What are the Best Dancehall songs of all time?

Ripton Hilton, aka Eek-A-Mouse is one of the first artists to describe himself as a “singjay” a combination of “singer” and “deejay”, which is a Jamaican style of singing and dj/chanting.

Singjay became one of the core elements and a signifier in the aesthetics of Dancehall music that was present in the 1980s.

“Bam Bam” is the most sampled reggae song of all time.

Although it was released in the 1980s, Sister Nancy, whose birth name is Ophlin Russell, didn’t know “Bam Bam” was an international hit until nearly 15 years after its release.

Now, thanks to the hit Netflix series Ozark, the song ranked number one on the Top Reggae chart.

Dancehall legend Yellowman ruled Dancehall style from the late 70s to the early 90s, and one of the hit records in his arsenal was none other than the classic Zungguzungguguzungguzeng.

Since then, the song has been used by artists such as Tupac , Queen Latifah, Buju Banton , Vybz Kartel and Junior Mafia.

Nicknamed “Mellow Canary” for his distinct style and pure voice, he is considered one of the top reggae vocalists of the early Dancehall era.

It is so superb that you don’t even realize that the song narrates Barry’s escape attempt after unintentionally getting someone pregnant.

In 1985, Clive Bright, the jamaican deejay better known as Tenor Saw, released one of the first Dancehall anthems.

When he recorded it, Saw was only 19 years old. Three years later, in 1988, he was murdered. Undoubtedly, one of the most terrible losses among those of us who love Jamaican musical culture.

Osbourne is also one of the most requested vocalist for dubs due to the number of Dancehall classics he has had. This has resulted in the nickname Godfather of Dancehall.

Osbourne said he came up with the lyrics of Buddy Bye based on the ‘Sleng Teng’ rhythm’s bassline. He had heard Wayne Smith’s Sleng Teng before Tad Dawkins approached him in New York to do a song on the rhythm.

Early B gave him the nickname Wild Apache before he assumed his own stage name. After his first recordings for producers such as Winston Riley and Jah Thomas, he joined the crew of the legendary Kilimanjaro Sound with Early B before his musical career took off with the hit Boops.

After a while, he became one of the first Jamaican deejays to sign for a major record company, Columbia Records, with which in 1992 he recorded what would become his masterpiece: ‘Don Dada’.

Despite his short career, Tenor Saw has become one of the reference voices of the Rub-a-dub style and his music will always remain alive among us.

In his short career he only had time to record two albums “Album” and “Fever” that have left their mark on the scene with anthems like this Pumpkin Belly.

Wayne Smith’s song Under Mi Sleng Teng is said to have revolutionized the world of reggae. The Jamaican singer composed it with his friend Noel Davy with a Casio electronic keyboard.

The piece became a best seller in 1985 and its pleasant and catchy rhythm became popular all over the world in the blink of an eye.

The original track on the riddim, Admiral Bailey’s Punaany, became an instant classic after its release in the middle of the 1980s.

The song helped to stablish the beginning of a new era in Dancehall-Reggae music that was created with computerized patterns.

Released on the Skengdon label in 1987, this song was ahead of its time, as it provided an early example of a DJ scratching on the B-side of a Dancehall record.

Conroy Smith never became a recognized reggae legend. The “curse” of the digital era of the late 1980s was that none of the talented artists of this period of reggae music ever received the kind of recognition enjoyed by the roots singers of the 1970s, but this song was even adopted by a British boxer called Nigel ‘The Dark Destroyer’ Benn and used as his entrance music, a tune that sounded out his intentions in any forthcoming fight.

At the time of the release of “Twice My Age,” Shabba Ranks was the biggest DJ in Jamaica, just ahead of his signing to Epic Records and his (and Dancehall reggae’s) stateside explosion.

The irresistible beat produced by Gussie Clarke, and the vocal chemistry between Shabba and Krystal ensure “Twice My Age” remains a Dancehall favorite.

During the 80s, Bailey did not stop releasing hits. Here is another of the songs that everybody continues to hear every August 6th on Jamaica’s Independence Day.

“Life is what you make it” was made by two relatively unknown Brits who became a worldwide success with this hit track.

This is one of the songs from this list that dominated the genre during an important period of the 90s.

One of the most distinctive vocalists in popular music, Junior Reid has been singing irresistible songs with powerful messages for more than three decades.

One Blood is both a gung-ho party song and an appeal for unity, a combination which guarantees movement on the dance floor and an attendant spirit of bonhomie.

At the foundation of almost every reggaeton song is the unmistakable two-bar “boom-ch-boom-chick”. The immensely recognizable drum rolls at each downbeat to produce the infectious beat that stands as the hallmark of what scholar Wayne Marshall estimated to be upwards of 80% of all reggaeton tracks as of 2008.

What little was known was that the sound immortalized by the Dancehall Shabba Ranks with the famous Dem Bow single, in its rhythmic aspects, was also part of a Jamaican religion known as pocomania.

Described as a Dancehall deejay with an infectious sense of humor, Tiger was one of the most fun, energetic and experimental DJs of the late ’80s/early ’90s.

The rhyming pattern for this song was very clever, ending each line with “when”, and it perfectly complemented the driving riddim from Steely & Clevie.

Mark Anthony Myrie aka Buju Banton was predestined for greatness in the entertainment arena. Perhaps the most famous Jamaican artiste whose surname isn’t Marley.

‘Batty Rider’ pays homage to high-cut women’s shorts. His delivery style fused a new-school energy with the sensibilities of older Dancehall days and the ability to ‘ride the riddim’ with flair and individuality.