Top Viral Moments In Dancehall In 2020
The year 2020 culminates with a portfolio which proves there was never a dull online moment. With millions of people in quarantine because of the COVID-19 pandemic, screen times increased and so too did online drama involving celebrities. The dancehall space was not exempted, with fracas popping up especially towards the last weeks of the year.
Here’s a review of the most viral moments in dancehall this year.
Pretty Pretty cries ‘I Waata’
Definitely one of the more weird moments of 2020. Deejay I Waata celebrated his birthday on December 26 with his longtime girlfriend Pretty Pretty, and in less than 24 hours, an image surfaced on the web of the artiste holding a baby while embracing another woman.
The Play Boss later confirmed that the child is his, and lamented that “nobody nuh perfect” in a song bearing the same sentiment. He went on to publicly apologise to the dancer-cum-artiste in an Instagram post, and vehemently reiterated that “this” is not a prank. Pretty Pretty has since removed the content from her social media page.
‘Obeah tales’ starring Spice, RT Boss, and Minister Marion Hall
Arguably the most outrageous of the lot, this saga started when spiritual advisor Nardo ‘RT Boss’ Smith decided to “expose” the nature of his long-term relationship with deejay Spice. Smith claimed Spice was an ungrateful client, and that he used goat milk baths and rituals to make Spice the Queen of Dancehall.
He also claimed that Minister Marion Hall, formerly Lady Saw, had “obeahed” Spice to prevent the then-budding star from outshining her. Spice was initially silent but ultimately responded, sharing voice notes which saw her saying she’d rather pray than engage in obeah. She also denied doing anything other than hard work to be where she is.
The obeah talk summoned Hall who usually steers clear of all things dancehall. The evangelist denied ever having performed obeah and urged Spice to get baptized.
The end result? Spice chalked-up Smith’s actions as attention-seeking, he later confirmed this but didn’t retract his claims, while Hall is returning to dancehall to win some souls.
The fall of Team Spice
A casualty of the Spice-Smith saga, dancers TC, Dancing Rebel and Pretty Pretty were labelled ungrateful after being outed by dancer Dyema Attitude and artiste TallUp for gossiping about their boss. The Team Spice ladies each addressed the accusation one by one online after selector and close friend of Spice, Richie Feelings, blasted the women for their ingratitude.
The dancers admitted that they oftentimes felt dissatisfied with their salary, but said they were never ungrateful and loved their boss. Spice defended herself as an employer by posting receipts of some invoices for the dancers’ international bookings. In jest, social media users have submitted audition videos to form part of a new dance ensemble for the deejay, though she has a U.S. team.
Nicholas Lall and Danger’s “He said, she said”
Another casualty of Spice-Smith’s drama saw Spice’s baby father Nicholas Lall being accused of raping former Team Spice member Danger. During one of his Instagram Lives, Smith played a voice note of Spice bashing Lall for having sex with Danger, and Lall called in to confirm that he did have sex with the dancer.
Danger, however, clapped back in an emotional Live, where she said he raped her and threatened her to remain silent if she wants to keep her job. The dancer obliged but was later ousted from the group when Spice heard rumors that they were intimate. Danger only told Spice her side of the story this year, way ahead of Smith’s Live. Lall has since hired an attorney as he maintains the sex was consensual. Spice said she will stay by Danger’s side should the matter go to court.
Artistes make amends
In light of Shenseea’s mother’s death in June, the message of life being short resonated with Jada Kingdom. The Eastsyde artiste declared that she no longer wanted to feud with any artiste, and sent her condolences to Shenseea, and even started following her on Instagram. Shenseea later did the same, and the two have been comment-buddies ever since.
Lisa Hyper also ended her decade-old feud with Spice this summer. The Gaza affiliates had kicked-off because of rumours following Hyper’s leaked explicit photo. Spice accepted her apology, and Hyper later appeared on her Magnum Spice It Up show.
Skillibeng’s not the father?
Skillibeng’s private life became public spectacle in October after a DNA test report proving that “Emwah Warmington Jnr” (his given name) was not the father of a child surfaced on social media. The mother, Leshaun Salmon, claimed she had a relationship with him long before his fame, and that he was aware that she also had two other men. She claimed the deejay was motivated by his peers to have the child’s paternity tested, and he did so behind her back, according to her.
Skillibeng never addressed the saga, but soon dropped a song titled Hot highlighting that he knows he’s a current topic.
Notnice and Popcaan’s fallout
The iconic producer-artiste duo crumbled over the Easter weekend when NotNice called Popcaan a “pu–y” without much details. He later said the two were at odds because Jafrass was not signed to Popcaan’s Unruly Entertainment label.
Popcaan counteracted this by claiming money was at the root of the rift. According to the deejay, NotNice was upset because he wasn’t paid for work done on a London tour. Popcaan criticised him as he said the tour was self-funded, and real brothers should never fall out over money.
D’Angel’s OnlyFans content leaked
“D’Angel” became a top-searched word on Google when semi-nude photos were leaked from her OnlyFans account in July. The artiste had joined the subscription-based platform during quarantine and retained attorney Christopher Townsend when her US$19.99 content appeared elsewhere. The infringement didn’t end there as the entertainer appeared on an adult website in September, after a video from her OnlyFans account was re-uploaded.
Dalton Harris comes out as pansexual
The 2018 British X Factor winner announced that he is pansexual (attracted to all genders) on Twitter in October. This followed years of many Jamaicans labeling him homosexual, and was mostly received with love and support from fans and other musicians.
Beenie Man and Bounty Killer on Verzuz
The deejays made viral and cultural history during their May Verzuz clash. From iconic memes (namely Beenie’s pot belly) to the phrase “Do you really wanna be that guy?” trending across social media, the men had social media locked for some time. The clash’s impact reflected in a boost in their music streams, social media following, and press coverage.
They were, however, snubbed from the front cover of Billboard Magazine’s Verzuz story, which ignited another online spat. The clash also inspired a Shaggy-led rally to have the deejays’ American work/ travel documents reinstated. The men also performed as part of the Jamaican cypher on BET‘s 2020 Hip Hop Awards.
The “First Lady” of Gaza
Incarcerated deejay Vybz Kartel‘s love life became online spectacle in the summer as several public figures were laying claim to him. One week it was Lisa Mercedez, though she said she’d never met him, and another week it was Lisa Hyper, who called herself the “First Lady of Gaza”.
Kartel’s long-term partner Tanesha ‘Shorty’ Johnson took to social media to declare that she is his first lady, power of attorney and then some. It was later speculated that the tug-and-war for the deejay was staged to promote his Of Dons & Divas album.
Vybz Kartel on Instagram Live?
On a random quarantine night in March, Vybz Kartel allegedly went Live on Instagram. Producer and longtime friend Rvssian was vibing with followers and playing music on Instagram Live when Kartel’s account popped up in the comments asking to be added to the Live. Rvssian obliged and a dark background joined the Live, with a voice singing bars from Kartel’s 2011 hit Tun Up Di Scheme. The appearance was short-lived, but the buzz it created was prolonged.
Prison authorities were thrusted into operation mode and probed several cells where contraband was discovered.
Neko, the johncrow
No one could have predicted that A’mari “DJ Mona Lisa” would have gotten a dancehall hit, but there was something hilarious and relatable about Neko which shot it to prominence. The identity of Neko also drove the song’s viral nature, with Amari first saying it was her ex Gully Bop, before saying she lied to further the song’s traction. By then, no one cared who Neko was. The johncrow narrative was sufficient enough.