Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. Two of the biggest stars of the early dancehall era were Yellowman and Eek-a-Mouse. Dancehall brought a new generation of producers, including Linval Thompson, Gussie Clarke and Jah Thomas. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably, with digital dancehall (or "ragga") becoming increasingly characterized by faster rhythms. (The word "bashment", a term originating in the 1990s, was used to describe a particularly good dance; for example "to go to a bashment dance". In the Dancehall vernacular, "bashment" is therefore an adjective instead of a noun.)
In the early 1990s songs by Dawn Penn, Shabba Ranks, Patra and Chaka Demus and Pliers were the first dancehall megahits in the US and abroad. Other varieties of dancehall achieved crossover success outside of Jamaica during the mid-to-late 1990s. After the popularizing of Buju Banton's dancehall song "Boom Bye Bye" in the early 1990s, dancehall music came under criticism over anti-gay lyrics in a few songs. The early 2000s saw the success of newer charting acts such as Rihanna, Elephant Man and Sean Paul. Dancehall made a resurgence within the pop market in the late 2000s, with songs by Konshens, Mr. Vegas, Popcaan, Mavado, Vybz Kartel, Beenie Man among others.
Podcasts:
Dancehall
by: TribesShe's a gypsy queen, real tall and mean
She's an airplane, no one's ever seen
She's a firecracker, real dancehall master
She's a hurricane when you walk past her
She's the morning sun in the midnight wind
She'd sell her soul for all her sins
She'll come right at you, real Cleopatra
You take all you got, and you give it to her
Did you see that lightning in the sky
A window to my mind
It leaves me hypnotized
Somewhere better
Did you feel that thunder hit last night
A poison in my mind
It leaves me hypnotized
Somewhere better
Verse 2:
She's a striptease, real hard to please
She'll cheer you up, bring you to your knees
She's a movie star, fast sports car
She's a razor blade, she'll take you far
She's the ocean's cool, and your midnight ride
She's a devil's church, and a preacher's wife
She'll come right at you, real Cleopatra
You take all you got, and you give it to her
Did you see that lightning in the sky
A window to my mind
It leaves me hypnotized
Somewhere better
Did you feel that thunder hit last night
A poison in my mind
It leaves me hypnotized
Somewhere better
I don't care for dancing
but thanks for asking
Did you see that lightning in the sky
A window to my mind
It leaves me hypnotized
Somewhere better
Did you feel that thunder hit last night
A poison in my mind
It leaves me hypnotized
Latest News for: dancehall
‘Curated it for the culture.’ Walshy Fire documents dancehall in new book
The Miami Herald 18 Apr 20257pl Dancehall Mix
Bitchute 15 Apr 2025'Influence' is what makes me King of Dancehall - Vybz Kartel
Jamaica Star 11 Apr 2025Mazor Lazer's Walshy Fire comes to Orlando to celebrate release of new 'Art of Dancehall' book
Orlando Weekly 02 Apr 2025- 1