Spend a day in a city with a sizable Caribbean population, like London, Toronto, New York or Miami, and you’re bound to hear certain tunes blasting into the open sky, loudly announcing the arrival of a new wave of dancehall hits.
Byron Messia’s “Talibans” is, of course, unavoidable. (If it was in the running for NYC’s “song of the summer” before, the newly-minted remix with Afrobeats titan Burna Boy seals it.)
Then there are Malie Donn & Ireland Boss’s “V6” and Teejay’s “Drift,” also thrusting dancehall’s sound and culture forward with a jolt of youth. For those living among the Caribbean diaspora, the music’s latest popularity boom may be tough to ignore.
Major labels seem to agree. This year alone, a string of new record deals has signaled a promising direction for Caribbean artists: Masicka in February revealed his signing with Def Jam Recordings; Byron Messia in May shared he has inked a deal with Interscope Records; and Teejay last month announced he has joined Warner Music Group.
Contents
- Spend a day in a city with a sizable Caribbean population, like London, Toronto, New York or Miami, and you’re bound to hear certain tunes blasting into the open sky, loudly announcing the arrival of a new wave of dancehall hits.
- Byron Messia’s “Talibans” is, of course, unavoidable. (If it was in the running for NYC’s “song of the summer” before, the newly-minted remix with Afrobeats titan Burna Boy seals it.)
- Then there are Malie Donn & Ireland Boss’s “V6” and Teejay’s “Drift,” also thrusting dancehall’s sound and culture forward with a jolt of youth. For those living among the Caribbean diaspora, the music’s latest popularity boom may be tough to ignore.
- Major labels seem to agree. This year alone, a string of new record deals has signaled a promising direction for Caribbean artists: Masicka in February revealed his signing with Def Jam Recordings; Byron Messia in May shared he has inked a deal with Interscope Records; and Teejay last month announced he has joined Warner Music Group.
- This uptick in major label deals for dancehall artists illustrates the continued relevance and outsized influence of Caribbean music on the global stage, a reality that stretches back over half a century.
- Significance of these investments and mainstream push should be carefully considered, but there is no denying the international surge in demand for homegrown, youth-driven music.
- If you’d like to stay in the loop with breaking and certified hits in modern dancehall, check out VP Records’ regularly-updated playlist below, that features New Dancehall releases and it is updated weekly, featuring currently more than 170 songs, streaming a total of 8 hours of pure hits, this dancehall playlist presented by VP Records, the world’s largest Dancehall/Reggae record label, already raked up more than 12,742 likes.
- Dancehall’s New Wave Rises High!
This uptick in major label deals for dancehall artists illustrates the continued relevance and outsized influence of Caribbean music on the global stage, a reality that stretches back over half a century.
Significance of these investments and mainstream push should be carefully considered, but there is no denying the international surge in demand for homegrown, youth-driven music.
If you’d like to stay in the loop with breaking and certified hits in modern dancehall, check out VP Records’ regularly-updated playlist below, that features New Dancehall releases and it is updated weekly, featuring currently more than 170 songs, streaming a total of 8 hours of pure hits, this dancehall playlist presented by VP Records, the world’s largest Dancehall/Reggae record label, already raked up more than 12,742 likes.
Dancehall’s New Wave Rises High!
