Dancehall music has its origin in the late 1970s and has now impacted all different types of musical genres worldwide. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably, with digital Dancehall becoming increasingly characterized by faster rhythms. Nowadays, Dancehall is the life of the party and there are 10 artists to look out for this year that will contribute significantly to the music industry.
Jada Kingdom
19-year-old Jada Kingdom has blossomed in the industry after releasing her single, ‘Like What You See’ in 2014. She was featured in Sean Kingston’s 2016 video ‘One Away’, where her physique took the spotlight. Another single was released in 2017, ‘Love Situation’ which became a favourite for the ladies. ‘Love Situation’ speaks about infidelity and its consequences and in the video Jada is seen torturing her boyfriend and then killing him as a form of punishment. The artist has since released another single, ‘Unwanted’ which is part 2 to ‘Love Situations’.
Lanz
Lanz is a resident of Trench Town where legends such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh sprung. Lanz released ‘She Nah Leggo’ in July of 2017, which highlights him caring for two girls and refusing to let go of either. Lanz is reaching for the stars musically and he fails to let anything hold him back.
Ishawna
Ishawna known for her controversial track “Equal Rights” released in 2017 has raised eyebrows about Bag juice and Pepsi drinking. Ishawna believes it is the 21st century and there is nothing left in the closets. She has become her own boss by composing songs about topical taboo controversies in Jamaica.
Ding Dong
Ding Dong has been on the scene for many years but this has been the highest point in his career where he is being appreciated for an artist and not only as a dancer. His breakthrough was “Badman forward badman pullup” in 2012. Since the release of his single “Fling”, Chronixx has implemented the dance in his live performances. Additionally, Usain Bolt has acknowledged Ding Dong as his favourite artist at the moment and the Hon. Andrew Holness was captured enjoying the song at the Prime Minister’s Youth Awards in 2017. We are anticipating what Ding Dong has for us this year.
Govana
Govana is known as Aidonia’s protege. He has been in the music industry for several years, making hits after hits and climbing the legend ladder. Govana’s single ‘Gyal Clown’, released in 2017, gave his career a huge boost, followed by ‘Breeze’ featuring Aidonia. The young artist has now been placed at the forefront and has been positively impacting Dancehall music.
Shane O
‘Lightning Flash’ released in 2011, was the song that brought Shane O to the attention of Dancehall fans. Nonetheless, in 2017, he reminded Dancehall how lyrically stable he is, with his hit song ‘Last Days’. He later did a follow-up single called ‘A Million’, in which he depicted how serious he is about achieving greatness.
Yanique Curvy Diva
Yanique Curvy Diva, signed by Good Good Productions, struck the music industry with her hit single, ‘Lifestyle’ in 2017. She is seen as the girl with the “good body” and is admired by other iconic female artists. The diva’s talent is yet to be seen in its entirety as there is a song to be released with her and well-established artiste, I-Octane.
Prohgres
Prohgres is an artist that has nothing but positive messages throughout his music. He released his single ‘Strength’ earlier in 2017 and since then, has had other hits such as ‘Memory Lane’ and ‘God’s Cry’. If you gravitate to conscious lyrics, Prohgres is the artiste you should be listening in 2018 and onwards.
JaFrass
JaFrass is signed to Not Nice Records; the record label responsible for producing several hits from Vybz Kartel and Popcaan, among others. The highlight of JaFrass’ career was the single “Unruly Camp” featuring Popcaan and Quada. JaFrass lyrics resonates with his fans because of his uniqueness.
Maestro Don
Maestro Don hails from Portmore, the Sun City. His single “You a my gyal” released in 2014 was just the tip of the iceberg. The artiste did several hits such as “Real Thugz” and “Killy Killy” and built his career. Maestro Don got a co-sign from Vybz Kartel who mentioned him on Instagram and Tommy-Lee also gave him a buzz and called him up at a stage show. The Don’s hardcore and violent songs are giving him a big push in the underground Dancehall scene.
