NotNice Says ‘Trap Dancehall’ Is Not Dancehall Music

Ainsley Morris, better known as Billboard-charting dancehall producer NotNice is once again speaking on the state of affairs in the dancehall music industry; specifically ‘trap dancehall’ or ‘traphall’ as the subgenre is sometimes called.

Despite being regarded as one of the producers who instigated the subgenre’s appeal on the island, NotNice told Winford Williams, in a recent interview on the entertainment program Onstage, that another name should be used for Trap Dancehall because it is not actually Dancehall.   

“It is a genre, the people love it, I can’t say it is not a genre, but not to be mixed with dancehall, and keep it separated because it is not dancehall,” he said.  “When yuh a trap something you’re trying to capture it, mi nuh think that trap dancehall…the name nuh really work neither, mi nuh like the name, trap is a genre to itself, dancehall is a genre to itself suh maybe we haffi try come up with a different name for it, but not that what you say.”

The producer who became a household name between 2009-2011 with a string of hits with incarcerated deejay Vybz Kartel, said that the genre doesn’t belong to Jamaica.

“It is not ours, a lot of the rhythms are built by some international persons and the kids who sell them online.” 

NotNice explained that the beats are then leased for the artists to sing on them.

“These beats are leased online for $50-$100 USD and are non-exclusive, meaning one artist can voice on it and another can go and lease the same beat and voice on it as well.”

“You are putting money in some kid’s pocket out in some far corner of the world, but it’s really not authentically Jamaican,” he added. 

“Some of it is made by local producers and I am not exempting myself cause mi actually mek some beats like that to cause if a it the kids a groove to then yea, we ago put out things like that too, and mi nah go mek it seem like a dat everybody a do, guh lease beat,” he admitted. “It nuh tek me nuttin fi guh in the studio and create something like that”.

“Change is inevitable and evolving for the better is something but it is changing for the worse”.

Both NotNice and Winford expressed that though the new type of music has a certain level of interest and buzz to it; overall, it lacks the fun and authentic feel of dancehall music. 

Several commenters gave their views on the topic: 

“Let’s be real. Dancehall started going downhill when guys like NotNice, Di Genius and Rvssian started doing the hip hop riddim thing. Trap dancehall is just the next evolution of that.” 

“If you want proof that dancehall is dead, just look at the songs on the countdown of this very video. Every beat is identical (listen to the same drum and snare pattern). If you remove the vocals, each song sounds like a hip hop or R&B track, not dancehall. Also, these artists can’t perform live to save their lives as the studio vocals of their so called hits are heavily modified and enhanced. I have not heard a true dancehall ‘riddim’ come out lately. What we are hearing today is a lack of pride, and a lost culture backed by materialism,” Declared another emphatic user.

In the mid-2000’s young NotNice, a name given to him by a high school girlfriend, signed a one-time album deal contract with Vybz Kartel which he did not attempt to read.

Soon after, memorable songs with Shawn Storm, Jah Vinci, Vybz Kartel, Gaza Kim, Popcaan, Alkaline, and Spice helped to cement his career as a bona fide dancehall rhythm producing extraordinaire. He is the founder and C.E.O of NotNice Records.