rolling dancehall & reggae 2020

The Iké EP, ExPerience, is excellent. Rather than heading in a roots-revival direction like I'd assumed based on "Where I'm Coming From", it's much more like updated (80s) lover's rock. At least until the last track where she takes on Sly & Robbie's riddim for The Tamlins' "Baltimore," which if you're going to voice a classic is a goddamn good choice, not to mention it's pretty groovy anyway

Agreed. I love the diversity I'm discovering in Jamaican music "behind" the traditional roots - dancehall binary. And each song has something different to offer but keeps that unique Jamaican singing style. Mother of God the way she hits those notes on 'Second Chance'. This EP is placing on my year-end list.

Yeah I love how commanding her voice can be, but then the vibrato maintains a constant note of vulnerability. More broadly, the roots-dancehall binary is definitely overstated, obscuring genres like rocksteady and lovers plus tons of artists worked in both areas and there has always been plenty of mixing of the two genres/impulses.

In sadder news (but relevant to my last point), RIP to Bobby Digital

Going to rewind this a few times:

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

Listening to "Solitude", "Stars Align" and "Forget Me" in a loop. So, so good.

glad you both are into this too!

Swing Ting & Shanique Marie's "Give Thanks" is a nice vibe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCF6X1L5AUE

(this time I'll say: DO watch the video)

Did you guys watch Beanie Man verzuz Bounty Killer on Facebook or Instagram? Kinda fun

x-post--- Bobby Digital produced Sizzla "Black Woman and Child " album that I liked, plus the Shabba Ranks song "Dem Bow" that of course later got ransofrmed into reggaeton dembow rhythm

https://www.loopjamaica.com/content/iconic-dancehall-producer-bobby-digital-dies-59

Kinda fun is underselling it

surprised more ppl here weren't into it???

I've completely slept on this whole phenomenon. Is there a painless way to rewatch it?

https://youtu.be/216ILslDOfs

not sure if this is the full thing because I thought it was a bit longer than an hour, but if you search Beenie man verzuz on YouTube you should find a lot of versions.

they start off with rap and rnb collabs which are ok, I mean it's still entertaining because these guys are kings but when the showtime riddim comes on later it's *rocket taking off emoji*

How about when the cops showed up (I am still wondering if that was real or staged)

I love this Alkaline track from earlier in the year. Even though the lyrics don’t seem to back it up, the title just has to be a Gladys Knight reference, no?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QddyEM61qTQ

Alkaline ft. Black Shadow • Gladdest Night

...or is YouTube commenter "troll ute" right and is this all there is to it:

troll ute 4 months ago
Gladdest night is a singer bredda so alka a say the girl going to sing on his mic. Get it bredda 😂😂😂

so sad the song...

UPDATE: ah, no - he's just repaying the compliment with interest, I guess:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o8m1q3JIf8

"Alaskan Pipeline" - get it bredda?

Yeah, I like that song too. Alkaline seems to be kinda... back... in 2020?

In other news, I have started loving the new Buju & John Legend. Let's just say it grew on me.:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9pMjc0-Vlk

How about this remix of a remix for an international collaboration?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvGG16PDi2U
Skip Marley • Slow Down (P2J Remix ft. H.E.R, Davido & Oxlade)

big thumbs up for "Gladdest Night"

Alka's "Cree" is great too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPOaeg2dMe4

I like the riddim on this admittedly pretty one-note Popcaan "Buzz":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zB-G7kRO9o

about us by vybz is great, produced by bobby konders

...and here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0qINmN2DLk

that's rad! great video too. Kartel should do a prison abolition song next

Busy Signal - World Crisis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j495vK6F-ZI

this isn't going to convert the skeptical, but I quite like it:

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

Chronixx & Kabaka Pyramid "Same Prayer"

Yeah, i'm a fan! Basically i like anything chronixx does tho'.

Lol same I even like that edm song on Chronology

you mean I Can? um. i gotta draw the line somewhere

haha yeah it's misguided and treacly, but I like his voice so much that sometimes I don't lunge for the skip button when it comes on

Buju's new album is a, let's say, mixed bag, but this Lloyd Bradley interview/profile is p interesting: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jul/02/every-black-man-have-to-fight-buju-banton-on-prison-and-liberation

New Kartel album is kinda hot though. I don't hear a Fever, but a lot of the tracks are extremely catchy.

who could be mad at beenie doing zungguzungguguzungguzeng
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SozyhvPxf5Y

pretty sure I could listen to that riddim every day for the rest of my life!

Intence "Yeng" is a good time, love the bits of steel pan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDHgA4RR7NY

"Blessed" was the best new-to-me track off the first half of the Buju album (I bailed before finishing it I must confess; also "Yes Mi Friend" resonated emotionally):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzmzKtOaVf4

"what the bloodfire is this a gwaan in America?"

“Yeng” is great, it is indeed the steel pan that makes it.

'yeng' is my shit, heavy rotation so far this year

haven't enjoyed much from Masicka in a while, but "Just a Minute" is cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ9Pi1J5ehI

contra the Aidonia comp discussion upthread, I feel like Govana has really come into his own this year; here's Likkle Bit A Money:

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

more Intence; "Antisocial" is great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYfUEtC40MU

and Daddy1 "Pretty Pon Snap" took a while to click with me but now I dig it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP00LWcEOXw

“likkle bit of money”!

>> literal trigger warning for the video tho, not surprisingly coinciding with the shot in the middle of the track :-((

I finally made a thread for Chronixx

Sevana has never really clicked for me, but "Mango" might be an exception:

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

Definitely intrigued by the idea of hyper-arranged rnb-dancehall

This is pretty fucking marvelous right?

Aidonia & Govana, “Yeah Man”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9R-tGfG9JmM

YES

it is

yah, this is dope

Really loving the new Popcaan mixtape as documented on his dedicated thread

Love to see him crossing the reggae/dancehall divide (which is being blurred so productively this year, I am super excited) on this new Protoje jam "Like Royalty":

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

dont know where to put this, but its fun - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000l6zw

"The biggest dancehall rhythms of the last 35 years, as selected by 50 of the world's leading dancehall influencers - DJ’s, producers, journalists and artists.

Including contributions from Clevie, Tony Kelly, Sly Dunbar, Wayne Wonder, Buju Banton and Sean Paul."

I really like how much space some new riddims have, like on Intence's "Authentic"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgAS9kql9T8

^produced by Zimi who also did "Yeng" so that makes sens

shouldn’t that be “sence”?