DANCEHALL

Dancehall is a genre of popular Jamaican music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was an exclusive version of reggae, which dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably, with digital dancehall becoming increasingly characterized by faster rhythms. Key elements of dancehall music include its extensive use of Jamaican Patois rather than Jamaican standard English and it focuses on track instrumentals also known as “riddims”. Dancehall saw initial mainstream success in Jamaica in the 1980s, and by the 1990s, it became increasingly popular in Jamaican diaspora communities. In the 2000s, dancehall experienced worldwide mainstream success, and by the 2010s, it began to heavily influence the work of established Western artists and producers, which has helped to further bring the genre into the Western music mainstream. Check out the playlists below of old school and new school dancehall reggae to get us ready for the weekend! OLD SCHOOL NEW SCHOOL