We lastly made it, people! 2024 is right here. To kick off the brand new yr, Billboard’s month-to-month Reggae/Dancehall Recent Picks column is again with one of the best alternatives from December 2023.
Because the world celebrated the assorted December holidays, the most important names in reggae and dancehall convened in Portmore, Jamaica, for the fortieth version of Sting — the long-lasting music competition that served as each a debut stage for future reggae superstars and a bunch web site for legendary clashes. The 2023 version of the competition featured headliners similar to Bounty Killer and Capleton, though extreme delays prevented a number of headliners from performing, drawing heated responses from musicians similar to Tanya Stephens.
Elsewhere within the reggae and dancehall worlds, Masicka notched a second consecutive No. 2 peak on the Reggae Albums rating because of his new 17-track Era of Kings album. Teejay, Shenseea, Bunji Garlin, Rupee and Ding Dong all lit up the Sizzling 97 Winter Jam stage on Dec. 30.
Naturally, Billboard’s month-to-month Reggae/Dancehall Recent Picks column is not going to cowl each final monitor, however our Spotify playlist — which is linked beneath — will develop on the ten highlighted songs. So, with none additional ado:
Freshest Discover: Lila Iké, “Good & Nice”
Jamaican reggae star Lila Iké has been performing “Good & Nice” in stay settings for many of final yr, however she lastly gifted followers with an official streaming launch on the tail finish of 2023. Equal components reggae and gospel, “Good & Nice” finds Iké singing her praises to Jah and thanking him for maintaining her and blessing her. The lyrics learn as confessionals, dripping with vulnerability that’s accentuated by the string preparations within the background. “Typically I fail, oh gosh/ Typically I falter/ And really feel as if you’ve left me in a nook/ However right here you’re the mild upon my tunnel,” she croons along with her irresistably buttery tone.
DEV & Millbeatz, “Rum Hit Meh”
It’s really a testomony to how sturdy the “Jouvert Jam” riddim is that each track on the five-track compilation is a banger. For his tackle the riddim, Trinidadian soca artist DEV shifts his focus to the intricacies of his vocal efficiency. “Di rum hit meh bahhhhd,” he chants and the refrain, doubling down on the ethereal qualities of the vowel within the phrase “dangerous,” and delivering a degree of animation that embodies the balls-to-the-wall power of J’ouvert festivities.
Dan Evans & Nessa Preppy, “By Mehself”
Wining is synonymous with a lot of dancehall and soca, however up to date cultural conversations regarding consent have sparked some reevaluations of the social cues which are integral to the dance fashion. For her tackle Dan Evans’ “90 Diploma” riddim, Nessa Preppy delivers an ode to wining for your self, not for a person or some other dance accomplice. The brightness of her tone pairs effectively with the pretty sparse instrumentation to start with of the track, nevertheless it’s the giddy glee in her vocal efficiency that actually conveys the sensation of liberation that comes from dancing for, with and by your self.
Bunji Garlin, “Ahead”
Three days earlier than he graced the Sizzling 97 Winter Jam stage, Bunji Garlin offered the opening monitor to his collaborative “Smoke Riddim” double single with Shurwayne Winchester. On “Ahead,” Garlin rides on high-octane soca percussion to ship a monitor that doubles as each an anthem of West Indian satisfaction and a celebration monitor that’s certain to rule the approaching yr. “Rags within the air is the ahead!” he proclaims.
Nicki Minaj, Skeng and Skillibeng, “Ahead From Trini”
Tucked away in the course of her sprawling, Billboard 200-topping Pink Friday 2 album, “Ahead From Trini” stands as the most recent in a string of Nicki Minaj’s musical odes to her residence nation of Trinidad & Tobago. Minaj has collaborated with each Skeng (“Likkle Miss”) and Skillibeng (“Crocodile Tooth”) up to now, however that is the primary time all three artists have appeared on the identical monitor. A loving combination of hip-hop, dancehall and soca (with notes of calypso), “Ahead from Trini” serves as a reminder of each the interconnected lineage of these kinds and Minaj’s boundless versatility.
Tech Sounds & Millbeatz, “Doh Run”
Because the opening monitor on Millbeatz’s Jouvert Jam Riddim compilation, “Doh Run” wanted to really feel huge. Together with his booming “Doh run!” chants juxtaposed towards ever-so-slightly hole percussion, Tech Sounds delivers a worthy kick-off to the J’ouvert tape. The funky riddim isn’t simply infectious, it virtually calls for listeners to rise up and wine their waists.
Fay-Ann Lyons, “Miss B-tch”
There’s already a litany of songs reclaiming the phrase “b-tch,” and Fay-Ann Lyons is searching for so as to add to that legacy with “Miss B-tch.” For her contribution to DJ Avalanche’s “Do You” riddim, Lyons coasts over the electro-soca beat with a tone that may solely be described as “gangsta.” There’s a sure chew and assertiveness in her tone that balances out the inherent humor within the drawn-out “This biiiiiitch” chant that punctuates the refrain. Whereas, lyrically, she doesn’t provide any new spins on the phrase “b-tch,” Lyons’ conviction is way over sufficient.
Nailah Blackman & Pumpa, “Born to Fly”
Simply because the Jouvert Jam Riddim compilation captured the rambunctious celebratory power of J’ouvert festivities, so does “Born to Fly” for the Carnival season generally. Blackman’s piercing, saccharin higher concord pairs effectively with Pumpa’s gruff tone as the 2 recount the sensation of freedom and catharsis that characterize partying throughout Carnival. The duality of their respective voices — a siren-esque timbre and a rousing roar of rasp — cowl the broad expanse of Carnival energies. As they croon within the track and show by means of their collaboration, the true essence of the season is coming collectively as one to have a good time.
Masicka & Spice, “WOW”
On the high of final December, Masicka dropped off his Era of Kings album, which featured collaborations with a variety of artists, together with the likes of Dexta Daps, Fridayy and Continual Legislation. On “WOW,” Masicka groups up with dancehall queen Spice for a no-holds-barred ode to tantalizing sexual chemistry. In a typical trend, Spice is simply as brash and ahead as Masicka along with her calls for for sexual gratification, and the pair’s rhythmic flows recall dancehall’s affect on hip-hop.
Popcaan, “Life Is Actual”
On Christmas (Dec. 25, 2023), Popcaan gifted followers a shock mixtape titled Finest Temper. The undertaking’s closing monitor, “Life Is Actual,” is each a straightforward standout and a transparent continuation of the crossover star’s penchant for somber evaluations of life, with all the violence and riches that complicate it. “Folks you present your love and provides your issues usually/ Identical one will pop your neck similar to a guitar string,” he warns, earlier than proclaiming that nobody can ever take his life from him — both actually or metaphorically. There’s a present of hope that programs from the track’s opening notes to these closing piano keys, nevertheless it’s Popcaan’s interpolations of household classes and dialog that actually present simply how a lot he has matured and grown over the previous decade.
