All articles tagged with #dancehall
Pitchfork’s review hails Drake’s MAID OF HONOUR as a sprawling, genre-mixing club-rap record that signals a hungry, risk-taking comeback, blending dancehall, Jersey club, Afrobeat and an expansive production roster led by Gordo into a personal, volatile yet ambitious set of tracks.
Sly Dunbar, the legendary Jamaican drummer who helped redefine reggae’s modern sound alongside Robbie Shakespeare as Sly and Robbie, has died at 73, confirmed by his wife Thelma. A prodigy who left school at 13 to pursue music, Dunbar played on more than 200,000 recordings, pioneered the rockers rhythm and the Bam Bam riddim that propelled early dancehall, and worked with Black Uhuru, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Mick Jagger, and others. He and Shakespeare earned Grammys in 1985 and 1999, and their production and session work left an enduring mark on reggae and its evolution.
Legendary Jamaican drummer Sly Dunbar, the other half of Sly & Robbie, has died aged 73 after years of illness. A defining force in reggae, dub, and dancehall, he helped shape Jamaican music through Taxi Records and collaborations with artists from Bob Marley to Grace Jones. Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare won a Grammy for Black Uhuru’s Anthem in 1985 and earned another Grammy in 1999 for Friends, leaving a five-decade legacy that influenced countless generations.
Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel's murder conviction for the killing of Clive "Lizard" Williams has been overturned by the Privy Council in London, a decade after his initial conviction. Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, argued that attempts to bribe jurors tainted the case. Officials in Jamaica will now decide whether Kartel will be tried again. The initial trial in 2014 resulted in Kartel and three co-defendants being convicted for Williams' murder, but Kartel continued to release music while behind bars and remained a prominent figure in Jamaican music.
Spice defends her signature one-leg-in-the-air stunt during her performance at the 2023 BET Awards, stating that she was showcasing authentic Dancehall culture on an international stage. While some fans supported her artistic choice, others criticized her outfit and argued that Dancehall has more substance than just skin out. This is not the first time Spice's hit song "So Mi Like It" has landed her in controversy.