s still a relative shortage of women deejays staking their claim in dancehall right now (especially in light of the increased visibility of popular female rappers recently), but there are definitely a few on the come-up who should be entitled to more ratings. Along with 2014 artists to watch J Capri and Marcy Chin (and, we should also add, U.K.-based Shuga), you have to include Latty J in that conversation. The Mr. Vegas protege more than held her own on last year’s most underrated dancehall tracks, a battle-of-the-sexes combination tune, “Who Rule” with Vegas. In fact, you could say she pretty much stole the show when she interrupted her counterpart with the following: “Hol’ on/What yuh say—you a King? Ay-ay, well ah mus [you must mean] Burger King.” She also put in a strong showing as the only female on Jah Snowcone’s Nuh Fraid riddim, one of 2014’s sharpest instrumentals. Just a few weeks into January, she’s already released several singles, including a collaboration with dancehall’s newest crossover king, Kranium.