Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had 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 a focus on the track instrumentals.
Beres Hammond OJ is a Jamaican reggae singer known in particular for his lovers rock music. While his career began in the 1970s, he reached his greatest success in the 1990s.
T.O.K. were a dancehall reggae group from Kingston, Jamaica. The group consisted of Alistaire "Alex" McCalla, Roshaun "Bay-C" Clarke, Craig "Craigy T" Thompson, and Xavier "Flexx" Davidson. They started their band in 1996, and announced its dissolution in 2015. T.O.K. were described as "the world's greatest dancehall-reggae boy band" by The New York Times in 2004. They were best known for such hits as "Footprints", "Gal You Ah Lead", "Chi Chi Man", "Eagles Cry", "Guardian Angel", "Money 2 Burn", "She's Hot", "Hey Ladies", "The Voice" and "I Believe".
Reggae fusion is a fusion genre of reggae that mixes reggae and/or dancehall with other genres, such as pop, rock, hip-hop/rap, R&B, jazz, funk, soul, disco, electronic, and latin, amongst others.
Adidja Azim Palmer, better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican reggae dancehall recording artist, record producer, entrepreneur and convicted murderer. Among his various nicknames, he is referred to as Worl' Boss or Teacha. As summarized by Rolling Stone, he "attained folk-hero status in Jamaica with provocative lyrics, and a mischievous public persona", and "few have captivated [the dancehall] audience – or offended the sensibilities of its detractors – as consistently and thoroughly as Kartel."
Andrae Hugh Sutherland, known professionally as Popcaan, is a Jamaican singer.
Reincarnated is the twelfth studio album by American musician Snoop Dogg, his sole release using the reggae persona Snoop Lion. Berhane Sound System and RCA Records released the album April 23, 2013.
Kelela Mizanekristos is an American singer. She made her debut in the music industry with the release of her 2013 mixtape Cut 4 Me. In 2015, she released Hallucinogen, an EP which deals with the beginning, middle, and end of a relationship in reverse chronological order. Her debut studio album, Take Me Apart, was released in 2017 to critical acclaim.
In Colour is the debut studio album by English producer Jamie xx, released on 29 May 2015 by Young Turks. The album was composed during a five-year period while a member of the indie pop band the xx, starting with his production on xx in 2009. After starting his solo career with the remix album We're New Here (2011) and singles like "All Under One Roof Raving" (2014), he was intent on making the album something of a departure from his previous work and genre. The album features guest vocals from fellow the xx members Romy and Oliver Sim, as well as from Young Thug and Popcaan. The album produced five singles: "Girl" and "Sleep Sound" as a double-single on 5 May 2014, "Loud Places" on 27 March 2015, "Gosh" on 4 May, and "I Know There's Gonna Be " on 22 May.
Mixpak Records is a Brooklyn-based independent record label, founded in 2009 by record producer Dre Skull. The label operates across a range of genres, from dancehall to underground club music, experimental electronic, rap and leftfield pop. Mixpak has released music by Vybz Kartel, Popcaan, Palmistry, Murlo, and Jubilee, among others.
M3LL155X is the third extended play (EP) by English singer and songwriter FKA Twigs, released on 13 August 2015 by Young Turks. The EP was lauded by music critics after its release and peaked at number 63 on the Billboard 200 becoming her second entry on the chart.
"I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" is a song by English music producer Jamie xx, with featured vocals from American rapper Young Thug and Jamaican musician Popcaan. The song was released as the third single from Jamie xx's debut studio album, In Colour, on 22 May 2015 in the UK and 28 August in the U.S. The official music video for the song was uploaded to YouTube on 28 September 2015. "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" peaked at number 115 on the UK Singles Chart and number 90 on the Australian ARIA Charts. It also appears on the soundtrack for the video game NBA Live 16 and NBA 2K17 while also appearing in an episode of Euphoria. English rapper Skepta's grime-influenced remix of the song made its debut on Drake's OVO Sound Radio on Apple Music's Beats 1 radio station. On March 3, 2021, the song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streaming data of over 500,000 units in the United States.
Grace Latoya Hamilton, known professionally as Spice, is a Jamaican dancehall recording artist, actress and businesswoman. Known as the Queen of Dancehall, Spice is recognised as one of the most prominent dancehall artists in the world. She is known for her aggressive flow, musical versatility and outspoken lyrics. Spice first gained recognition after performing at the annual dancehall festival Sting in 2000. She released her first single "Complain" for record producer Dave Kelly's Madhouse Records in 2003. She continued release singles "Right There" and "Hype", even being featured on songs with Jimmy Cliff and Beenie Man in 2004 and 2006 respectively.
"Saturnz Barz" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz, featuring Jamaican dancehall artist Popcaan. The song was released on 23 March 2017. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album Humanz. The song marks the group's comeback since 2012's "DoYaThing", although 2017 had seen the non-single release of the song "Hallelujah Money" which features English singer Benjamin Clementine. "Saturnz Barz" was produced by frontman Damon Albarn, Remi Kabaka Jr. and producer The Twilite Tone, and marks the group's first collaboration with Popcaan.
Jorja Alice Smith is an English singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Walsall, West Midlands, she has been writing songs since the age of 11. In 2012, Smith's friend uploaded her cover of Labrinth's "Earthquake" to YouTube, which led to her discovery by record producer Guy Moot. After her first two singles received broader recognition, she signed with Sony/ATV in early 2016, releasing two EPs throughout later that year and into 2017.
Forever is the second studio album by Jamaican musician Popcaan. It was released on July 20, 2018 via Mixpak Records. Production was primarily handled by Andrew "Dre Skull" Hershey, who also served as executive producer. It features a sole guest appearance from Davido.
"Guilt Trip" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, from his sixth studio album Yeezus (2013). It was produced by West, Mike Dean, S1, with an additional production credit for Travis Scott and Ackeejuice Rockers for the samples of "Chief Rocka" by Lords of the Underground and "Blocka" by Pusha T featuring Popcaan and Travis Scott. The song's lyrics deal with looking back at a failed relationship, similar to fellow Yeezus track "Blood on the Leaves". West provides his vocals through rapping and singing through an Auto-Tune processor, reminiscent of his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak. The song includes vocals from rapper Kid Cudi, who later expressed negative opinions about his feature due to his vocals being recorded years prior.
The discography of Jamaican singer Popcaan consists of five studio albums, three mixtapes, five extended plays, 151 singles, 15 singles as a featured artist, and 26 music videos.
Dancehall pop is a sub-genre of the Jamaican genre dancehall that originated in the early 2000s. Developing from the sounds of reggae, dancehall pop is characteristically different in its fusion with western pop music and digital music production. Dancehall pop is also different from dancehall in that most songs use lesser Jamaican Patois in lyrics––allowing it to be globally understood and consumed. It also incorporates the key pop music elements of having melodies, hooks, and the verse-chorus format. Additionally, the genre moves away from the reggae and roots reggae music origins in social and political protest, now lyrically centering on partying, dancing, and sexuality.
"We Caa Done" is a song by Jamaican singer Popcaan featuring Canadian rapper and singer Drake. It was released on 6 January 2023 through the latter's record label, OVO Sound, as the lead single from the former's fifth studio album, Great Is He. The song was written alongside Tresor, who produced it with Batundi.
