rolling dancehall & reggae 2016

timely!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqOrQFween8

Really enjoying the Loodi riddim atm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50jyn6_rLFA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2DySaJVD-c

Also, the Feel Good riddim is so much fun:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkJ2WZ7nERY

oh yeah, Busy is also really good on the Terminal riddim:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWA9PMTQ1HA

Oh, and Alkaline is just on fire these days: After All, Block and Delete, Spoil You, Extra Lesson, 12 PM...

Did I forget to post Baby Tash on the Loodi riddim? Sorry, on a bus now but it's real nice.

Here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7MOhYoG33g

My favorite song at the moment is probably Vybz' Emoji though. Has there ever been a songwriter this economical? He invites over with an emoji, she grabs a taxi, and he has sex with her in two different ways before he offers her a soda from the fridge over the course of, what, three lines of verse?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFS5AfEAfJM

Let's hope the recent move to the maximum security prison doesn't mean these will all dry up.

Popcaan's New Fresh Jordans seems to take its cue from the great Nah Idle and also sounds like it's maybe trying to crack the ovo code? I think it's a good look for him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQk0rlqMxuM

lol, Fresh Jordans, not New Fresh.

Good call on Loodi. Konshens is good on that one too ("It's All Good").

otm re Alkaline. Has he put out a bad track this year? (don't answer that) The video for City is a nice victory lap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8NKj3-4PEU

As usual I'm only keeping half an eye on Kartel's torrential output, but I dug Real Youth, which I posted upthread, as well as Half Way Tree and I always lol every time Hey Addi pops up on a mix

also ICYMI: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/vybz-kartel-still-ruling-dancehall-after-years-in-prison-w448510
fwiw he still claims he's not recording in prison

Right. His beef records directed at Mavado and Alkaline were recorded by prophesy, obviously.

That is a really good profile btw.

lol yeah tbh I was sort of surprised he stuck to the story. Interesting to read about the appeal and all the alleged errors in his trial

Playlist updated for November.

ILM's Rolling Dancehall & Reggae Thread 2016 Spotify Playlist

Interesting year in review from Marvin Sparks--whose podcast (no long talk) is a bit too loose but can be diverting--mostly talking about the disconnect between dancehall's influence on global pop and the lack of global success for JA artists: http://www.factmag.com/2016/12/06/2016-dancehall-domination-charts-underground/

Not seeing much of any dancehall on other year-end lists (nor soca, afropop...)

yeah same, though I'm pretty sure we've noted the same thing for the past several years in a row.

tbf I can't think of any 2016 dancehall albums that belong on anyone's list (afropop on the other hand...). It is a bit sad but predictable seeing stuff like the Equiknoxx and Jubilee albums, or like Fact has Devin di Dakta's "Bubble" on their "club" tracks list but no dancehall actually produced in JA. In terms of reggae, I thought Chronixx was supposed to put out a full-length this year but nothing materialized, and in general the 'roots revival' was much quieter than years past. I haven't seen many tracks lists but I expect they'll mostly bear out Sparks' narrative. The Fader might be an exception if they're not too distracted writing explainers about white supremacy

I just delivered a 2016 albums list with Kartel placing fourth, but I realize other people have terrible taste, so... Anyway I''m getting used to this. The genres I'm into are the ones no one else find interesting. But I did get to review Babes Wodumo
And Heavy-K today in a weekly, and am working on a big Kartel piece for February, so I'm not really complaining.
I would be interested in reading something on the best 2016 riddims soon, though. Guessing Moskato will come out on top most places.

yeah I almost said "maybe with Kartel's album as an exception" but tbh I've never listened to the thing as an album, just heard most if it over time as individual tracks (see also Alkaline's New Level Unlocked). Also for several different reasons I don't realistically expect any US or UK publication to include the new Kartel on a list with like Radiohead...so yeah it's no longer even disappointing really. That said, I would love to see a soca list just to see what I've missed.

longneck, you should link that Kartel piece here when it's out

iirc Large Up usually does a riddims list. I would expect Moskato as well as Cure Pain for sure. Maybe Wicked Wicked too?

Sure, and All Inclusive Riddim. I really like Tropical Punch as well - especially the I-Octane. Those, along with the 47th Floor, Club Life, Car Crash, Crown Love, Day Off, Feel Good, House of Joy, Loodi, Ova Dweet, Red Plate, Skelewu, The Champ, The Terminal, Wet Dreams, Yardman and Zen riddims are the ones I end up sticking with. 90s Don Dada was fun for a while but I hardly play it anymore.

The Soca system of starting the year in september and basically closing it out in february is throwing me for a loop, btw. I can't for the life of me remember which Soca Season 2016 tunes were actually 2016. And I'm just starting to get into the 2017 batch.

Oh, and Success Riddim.

I liked the recent album by Equiknoxx so much, I felt like it needs its own thread: EQUIKNOXX - Bird Sound Power (2016) - exquisite avant-dancehall riddims

Seriously, go check it out now now now

(since they got mentioned again I should clarify that Equiknoxx are in fact Jamaican)

Every time I've tried to listen to this I end up getting annoyed that there aren't any vocalists. I actually quite liked their mix for Fact though, do seek that out. I might post some of their vocal productions on the other thread later as I do agree that they're very talented. Just not sure why they wanted to do a riddim-only album, though perhaps the fact it's on Demdike Stare's label is the answer?

For some reason Pitchfork has put out a video for Chronixx's "Majesty"; it's nice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OEaMaO9NfM

and Merry Christmas thread:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siluvHUzy2k

oof:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQJz43Hrsow

LargeUp's list is out:

1. Vybz Kartel, “Fever”
2. Rihanna feat. Drake, “Work”
3. Konshens, “Bruk Off”
4. Popcaan, “We Still A Win (World Cup)”
5. Alkaline, “City”
6. Drake feat. Popcaan, “Controlla”
7. Jahmiel, “Where Were U”
8. Popcaan, “Ova Dweet”
9. Vybz Kartel, “Western Union”
10. Mavado, “Progress”
11. Charly Blacks, “Gyal You A Party Animal”
12. Dwayne “DJ” Bravo, “Champion”
13. Chi Ching Ching, “Breadfruit (Roast or Fry)”/ Popcaan, “Wicked Man Ting”
14. Spice, “Indicator”
15. Chronixx, “Sell My Gun”
16. Alkaline, “After All”

Plus a bunch of honorable mentions: http://www.largeup.com/2016/12/15/best-dancehall-singles-of-2016/18/

Two mentions of Drake is pretty rmde but this is a really strong list imo. New-to-me DJ Bravo has 33million views on yt

how did I forget how great "Gal.gov" is. are there really no other versions on this riddim?

Well... both of those Drake tracks are pretty undeniable, whatever you might think of Drake. I had simply filed the DJ Bravo track as "yet another Culu Culu track" though. Will have to listen more carefully. And Progress... is not my favorite Mavado track this year. It just sounds old fashioned in the wrong way to me. I much prefer him on the All Inclusive riddim or on Beat & Teach and maybe one or two others. But yeah. Solid list. Curious about their riddims countdown.

Yeah fair enough, I don't really get the fuss about "Controlla" with or without Popcaan, but "Work" was my favorite track to hear all over the city this summer and it def would be odd to not include it. Something like "Luv" would have been a lot less forgivable.

Right. Controlla set a trend... and it works on most dancefloors, still. So I'd say it belongs. I'll have to think a bit tomorrow about what they're leaving out here.

Some thoughts:
1) Why is Popcaan's We Still Ah Win so high on the largeup list? It's one of the Popcaan tracks I've played the least this year.
2) My pick for Alkaline track of the year is probably After All, above One More Time. City is good, but I prefer most of his other singles. Weirdest of all is that the part on Block & Delete on the intro where he goes "instant block and deleeeeeeeete" isn't utilized as a hook. It's easily the most catchy moment of the song, imo.
3) Did Dexta Daps kinda blow it this year, just by not releasing enough stuff, or will we see Haunted or one of his other tracks catch on in 2017? I know I played Shabba Madda Pot weekly at least until october.

afaict Largeup's general rubric for these lists is to take popularity/status as a "single" somewhat into account. Hence "Progress" being on there instead of a stronger Mavado song. Or the one from the Trini cricketer for that matter.

1) I like this tune but yeah it's too high, and I much prefer Nah Idle, maybe even more than Ova Dweet. World Cup did pop up on a bunch of mixes I heard around the Olympics, which could be a factor.
2) I seem to be alone on the board in thinking City is a consummate summer jam--love him in this breezily confident mode--and as much as I love One More Time I think this would be my pick too. Hearing this was the first time I was *really* struck by Alka's now-obvious pop star qualities. That said, After All, 12pm, and My Side of the Story have all been creeping up for me lately though. Formula could be here too. Hell I threw on New Level Unlocked yesterday and enjoyed it back to front.
3) They mentioned in the intro that Shabba Madda Pot was huge this year, but they'd included it on last year's list so it didn't fit through the Charly Blacks loophole. Haunted came out in early January iirc, so that seems like kind of a long shot to me. I feel like it's pretty common for dancehall artists to follow up a hot streak with total silence--I remember once being worried that Popcaan had blown it after the initial wave of Only Man and Ravin. Or like the other day I was fretting about Chronixx and then the next day he dropped a new video and announced a huge tour and an album release for 2017.

Trigger Finger would work too, lol. Or even Chinese Jordans. Honestly though, none of them are as good as Shabba Madda Pot or 7 Eleven. That's what I meant by stating that he kinda blew it. Still, when I listened through the new Road Block Riddim the other day and Dexta's version came on, my first thought was literally «how the heck didn't this guy rule 2016?» My best guess would be that he just didn't release enough music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faSYRFcut1E

Uhhhh... Road Show Riddim, obviously.

I think he'll be okay. Ignoring release dates, he basically had a major hit in 2015 and followed it up with a big hit in 2016. Maybe he would have risen even further if the video for Chinese Jordan wasn't so terrible.

Genuinely surprised that Fact picked "Ova Dweet" as their track of the year. I'm not sure I totally buy their narrative of the song encapsulating the year of pop-dancehall symbiosis, and I think the Red Bull Culture Clash/Mixpak figures too large in their assessment, but respect for actually putting some weight behind the idea of dancehall being important this year. I lolled at the Fader spending a couple paragraphs bemoaning Popcaan's like 90 seconds of material being cut from Controla and then not putting any of his actual tracks on their 115-item list (c.f., pitchfork letting andy beta say afrobeats was the sound of the year in their Alicia Keys writeup and then putting zero actual african songs on their list).

Well at least Ova Dweet is *that* good imo. I've played it since it dropped and it always brings good energy in whatever context. It's easily the 2016 popcaan song I'd play first to a non-dancehall-knowledgeable friend, and I'd be happy to put it on a top 20 songs of the year list. So... nice move by Fact. However, the whole Culture Clash thing barely registered with me - as I watched some highlights via youtube that didn't translate too well. I guess you had to be there. And yeah, spot on about Fader and Pitchfork.

tbc Ova Dweet is one of my favorite songs of the year. I just wasn't remotely expecting Fact of all places to make it number one! not that I read it all that often

Somehow, Largeup managed to leave All Inclusive out of their riddims of the year round up. [Trump] Weak! [/Trump]
http://www.largeup.com/2016/12/22/biggest-dancehall-riddims-2016/

rolling dancehall & reggae 2017

Playlist is finalized for the year.

ILM's Rolling Dancehall & Reggae Thread 2016 Spotify Playlist