rolling dancehall & reggae 2020

“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”?

yeng

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbPa0QH_zxA
Lila Iké Live on TDC

reposted that on her dedicated thread coz it needs more post(er)s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytCD7RtWrgA&ab_
Vybz Kartel - Run Dancehall
How does this guy get access to a studio in prison again ?

Let it be known that I hate YouTube's way of linking up channels etc. Same for the new wiki thing of bringing you in the middle of the text.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytCD7RtWrgA
Vybz Kartel - Run Dancehall

A tease at only 2:00 but Shenseea & Tarrus Riley's "Lighter" is good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3Pavo7eCmI

The new Dexta Daps album is very good. It’s More Songs About Fucking And Pussy, including this one with Spice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCemP9EIXLs
“A Plus”

...and a few that aren’t:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TI2Gb3-CTA
“Most Wanted”

A new single from Daddy1, who rob posted about back in July:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur-V7_nweX8
Daddy1 - Double Up

Have you guys gotten into Rytikal yet? Feelin it

His “Cookie Jar” is very good at least - and very much NSFW:

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

“My World” is good as well, in a different way (be warned: this video has an overdose of gun toting):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo62cqam424

Those are rad. I especially like the riddim on "My World"

Since everyone in the comments mentions Rytikal's similarity to him, I think we're overdue to note Skillibeng blowing up this year (though I think I actually liked the Rytikal I heard more).

Mr. Universe is the one afaict:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnWRXV3NqQA

"Defy the Odds" worth a listen too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=livBTPJRwP0

Brik pan brik still my fav skillibeng

Dexta's Call Me If is the undisputed highlight of the Liquid Sunshine Riddim, but the whole thing has a nice vibe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ78X-MDiyA

Oh, and Danii Boo's Why goes hard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCwqgNqBj38

“Call Me If” is also on Dexta’s Vent album, see above

production on Skillibeng’s “Defy The Odds” is gorgeous.

Brik pan brik still my fav skillibeng

Same. Seems likely Rytikal will shed the comparison p quickly. As per breastcrawl's post, the production on "Defy" is more interesting than the vocal, though I do like Mr. Universe.

Sorry to dispute, but I think the Liquid Sunshine version I'm most taken with is Denyque & Shanell Muir's "Same Guy," which would have been an event on ILM in 2012:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h9XJSekvL4

Impeccable widescreen production from Di Genius (!) on this new Govana, "Strike Force"

CW: the video is violent: https://youtu.be/I7MsoX_sCMA

The Denique is good, but Call Me If is *almost* good enough to get me divorced. Top ten song of the year to me.

haha, well with that endorsement in mind I'll definitely revisit it

get divorced to get with Dexta? lol what’s going on here, longneck?

lol, I'm still happily married thankyallverymuch. My somewhat exaggerated point was that no one can make adultery sound quite as paSHhhuuuuuhhhhnate as Dexta these days. It makes one want to live more dangerously. In a good way, of course.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Ti4AAOSwvfRdtsx7/s-l300.jpg

I mean, to me at least, this is precisely the spirit that is lacking in r&b these days.

another great riddim on Skillibeng's "YK Dat Guh":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr-6xvNXFxg

really excited about this new staccato style (see the Zimi productions above), basically the exact breath of fresh air I was hoping for

Maybe this is hipster dancehall but I'm into it
https://duppygun.bandcamp.com/album/bunout-boss-ep

RIP the absolute legend Bunny Lee

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/07/bunny-striker-lee-jamaican-reggae-producer-dies-aged-79

Iwaata continues an amazing year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn2KI1sdJog
Iwaata, Bakersteez - Furda More

^wasn't sure about Iwaata on that at first (he sounds so American it threw me), but Zimi is basically JA artist of the year for me at this point, he's bringing a blast of fresh air. But what else do you like from Iwaata? I haven't really listened to much since "Cut Off Jeans"

other good new stuff:

Rytikal, "90s"; this guy rules, thanks for mentioning him deej

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oxW67JKMhc

Skillibeng, "Crocodile Teeth"; love the last-track-on-the-trip-hop-album production here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMWdX1_cEXg

oh wait I forgot that I recently liked Iwaata's Zimi-produced* collab with Intence "Havoc"

*btw a little searching suggests Zimi might not be an individual

he sounds so American it threw me

Also now realizing this is Bakersteez, who I read about in the Fader a long time ago and forgot about

Some other Iwaata (who appears to have gotten rid of the space sometime in the last little while):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7acB7Ovq_Nw
Like How

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz8BpfeBGtU
Digi Loan

I like the way he interacts with the riddim, generally - something kinetic-feeling about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST_Jx7NmnBE
Detta Play

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J9wJ1O1hx0
Start It

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWgjS4yjTVI
Science

He's put out a ton of videos over the course of the pandemic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLW83_mSgls

Masego feat. Shenseea - Silver Tongue Devil

Romantic stuff, Wizkid vibes, love it.