Sean Paul Says Hardcore Dancehall Riddims Are Making A Full Comeback
The hardcore, authentic Dancehall riddims, which have been absent from Jamaican music in recent times, and for which Dancehall fans have been clamouring, are ‘coming full circle’, according to Dancehall superstar, Sean Paul.
“I think people are ready for a Dancehall sound, for hard core, back into that now. We’ve influenced Reggaton, Afrobeat, ‘Zesser’ music in Trinidad. All of that come from Dancehall,” Sean Paul said in an interview on Two Bees TV recently.
“Now I think people are ready for hardcore Dancehall sound again. We will see how long it last,” Sean, who makes it his duty to analyze trends in music, said.
Yesterday, Sean Paul was spotted vibing to Bounty Killer and Busy Signal’s single Bung Bang, from the Warlord’s upcoming King of Kingston album, which Bounty had said would be reminding people of what the “real Dancehall is”.
Track icon Usain Bolt, whose 90’s sounding Clockwork Riddim has been seeing relative success, has also surmised that authentic-sounding Dancehall riddims were in demand. In a recent interview, he told Onstage host Winford Williams that these types of beats were what he loved, “as a 90s kid” and as a consequence were high on his agenda.
After having been circumvented by controversial Hip Hop beats over the last several years, Dancehall fans have complained bitterly that music coming out of Jamaica was losing its lustre, as the sounds were hollow and they were unable to “wine up and bruck out” to Hip Trap beats.
Heads High artist Mr. Vegas had long contended that the Hop Hop beats were watering down the genre, and that such songs were failing to “pass Norman Manley airport” and so iconic producers like Dave Kelly, his brother Tony Kelly and others, should come out of hiatus to rescue the genre.
He told The Entertainment Report two weeks ago that artists who were voicing on Hip Hop beats were failing to make the grade as overseas audiences were not receptive to the imitation styles.
When asked by host Anthony Miller whether the younger artists have “found the sound that will make their pitch outside Jamaica”, Vegas responded in the negative.
“No. Old school Dancehall; 90’s Dancehall, 2000s Dancehall and before. Sometimes just di beat meck yuh dance. Sometimes yuh just put in a beat weh Dave Kelly or Steelie dem or Tony Kelly dem meck and when yuh can identify a sound, like when Steelie dem or Danny Browne dem meck a riddim, jus di intro a di riddim meck people start go crazy,” Vegas said.
“As I said there is no sound as yet to replace the original authentic Dancehall, or the authentic Reggae sound. People still sampling the sound. People are still sampling Bam Bam by Nancy. People still a sample the old school Dancehall, so it comes down to the sound. The sound has not been replaced and I don’t think it will be replaced,” he argued.
He also added that the biggest cross-over tunes out of Jamaica have been authentic Dancehall.
“Sean Paul was straight Dancehall, hitting Billboard number one with Temperature, top 10 wid Gimme Di Light, Wayne Wonder No Letting Go. Dem chune yah is authentic Dancehall chune. So I don’t think that change,” he said.
The Nike Air singer said whilst he was not judging the new artists, who had a right to use whatever sounds they have been profiting from, they were at a stark disadvantage when it comes to crossing over in the US.
“I think the sound has changed from what people can dance to, which is essential when you are trying to compete with another genre. Your music has to stand out from what you are trying to compete with,’ he said.
“So if you say you are producing Trap Dancehall and it’s close to Hip Hop, then you gonna be at a disadvantage, when programme directors are selecting music for their playlist, because they are not gonna replace a Drake or a replace another major star for a Jamaican song that is Hip Hop as well. You are going to run into some difficulties there,” Vegas said.
Kyng Midas producer NotNice, told ER a week later that, authentic Dancehall will prevail, as nobody can change the foundations, which is what the international audience prefers.
“Mi still believe seh dah old school sound deh, dat is the fingerprint of Dancehall and the foundation where you can identify seh ‘dat is di sound a Dancehall’, wherever you go across di planet, yuh know seh dah music deh have a particular drum pattern,” he said.
Discontent has been brewing over the last few years, over the trend of artistes foregoing authentic sounds for Trap beats, deejaying on them and calling it “Dancehall”.
In August 2019, veteran Dancehall producer Danny Browne expressed concerns that it was foreigners, as opposed to the younger generation of Jamaican artists, who appreciated the value of Dancehall music. He said foreigners were topping international charts with Dancehall riddims, while locals were “using knock-off hip hop beats” and “plastering them over a dancehall label”, according to The Gleaner newspaper.
He also expressed consternation that while foreigners were using Dancehall to charting all over the world, selling platinum and streaming in the millions, Jamaicans who should be the leaders, were buying beats from foreigners”.
The former main Street Records boss, in an Instagram video had issued a challenge to top producers such as Dave Kelly, Seanizzle, Tony Kelly, Jordan and Stephen McGregor to “mek Dancehall great again”.
“Taking a hip hop beat and calling it dancehall does not make it dancehall,” Browne, who created riddims such as Filthy, said.
“We need to stop it. People like Sly and Robbie, Steelie and Clevie, myself, Gussie Clarke, Dave Kelly, we work so hard to put dancehall on the map,” he added.
According to the Gleaner article, “the top 10 most viewed YouTube videos of all time, compiled by Tyler Lacoma and Jon Martindale and posted on July 23, 2019” showed that the top three songs/videos – of all time – “are all Dancehall-soaked”.
Wiz Kalifa’s See You Again, featuring Charlie Puth was at number three at the time, had sold diamond and followed Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You, which had been viewed four billion times since its April 2015 debut, and earned RIAA Diamond certification after the song reached sales and streams greater than 10 million.
Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, it noted, had the most viewed video on YouTube with Despacito, a Reggaetón-pop tune, which had amassed an incredible 6.32 billion views.
It noted that Justin Bieber’s Sorry, had even more recognisable dancehall influences than Despacito and sat at number 7 on the Top 10 list, with 3.16 billion views at the time.