I've been super out of the loop since the summer (there's probably an album's worth of recent Kartel I haven't heard yet lol), but I think the genuine consensus hit for 2019 is Toast? Obvs that's kind of unsatisfying since it came out a full year ago, but I'm not aware of anything else in real contention with it. Plus, of course, it rules. It was my #1 for the eoy poll last year and I might just do that again.
Tommy Lee Sparta has a song called "Blessings" that I did not like when I checked it out, but is pretty popular. Surprised there isn't a Popcaan or Alkaline to consider, except With The Thing maybe? That's a personal fave at least. If there's a consensus choice for Squash or Chronic Law, maybe one of those?
Speaking of, I feel like there's lots of room for new artists to make a splash right now. I haven't heard *the* song from Intence yet, but I think he's worth keeping an eye on; here's Go Hard on thread-fave Lifestyle riddim:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWqkjWuOakA
his buddy I Waata's version is good too; Cut Off Jeans:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2xtt6EUNnc
Daddy 1 on this skeletal riddim (I'm broadly in favor of the minimalist turn riddims seem to have taken?):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3aEvwDF1Cs
I dig this Rygin King "One Time":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aANPLvpKKLg
― rob, Sunday, 24 November 2019 14:57 (four years ago) link
Yeah Toast is the obvious one - I just keep thinking of it AS a 2018 tune. I feel like this has mostly been an off year for dancehall AND rap though. Most of my favorites have been afro stuff.
― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Sunday, 24 November 2019 15:19 (four years ago) link
*as
I basically agree about both genres, though I don't follow rap enough to be as confident. I've got a few things saved to check out, but the Denzel Curry album is the only thing I've really loved this year.
My year has largely been jazz and rnb for albums, and definitely afropop for tracks (plus African Giant likely my AOTY), and I have at least a few days worth of breastcrawl posts to work through once the semester is over. So I could end up with a couple dozen afropop jams on my year-end playlist, which is more than enough for one year really!
But it is telling that Mixpak do a "best new dancehall" playlist for Spotify and it's like 5% stuff from JA. Quality of the music aside, there's a lack of enthusiasm for sure. My hunch is the kinds of listeners who might have been keeping an ear out in the past are mostly listening to afropop and reggaeton instead? IDK, I think Koffee's trajectory illustrates a strong desire for freshness and lightness too.
― rob, Sunday, 24 November 2019 15:49 (four years ago) link
Don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of dope dancehall riddims this year. Lifestyle riddim is among the best but it's not alone. What I do miss is the great singles, stuff like Tuff or Bullet Proof or Yeah Yeah or Fever or Loodi, just to name a few from the past couple of years. There's Toast and, of course, Balloon, but those truly great singles have not been popping off the way they used to afaict.
2019 rap has mostly been dead to me, outside of a few club friendly singles. I like DaBaby as much as anyone but tbh it's just not that exciting.
― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Sunday, 24 November 2019 16:05 (four years ago) link
Re: Jaro Local and Solomon Islands tracks, by chance I've just heard this one which is also from the Solomons, from 2011. I think I like it more (and maybe Jaro did too :-)
Young Davie - "Mama Vule Mae"- https://youtu.be/-Bb11qg_Oxc
― sbahnhof, Saturday, 7 December 2019 08:15 (four years ago) link
https://www.reggae-vibes.com/charts/2019/11/ja-dancehall-top-25-november-29-2019/
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 7 December 2019 14:51 (four years ago) link
Good to see Davido x Popcaan’s “Risky” in that chart, such a jam.
― breastcrawl, Sunday, 8 December 2019 16:05 (four years ago) link
lots of songs I don't really recognize on there though. I guess I need to investigate a bit more
― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Sunday, 8 December 2019 16:14 (four years ago) link
I should rectify posting the wrong new Buju. The people's choice is the paranoid and otm Dave Kelly-produced "Trust":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb9F4qsCCk0
btw longneck that Skillibeng track is dope, good Equiknoxx before-they-went-FACT vibes
― rob, Thursday, 12 December 2019 15:47 (four years ago) link
Speaking of, I feel like there's lots of room for new artists to make a splash right now. I haven't heard *the* song from Intence yet, but I think he's worth keeping an eye on
add Maestro Don to this list too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBRx9NK7qfU
― rob, Friday, 27 December 2019 15:02 (four years ago) link
If I can figure out what to call it, I might make a thread for Jada Kingdom and Stalk Ashley's take on heavily accented but intl rnb:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHY9OV75Ik4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEl11iGFivI
― rob, Friday, 27 December 2019 15:20 (four years ago) link
did we ever talk about the Narcos riddim?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CNxHQ2FaFE
― rob, Friday, 27 December 2019 15:27 (four years ago) link
This one is intriguing. I’m still trying to make sense of the rhythm. It’s like a rodeo ride. Will Taksik stay in the saddle?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deTaiDXDgV4Taksik • Party
― breastcrawl, Saturday, 28 December 2019 23:45 (four years ago) link
huh. yeah I can't decide if that's excitingly offbeat (literally and figuratively) or a shambles
― rob, Sunday, 29 December 2019 15:34 (four years ago) link
Came across this on the Jamaican Deezer chart, where it’s the number one - he has the whole top 5 in fact, which might simply mean that only he and his peeps are using it. I *think* I like it, but/and I keep playing it to make sure.
― breastcrawl, Sunday, 29 December 2019 16:40 (four years ago) link
Finding useful & accurate information about JA music has become really difficult! I look at this site sometimes, but I think it's just aggregating YouTube views (arguably better than most other metrics though, but gets too influenced by intl views): https://popnable.com/jamaica. I haven't seen a single EOY or EOD list.
On that note, I found Marvin Sparks' critical retrospective on the decade worth thinking about: https://marvinsparks.blogspot.com/2019/12/wrote-about-dancehalls-deadest-decade.html
I don't endorse all of it--(being American?) I have much more time for the trap-influenced sound than him--but I do think the narrowing of lyrical horizons has been detrimental, especially for women, and helps explain Koffee's instant appeal. Plus I think the slow withering of these threads over the decade does have something to do with the music not just ILM's concurrent depopulation. And his point about the lack of major stars is interesting.
― rob, Sunday, 29 December 2019 18:00 (four years ago) link
here's a big hit we never posted (iirc), Munga Honorable's surprisingly jubilant kiss-off anthem "Nah Mad":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40H_Qrq94Lo
― rob, Tuesday, 31 December 2019 16:15 (four years ago) link
enjoying that one, as well as Ding Ding’s “Gyalis Story” from somewhere upthread.
― breastcrawl, Wednesday, 1 January 2020 17:46 (four years ago) link
https://reggaetop40.com/
Just saw this site linked to on twitter
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 2 January 2020 00:47 (four years ago) link
http://www.largeup.com/2019/12/31/the-30-most-essential-dancehall-tunes-of-the-2010s/
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 2 January 2020 00:55 (four years ago) link
Thanks for what you folks post here
― curmudgeon, Monday, 6 January 2020 20:07 (four years ago) link
I am not in touch these days that much, and appreciate your efforts
― curmudgeon, Monday, 6 January 2020 20:08 (four years ago) link
thanks curmudgeon! and thanks for posting that LU list--I checked a few times earlier in Dec and then gave up. It's definitely telling that they didn't do a '19 list (plus I don't think there's a '19 release on the decade list).
I'll start a 2020 thread eventually (though anyone should feel free to if they've got something to post).
― rob, Wednesday, 8 January 2020 16:54 (four years ago) link
Well I mean you COULD do a 2019 list. I think Robbo Ranx refrained from doing a top ten countdown this year too. Gabriel Heatwave complained about the lack of good riddims in 2019 but I could name a few decent ones. He also chose Stylo G as the artist of the year, which, I mean, ok, but also not okay, lol.
There was some good dancehall in 2019, although most of it might as well have come out in 2018. No big departures, no monster hits, Koffee as the big breakout artist and Kartel still going relatively strong. Superhero Love is the one I play the most.
Weak year from Popcaan (overall) and Alkaline though. Shenseea is still stepping up her game, but a few more clear strong voices would definitely be appreciated.
― human and working on getting beer (longneck), Thursday, 9 January 2020 08:55 (four years ago) link
I wrote up a long response to that, so I think I'll just start a new thread...
― rob, Thursday, 9 January 2020 15:46 (four years ago) link
new thread: rolling dancehall & reggae 2020
― rob, Thursday, 9 January 2020 15:52 (four years ago) link