rolling dancehall & reggae 2018

XD

a few more goodies with that slow, mellow vibey sound mentioned upthread. at some point we might need to theorize on this--afrobeats influence? fucking Drake/OVO?

Popcaan "Bullet Proof":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0SPp7ApMIk

Alkaline "Load Up":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3c9jzUg824

I'll admit that Kartel on the Giggi Riddim (Ring A Rozy) is kinda weak. But this new one from him and Mixpak is pretty spectacular.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnERiIgDJQ0

yeah that's nice! funny how throwback it sounds in 2018 (tho I guess that pinch of Pumpkin Belly Kartel drops in makes it deliberate)

getting pleasing album-coming-soon vibes from this new Poppy video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CJ1LGcsdYs

Shenseea seems to be on a "look how versatile I can be" campaign right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7cPiV4uVng

pretty bold sample on this new Kranium:

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

Kranium also has a very good voicing on the Break Through riddim that that Popcaan "Bullet Proof" is on

longneck, have I lost my mind or is this Sean Paul x Mavado track actually fantastic? halp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mj3aLcT7Qw

and while I'm both skimming links off robbo ranx and marvelling at Sean Paul-related tunes, this Dutty Rock produced Rope riddim is sweet: https://youtu.be/xiVSz_afpvM

and one more, Busy Signal's "Dawg" is fire:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr70YG9m_bc

The Mavado and Sean Paul is pretty dope! Is Sean Paul the most underrated of them all? I sometimes think he might be.

And even Westwood has been playing the Rope riddim lately, actually. It has a nice groove that will work in most settings.

And No Odda... that’s probably the purest r&b song I’ve heard in a good while.

I was too distracted by the No Letting Go sample at first, but "No Odda" is really good! Maybe there's another Kranium album in the works? Rumors faded for me pretty quickly, but I just put it on and it's already better than I remembered.

tbf it's Mavado's "I'm blessed/ I'm sanctify" hook that makes that song for me (the song structure is also more interesting than I would expect), but surprisingly SP is pretty credible in spiritual mode. I am not and have never been a DJ but I could see Rope being fun as hell to play out.

I really like the new heatwave mix - https://soundcloud.com/theheatwavemixes/now-thats-what-i-call-shelling-vol-1 - but I'm going mad because I can't seem to identify the song that starts at 00.11.50, between RDX - Bang and Aidonia - Bruki. The one with the Ben ova hook. Does anyone on here know what it is?

Russian's Bashment Time Riddim is a blast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LJafguTSyc

The Konshens version was released as early as in 2016 though.

oh that works way better in full riddim mix form than it does individually

saw this sweet and breezy tune on the fader:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U00JRRATURY

(Amindi K. Fro$t, "Pine and Ginger")

been way out of the loop for months, but this sounded like the best of the three (!) videos Konshens dropped for his new album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqDwdT0_DrA

I just wanted to pop in here and say that Popcaan's been on fire this year. Bulletproof is still my favourite, but these other ones are really nice also.

Inviolable:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbPyFvAl4w4

My Type:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68LZ5utJVr8

Weed Stettingz:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1DCZ2cfNYU

The latest one, Steamy with Jah Vinci, is not quite on the level of the other ones, but still pretty good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPjxy8QlaPE

Bulletproof is so great, definitely my favorite 2018 JA track so far
but you're otm, he's hit such a level of consistency, I really hope the new album rumor is true

Masicka has really clicked for me this year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSVbK9cg-hs

the riddim on Busy Signal's "Cut Off" is pretty wild with a real use-every ingredient-in-the-fridge ragga feel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM2rD1Hhe0k

airhorn.wav
https://pitchfork.com/news/rihanna-is-making-a-reggae-album/

while we're waiting, here is an excellent new Spice tune:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJacsbqYFE0

Under Water / Under Fire also sounding pretty great, especially since I've been rinsing Ramping Shop lately

Under Water / Under Fire also sounding pretty great, especially since I've been rinsing Ramping Shop lately

haha yeah it's probably the number one song I can think of that I would never play for anybody else

I mean "heteronormative" doesn't even really do it (in)justice!

on a less problematic front, I'm about to start a thread for Jada Kingdom who I only just listened to for the first time today and I am immensely excited about

I mean "heteronormative" doesn't even really do it (in)justice!

Will check out Jada Kingdom though.

that's interesting. I've tended to think of the homophobic bookends as more like disconnected ad libs--meme-like, throat-clearing asides that were de rigueur at the time--but obvs the rest of the track's pornographic performance of the wonders of hetero sex *is* the other side of the coin

When you listen to the supposed “clean” version, most of the lewdness is scrambled, but those “bookends” are left proudly intact - leaving the listener (me anyway) with an extra dirty taste in their mouth. Talking about rinsing...

ugh, I have not heard that version, and that definitely positions those lines as integral

in fresher news, this piece is worth a look: http://www.vulture.com/2018/04/women-are-keeping-dancehall-fresh.html. I would like to think we no longer need to mention "Bam Bam" in these kinds of pieces, but I get it.

I'm curious what ILM makes of Bad Gyal...not sure I've seen her mentioned despite topping FACT's tracks list last year. I was underwhelmed by whichever song that was, but "Candela" bangs and I just put Worldwide Angel on and it's dope so far

Wait... has Spice jumped on the Zinc Roof riddim? Or am I reading that wrong?

Yessss to Jada Kingdom! Unwanted” and “Love Situations” are great.

So is “Better Than That” with Govana. I trust you’ll be posting them on that dedicated thread!

longneck: no, that's right! it's a direct answer to Under Water (she even mentions Kartel at one point)

breastcrawl: "Better Than That" is the one I heard first and I was like, who is this female singer I've never clocked before? and then I watched her videos, which are pretty bananas.
also, Govana has a handful of good recent tracks; "Baked Bean" stood out but I need to revisit a few others

I will start a Jada Kingdom thread when I get a longer moment (maybe a Bad Gyal one too? idk, every now and then I remember we don't have a thread for Alkaline, but the board is pretty anemic these days)

Oh, NICE! Haven’t seen it at my usual outlets but I’m guessing it will be on Robbo Ranx today at the very least.

And yeah, Jada Kingdom is pretty great. Will be checking for her.

Sat on the bus yesterday in front of a lady who was complaining that her kids overrate Alkaline to the detriment of "real legends" like Vybz Kartel.

Felt a million years old.

nice of them to drop this right when I've been keenly missing J Capri:

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

new solo Shenseea is nice too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn8KVlJgCaw

Shenseea is delightful also I’m late to the party but RDX is deeply my shit and they make me smile so hard

I don’t know what RDXs profile is like in the grand scheme of dancehall but I look forward to each single. The squeaky bed springs of “Grab” are my favorite sound of ‘18.

💀💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/PLLaVnIe1t

— NewBalance🤘🏾 (@tahjxxn) June 7, 2018

Lol!

oh man... they need to keep that in

busy's sense of melody is peerless. I'm kind of surprised more JA videos don't pull this rewind trick but he earns it here ("one way"):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-cK7VZ3Bmo

love this new Jada Kingdom/"Banana" after having second thoughts about my initial burst of enthusiasm for her:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WrPfTzWzoQ

while I'm in a posting mood, how did I miss this Mavado on the Levels riddim?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZpg3D2NddM

Rygin King seems to be blowing up a bit; I quite like "Tuff"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XvJYYE2ePM

This (oldish) rolling stone piece on Rihanna's supposedly in-progress dancehall album is super interesting: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/inside-rihannas-upcoming-dancehall-album-700930/#!

signs of life from Alkaline (and Lee Milla w/ a great riddim):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jdmj4Qw3rc

The whole mixtape goes hard.

I mean... "my pussy pretty like Shenseea face" - lol!

btw, I think Rygin King's Tuff, posted above, might be in my top 5 this year.

If you mean top 5 dancehall, I think it's my number 1. I don't think I've even mildly enjoyed any of Rygin's other songs, but Tuff is sublime! Tbh I have a very poor sense this year of what's genuinely popular in JA. I know Tuff was big, but is there a contender for biggest tune this year? As well as Forever did, I don't think any one track has emerged as its hit.

I made a post a week or so ago with a bunch of Aidonia and Govana tunes but it got eaten--anyway, those two have had great years. Put "VVS" alongside "Tuff" as examples of dancehall responding to trap in an exciting way.

I didn't have time to listen to much, but the first few tracks on that Spice tape were a blast.

damn I'd forgotten how gorgeous the netflixxx riddim is

feeling the Rygin King tune. Excellent, original use of autotune on that one and the production is sweet

I meant top 5 overall, actually. It's just so... life affirming.

Legacy is kind of nice as well but obviously not half as good.

I should give them another listen but yeah none had that instant sugar rush like Tuff.
looking forward to hearing what else is in your top five later in the year, longneck

Fake Love is in there, at the very least!

don't lock that list down just yet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8HoEvDh70Y

Koffee, "Toast"

This new Alkaline is good too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT0gwGWHzBk

if I was a dj I'd be real excited about Ding Dong's "Vibes"

Spice - Romantic Mood is so so good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eqCwj7XWxk

yeah that's a great homage. The "No No No" interpolation is the only thing that doesn't quite work imo, but the rest is smart and subtle and bangs even if you don't get the references.

It's a little weird how refreshing and creative a 90s ragga riddim sounds right now, though I can't figure out if that one is new or not. Echoing something I said on the Rosalía thread but I feel like you could really make waves in JA production these days simply by not saturating the track with sound, leave some space/air and emphasize the syncopation again (n.b., I don't know music theory at all so I may be talking nonsense here).

No, I think that's correct. The main problem in dancehall production atm is that a lot of it sounds stuffed and compressed. The Popcaan album sounded so refreshing mainly because it had a lot of air in the production, but at the same timeit could have used some new ideas about how you can use those spaces. The new Kartel is a case in point here too. It sounds as if it's on the verge of some sort of discovery but it doesn't quite get there. Imo it doesn't work but you get the distinct feeling that it might have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If8L0Zaskq0

Huh, that is a super interesting track! Is that really Kartel?? I'm getting some kind of uncanny valley effect from his britishy ohs (plus the IG ref). Secondly, re: the production, I agree that that sounds very close to novel. I like the crispness of the drums especially.

The Popcaan album, which I really like, is interesting in that I think it basically represents a capitulation to the idea that afrobeats took on the early '10s dancehall sound and improved it (the flipside to that being trop house, which took the same sound palette and made it bland). While there are of course good songs still coming out of JA, hopefully soon we'll get something radical.

Yeah, Kartel seems to be on some weird britishy vibey experimental ish these days - or rather I guess he must have been at some point between the advent of instagram and his incarceration, lol. On the Illi Sanchea track that dropped a while ago he's even more freewheeling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uzFOeawzKg&frags=pl%2Cwn

I'm not into this one at all for some reason, although I guess it is... interesting. There was a fun moment when she was a guest on the Robbo Ranx show this week and she asked him straight out if he liked it and he tried really hard to avoid answering her question (he hasn't played it until this week and Robbo plays A LOT of Kartel).

Yeah that one's kind of a mess, though I'm not sure whose fault it is.

I might have to listen to that Robbo show though, haven't checked in with him in a long while. I'd basically come round to the "Kartel's vault was massive before prison" theory, but now I'm less sure.

Yeah, Kartel mentioning part of her name in the song and referencing the Beatles while doing the britishy accent thing makes the he-had-this-in-an-old-folder-all-along theory seem somewhat implausible.

So... uh... Stylo G got Nicki AND Kartel on the remix of this banger:

https://youtu.be/459bLvt7f9c

that is good. lol at mixing the Kartel ad lib in right after the bleach line

You know Nicki could do a lot worse than going full snoop lion next album. I think the only thing off Queen I liked was the one that sampled Dave Kelly

Yeah, a Nicki who actually went with her instincts instead of with what her marketing people thought was the right move for her might have been awesome.

OK thinking about dog latin's poll suggestion, I made a little list of tracks. I have a bunch of disclaimers but first here's the list. They're not ranked but I divided them into an upper and lower tier:

First Tier
Rygin King “Tuff”
Popcaan “Bulletproof”
Koffee “Toast”
Alkaline “Yaadie Fiesta”
Busy Signal “One Way”
Shenseea x Konshens x Rvssian “Hard Drive”
Konshens “Turn Around”
Kranium “No Odda”
Popcaan “Lef My Gun”
Masicka “They Don’t Know”

Second Tier
Govana x Jada Kingdom “Better Than That”
Jada Kingdom “Banana”
Govana “One N Move”
Popcaan “Family”
Mavado “Dress to Impress”
Shenseea “Pon Mi”
Spice “Black Hypocrisy”
Vybz Kartel “Under Water”
Aidonia “VVS”
Alicai Harley “Naah Done”

The big disclaimer is I haven't thought about this too much, nor have I made an effort to find anything I missed. This was also a year where I heard a lot of good songs from favorite artists but rarely any clear classics, so in a bunch of cases I'd be open to alternates: Alkaline (I just love that riddim), Spice (as a white person I feel weird big-upping BH), Aidonia, Shenseea (tbh I'm not sure she put out a truly great song this year), and I still don't know which track on Forever is my favorite.

BH is a monumental song but I must admit that other songs, like Romantic Mood and Genie, are a lot more fun to listen to.

Is any dancehall crossing over to other year end music lists? At quick glance not seeing any in Pitchfork top 100 tracks list— also no soca or afrobeats

The Popcaan album is the only dancehall I've seen on a list. Frankly, I wouldn't expect anything else to appear--it's been a somewhat quiet year.

Why did you guys hide this Spice track from us all year? (and why is it not on the album?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOtj1aiHRw8

Spice • Tik Tak

annual thanks to rob, longneck and co itt for keeping up with what’s going on. annual commitment to look into this thread more often! looking fwd to making my way through the list rob.

thanks Fizzles! I just spent ten days in Trinidad & Tobago and now really want to tweak that list. If nothing else, it's now obvious that "Silence" is the people's choice off Forever and hearing it booming out of various speakers' the whole trip made it clear why.

this new Rygin King "Powerful" is quite good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OrpJCditas

I might have dismissed "Tik Tak" as a little too Spice-by-numbers when it came out, but it sounds nice this morning.

I'm not sure if it was being in the Caribbean or year-end second-guessing, but lots of things are grabbing me harder this week. There's a bunch of Alkaline, Masicka, and Rygin King that I'd put on that list now, e.g.:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWgD_IG46gE

Ding Dong should probably be on there somewhere too.

I think this Aidonia was in a post that got eaten:

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

rolling dancehall & reggae 2019