Usain Bolt Says Vybz Kartel’s Absence Ultimately Led To Dancehall “Losing Its Respect”
Retired Olympic athlete turned Dancehall producer Usain Bolt has posited that it was the vacuum left by incarcerated deejay Vybz Kartel which, according to him, ultimately led to Dancehall ‘losing its respect’ on the world stage.
Speaking on the JD IN The Duffle Bag podcast in a video published yesterday, the Olympe Rose Riddim producer offered some scathing criticism of the new sound within the genre. In recent years, many Jamaican artists have gravitated towards Dancehall-infused Trap beats—to the chagrin of veterans like Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, and Capleton, who, like Bolt, are wary of the fact that it is so far removed from the ‘golden years’ of 90’s Dancehall.
“I grew up on hardcore dancehall, it’s hard to see the change and I think that’s why dancehall is losing its respect,” Bolt told host Chukie Lothian, who had praised the producer’s “traditional-sounding” Clockwork riddim—released in April.
“No disrespect to all the other artist they doing their things they making money, cool, but the respect that dancehall had that everybody want a piece of is different now because it’s not the hardcore like ghetto type of dancehall anymore,” Bolt added.
The 35-year-old said he plans to make even more ‘traditional-sounding’ Dancehall with some ‘old school’ artists.
“Me and my people were talking about it and say the next riddim that I do is gonna be a proper proper dancehall riddim with the proper old school guys. I have already reached out to a few of them and said this is my idea, we are gonna make a few riddims, see how you feel,” he revealed.
“I think that’s what we’re missing now. Because people will see me and go ‘yow what’s going with Dancehall music’. Cause now the trap dancehall is taking over. I say ‘I don’t know,'” Bolt added. “I can’t determine where Dancehall go, but now I’m here I can try to change it and try to put more hardcore Dancehall out there.”
Vybz Kartel
Though incarcerated since September 2011, Kartel has managed to release eight albums from behind bars.
Despite this, Bolt reasoned that it was the Any Weather deejay’s physical absence that led to the music changing.
“Just look at it. When Vybz Kartel was out, alot of people mirrored what he did. But no one stepped up and took over, after he left. Everybody was looking towards somebody.. who’s gonna be that guy that we look forward to your next song coming out. And nobody did. It was just like everybody on the same level. No one really stood up,” Bolt explained.
Dancehall-infused Trap sounds proliferated in the late-2010s, with Montego Bay artists Rygin King and Squash being widely regarded as the ones who popularized the phenomenon with a string of hit songs.
Bolt continued, “Then the Trap guys came in and people were like cool, let’s listen to what going here. And that’s how the younger generation now start gravitating to that, and that’s how the music just kinda changed. Cause they were stepping up (and it was a group of them) and they were putting out music, like, quick (snaps finger).”
“The main hardcore guys, they, did nothing,” Bolt added.
Similar sentiments on Kartel were shared by Buju Banton in an interview with Winford Williams, as he promoted his Upside Down 2020 album last year. Banton had questioned why other Dancehall artists had not stepped up to the task of growing the genre since Kartel cannot do so from behind bars.
“Can we honestly say that our music has grown? Can we honestly ask that and say yes? Because me personally feel say it nuh grow,” Buju reasoned. “Me come out ah work house (prison) and a Kartel me see run the place, same way. Me hear other people, don’t think me nuh hear and a listen but me know music when me hear music. His lyrical content, that’s not my subject. His relevancy, that’s my argument. That aside has he moved?”
Banton’s comments did not sit well with Reggae star Protoje and Dancehall deejay Konshens.