20 Dancehall Songs Turning 20 In 2020

It was the year 2000 (Y2K for short) that saw many Dancehall artistes at the height of their careers, others on the decline, while some were just getting their feet wet. One thing was certain, and that was a fresh new sound was emerging.

The era closed off with the old-timers like Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, Lady G, and Admiral Bailey, and dawned on the new, some of which are still turning up the streets even today. Having stood the test of time, keeping current and making hits, we now see some of these deejays as veterans in the industry. Afterall our catalog of songs turning 20 marks a distinguished music career spanning two decades.

There were many hits from deejays on the staggering riddims of the year 2000. Others came through with resounding studio albums, which would launch some pretty epic Dancehall tracks of all time. We break down the few that made the cut as standout singles that year with an Apple Music playlist of the selections, which you can find at the end of the article.  Enjoy and remember to share.

Let’s start with Mr. Bombastic.

1. Shaggy – It Wasn’t Me

It was two decades ago that 31-year-old Shaggy decided he needed to pull a few strings to take his brand and Reggae music mainstream. A call to songwriter Rikrok would be the beginning of the dynamic duo we have come to know in the chart-topping single It Wasn’t Me.

According to Shaggy, he and Rok alongside his longtime producer Sting International, Shaun Pizzonia, all knew the song was going to be ‘something special’ because they were all tickled in humor while coming up with the lyrics.

However, unknown to many, the mega platinum-selling track almost wasn’t released due to tiresome studio meddling. Despite poor marketing by the studio, the track was instrumental in making Shaggy’s Hot Shot his biggest selling album, topping the charts in more than a dozen countries around the world.

2. Shaggy – Angel Featuring Rayvon

Another teaming with Barbadian singer Rayvon followed shortly after to also top the international music charts. Shaggy’s next blockbuster hit Angel, proved to be almost as successful as It Wasn’t Me, reaching No. 1 in several countries.

While void of the humor of its predecessor, the track spoke volumes in the message it submitted. A song dedicated to Shaggy’s guardian angel, which he is blessed to see as his current girlfriend on earth, “Shorty you’re my angel, you’re my darling angel. Girl you’re my friend when I’m in need lady,” as the hook goes.

With the success of his other hit singles such as Mr. Bombastic, Oh Carolina, Hey Sexy Lady among others on his Hot Shot 2000 album, Shaggy launched a revised and updated edition, Hot Shot 2020 to celebrate the albums 20^th anniversary last month.

3. Spragga Benz & Lady Saw – Backshot (Superstar Riddim)

It didn’t matter who you were or where you were from, when the feisty undecorated vocals of Lady Saw whined (even before the beat kicked-in), “A nuh belly rub a dub, because a backshot mi love,” the wave that would invade and send your body into all kinds of indecent positions was simply uncontrollable.

To this day, the timeless lyrics lacing on the hypnotic rhythm of Spragga Benz and Lady Saw’s Backshot doesn’t just play in one go, but is rather jeered for several pull-ups before running through the rest of the track.

The single was included in Spragga’s third studio album Fully Loaded that released in 2000 under VP Records. It was also on the soundtrack for the thrilling Jamaican crime film, Shottas in 2002.

Backshot has been remastered since and was performed on the Superstar Riddim with his other singles Bait and Analogy along with voicing from Buju Banton, Alley Cat, Sean Paul, Frisco Kid, and Elephant Man to also feature their respective tracks.

4. Beenie Man – Girls Dem Sugar Featuring Mya

Beenie had quite a few hits in the year 2000 but none scored the recognition and success as his hit single Girls Dem Sugar featuring R&B sultry singer Mya. Not only did the song afforded him the name “The Girls Dem Sugar” but also made his tagline “zagga zow, ziggy zow, zagga zow,” a signature style of his brand, that is Beenie Man.

The single was inspired and conceptualized from his 1997 hit single Who Am I (Sim Simma), by the intervention of American rapper/ music producer mogul, Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes.

Girls Dem Sugar is the second single from Beenie’s album Art and Life, which gained international success, peaking at No.13 in the United Kingdom and included on Billboard’s 12 Best Dancehall & Reggaeton Choruses of the 21st Century at No. 7. It also recently ranked as one of Billboard’s 100 Greatest Songs of 2000.

Other hits from Beenie Man’s Art of Life 2000 album were Heights Of Great Men, Haters And Fool, Crazy Notion, and Love Me Now ft. Wyclef Jean.

5. Capleton – Who Dem/Slew Dem (Bellyas Riddim)

One of the most defining periods of Capleton’s career came around 1999-2000 with a string of releases through his Y2K album More Fire. Any smart sound selector or DJ back then would know the impact Capleton’s single Slew Dem would have on the crowd and so it became somewhat of a party starter in those days.

By then, Capleton was a more confident and electrifying Rastaman chanting, “more fire” and “bun out” for everything and everybody that would cross him. Who Dem/Slew Dem was a direct target and cry for the obliteration of anything close, near, or resembling a homosexual person. Of course, with a reputation of low tolerance for homosexuals, Who Dem/Slew Dem was embraced as the perfect sing-along anthem for Jamaica.

LGBT advocates have returned fire to the deejay, saying that his songs encourage violence against homosexuals. Protests and backlash have resulted in the cancellation of several US events over the years. In response, Capleton’s team has claimed that his songs do not promote such violence.

Capleton’s More Fire album saw other hit singles such as the taunting Hunt You, along with More Prophet and Good In Her Clothes. Also, Crazy Looks on the Latino/ Boasty Gal Riddim was another party banger.

6. Sean Paul – Deport Dem

Before the Grammy and other major music awards, Y2K marked the beginning of mega-stardom for Dancehall’s prestigious, Sean Paul. His breakthrough singles Deport Dem and Infiltrate from his debut album Stage One that was released in 2000, soared his career forward and made him a dignitary on the Dancehall scene.

Deport Dem was one of the hardest hitting tracks of its time, there wasn’t a party, dance, club, wedding, or even baby shower on the entire island of Jamaica that didn’t have this track not only on queue but also on shuffle and repeat.

Paul’s other singles Check it Deeply and Haffi Get Da Gyal Ya featuring Mr. Vegas from the album also got some major plays. His collab with Mr. Vegas saw minor success on the US R&B chart, peaking at No. 66.

7. Ward 21 – Blood Stain (Bellyas Riddim)

The creators of the infamous Bellyas Riddim – Ward 21’s pioneering single Blood Stain was arguably the most dominant on the riddim, even against heavy-hitters such as Mr. Lex’s Halla Halla and Beenie Man’s Heights of Greats Man.

Ward 21 crew members, Andre ‘Suku’ Gray, Mark ‘Mean Dog’ Henry, Kunley McCarthy and Ranaldo ‘Rumblood’ Evans’ teaming on Blood Stain was an epic production of animated sound effects complete with ghastly and intimidating tones, ultimately creating one of the most resounding gun tunes ever.

It was the success on riddims like Bellyas and Bada Bada that established Ward 21 as serious and in-demand music producers during the late 90’s and 2000’s. However they proved to be just as dynamic as Dancehall artistes, their singles Haters, Judgment Day and Blood Stain are some of the most unforgettable tracks to date.

8. Sizzla Kalonji – Give It To Dem (Chiney Gal & Blazing Riddim)

Sizzla’s effort in carving out a space for himself in the very raw and slack Dancehall arena as a certified Rastafarian was sampled in his articulation behind Give It To Dem.

From the get go, “Blaze up the chalwah, likkle but mi tallawah, Ganja mi smoke and a f-ck off dem gyal ya,” communicated volumes of the ingenious artiste he was and still is today. The fusion of Rastafarian lifestyle and expressions blended with the indelicacies of Dancehall folklore was something he and fellow disciple, Capleton were experts at.

With his assertive delivery of the hook “give it to dem” on the heavily pulsating Chiney Gal & Blazing Riddim, Sizzla’s single was one of the biggest tunes everywhere (radio/club/party) in the year 2000 and even many years after.

Sizzla was also running the streets in 2000 with his other hit single Loving and Upright on the Bobo Spice Riddim.

9. Cecile – Changez (Chiney Gal & Blazing Riddim)

Bad Gyal Ce’cile or just Ce’cile back then, was also a pretty big player on the Chiney Gal & Blazing Riddim with her scandalous single Changez. The launch of this creative name-dropping diss track had everyone including many deejays sitting on the edge of their seats to hear what Ce’Cile was going to spill.

In the highly hilarious yet daring skit, Ce’Cile tackles several prominent deejays, “Listen up, mek mi read out di application, fi see a which deejay can run mi program,” she intros before the slaughter.

“Bounty Killer too stiff, so him can’t position/ Nuh just the other day mi a scope out Mr. Lex but him go tear off the shirt and mi sight chicken chest/ Mi love Beenie Man but him body look weak/ Mi nu think Spragga Benz can dweet / Ninja Man free but him nah get a slice, mi nuh want him stab mi wid knife/ Zebra could neva even hold mi hand, lawd what a youth look like leprechaun,” was just a taste of her savage track.

10. Lexxus AKA Mr. Lexx – Full Hundred (Orgasm Riddim)

After his infamous single Cook released in 1999, Lexxus had fans wrapped around his little finger. He would continue the following year to drop several other hit songs through his debut album Mr. Lexx in 2000. Though there were his celebrated tracks like You, Divine Reasoning, and Get Wid It, they didn’t quite measure up to the earworm, Full Hundred that promises, “2000 now, so so wha wi a go do? Give it to dem”

Mr. Lexx the album spent five weeks on the Billboard Reggae Album Chart and peaked at No. 12 – one of his best-noted musical accomplishments during his music career.

Lexxus voiced Halla Halla on the Bellyas Riddim in 2000 as well, which went on to be another widely successful release under his prolific musical roster.

11. Elephant Man – Replacement Killer (Scarface Riddim)

After his split from the Scare Dem Crew, Elephant Man’s solo career reached colossal heights in 2000 with the release of his Comin’ 4 You album. His single Replacement Killer was one of the hottest tracks in the collection along with Mr. Watchie Pum, Bun It, and Headache with Delly Ranks.

Replacement Killer had another name-dropping narrative, similar to Ce’Cile’s Changez. In Elephant’s version he too mentions the big dogs in the game, Shabba, Capleton, Lexxus, and a few others, relaying witty riddles of his meetings with them.

The single was featured on the Scarface Riddim along with you Mr. Lexx’s You and Harry Toddler’s Dance The Angels. Elephant’s voicing on Replacement Killer was undeniably ranked among the top three best performing tracks on the riddim.

12. Harry Toddler – Dance The Angels (Scarface Riddim)

With an easy delivery of, “A na na na, na na na, na na na” in the intro and throughout Harry Toddler’s Dance The Angel, the vibe on any dance floor would go from 0 to 100 real quick.

Dance The Angel was one of the coolest dance tracks of its time, prompting everyone to, “Move to left and na na na, move to the right and ja ja ja.” Having such an easy execution, even the shy and reserved would let loose and start breaking it down as soon as the hook kicked in.

Dance The Angel was one of the pioneering singles on the Scarface Riddim released in 2000, challenging more than a dozen other tracks.

13. Ricky Rudy – Bling Dawg (Scarface Riddim)

Another worthy mention on the Scarface Riddim was the vilifying tune Bling Dawg; he was never called Ricky Rudy again after the release of this single. The hook was the name on repeat, furthermore, if you didn’t like Bling Dawg for whatever reason, the deejay vehemently stated “chuck off pon a peg” or “gwaan go suck a egg,” in other words just do away with yourself.

The full-blooded track went on to pick up a lot of traction on the club scene and parties everywhere, you just couldn’t help but sing along to join Bling Dawg in casting off his haters.

Another big track for the deejay in 2000 was his teaming with Ras Moses AKA Beenie Man on the single Circumstances.

14. Mr. Vegas – Girls Time (Orgasm Riddim)

The reigning years for Mr. Vegas included his stint in the year 2000 with singles like Girls Time and She’s A Ho.  There was also his collaboration with Sean Paul on
Haffi Get Da Gal Yah (Hot Gal Today) that shot to the US R&B chart, peaking at No. 66.

Girls Time was perhaps his most resonating and widely received single that year; the track was featured on the Orgasm Riddim to find Mr. Vegas flexing his gyallis appeal.

With the success he garnered from Girls Time, a remix version surfaced sometime after but didn’t quite get the airplay as the original track.

15. Buju Banton – Woman Dem Phat

From his 6th studio album Unchained Spirit in 2000, Buju Banton’s single Woman Dem Phat was by far the fan-favorite. The single was a popular radio hit and made its way on many playlists of fans simply wanting to keep fresh on their Buju collection.

Unchained Spirit, comprising of its 16-track list didn’t quite receive the recognition Buju’s previous work did or after for that matter. Woman Dem Phat however kept his street cred on par.

Another hit single for Banton during that time was Be My Love Tonight featured on the Latino/Boasty Gal Riddim.

16. Wayne Wonder – Keep Them Coming (Bug / Clone Riddim)

Wayne Wonder brought new meaning to the genre with his soulful, cool, and collect musical delivery while matching grit and rawness in lyrics with his Dancehall counterparts.

Lending vocals to several hardcore tracks in his musical career saw the massive success of singles like Joy Ride with Baby Cham, I Don’t Know Why featuring Buju Banton and Anything Goes featuring CNN and Lexxus to name a few.

In 2000 his euphonious single Keep Them Coming was certainly the frontrunner on the Bug / Clone Riddim as well as one of the major players on the music scene. Keep Them Coming was featured on the exclusive Reggae Gold Album 2000 along with his other monster hit Magnet (1999) with Bounty Killer.

17. Bounty Killer – Another Level featuring Baby Cham (Bug / Clone Riddim)

Y2K was a quiet year for Bounty Killer; although he was actively releasing music with tracks like Warlord’s World and Community Service on the Punanny Riddim nothing quite made a hit like his single Another Level.

It was a teaming with himself and the charismatic Baby Cham that made the single Another Level literally mutate to another level on the entertainment scene. The track was featured on the pulsating Bug / Clone Riddim with several other major deejays but none could simply measure up. Next to Wayne Wonder’s Keep It Coming, Bounty Killer and Baby Cham’s collab on Another Level was categorically on the upper echelon.

18. Baby Cham – Babylon Bwoy (Bounce Riddim)

There is simply not one track on Baby Cham’s mind-blowing, double album Wow… The Story that can take dominance, the majority of the songs on the collection were huge hits. However, most of the tracks were previously recorded throughout the late 90’s even though the album officially released in 2000.

Among the Y2K recordings was his mega-hit single Babylon Bwoy that was backed on the Bounce Riddim. The very basis of the song is an intrinsic attitude most Jamaicans have with these ‘babylon bwoys.’ The anger in his tone, which would often peak in a high-pitched shriek, conveyed such a genuine upset that it made the track completely relatable to the masses.

The hook was catchy, which helped in the overall appeal of the track and made it something fans could easily mimic. After all who doesn’t want to know the lyrics to a real bad man tune. Cham did that!

19. Baby Cham – Man and Man

Man and Man was another huge success from Baby Cham’s Wow … The Story album that was actually released in 2000. By December of that year the single shot to No.1 on the local Reggae and Dancehall charts.

Man and Man sees Cham completely overshadowing the riddim to deliver a tireless spitting of heavy deejaying. He sifts through a series of issues tinged in gossip, the way one would ‘reason’ with others on the street corner.

He goes into great detail, flexing his homophobic rhymes, while calling out the ‘loose’ girls in the neighborhood and the showing up the fake bad-men in the area. He does this in one go, without taking a breath or breaking for either a hook or chorus.

Wow …The Story is a liberal collection of masterful singles and some of Baby Cham’s best work to date. Among the monster players were –

Disc 1: Mass, Many Many, Que Sera/Hotti Hottie Crew, Funny Man, Gallang Yah Gal, Boom, Desperate Measure, Babylon Bwoy, Man and Man along with Ghetto Pledge & Can I Get A on the Bug / Clone Riddim

Disc 2: Heading To The Top, Another Level w/ Bounty Killer

20. Beenie Man | Elephant Man | Ward 21 | Lexxus – (Punanny Riddim )

Call it the resurrection of the Punanny Riddim, dynamos such as Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Ward 21, Lexxus, Bounty Killer among others, simply couldn’t miss their chance voicing on the rhythmic Punanny Riddim, which had originally released all the way back in the 80’s. Admiral Bailey single-handedly made the riddim into a hit with the release of his notorious track Punanny in 1986.

The remastered version was the riddim behind Beenie Man’s remix of Man Roll Deep as well as Lexxus’ Get Wid It. Then there were the loonies, Ward 21 that dropped two tracks Haters Pt 2 and Five A Day along with Elephant Man’s Pu**y Dem, which were all major hits.

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