Dancehall Bootie

Dancehall is thought by a few to be the creation of Henry "Junjo" Lawes and developed deeper by King Jammy in the early 80's during a change from dub to dancehall. They used digital technology to create hooks for toasting (ragga).

King Jammy's 1985 hit, "(Under Me) Sleng Teng" by Wayne Smith, riddim hook took the dancehall reggae world by storm. Many credit this song as being the first "Digital rhythm" in reggae, leading to the modern dancehall era. Horace Fergusons single »Sensi Addict« (Ujama) produced by Prince Jazzbo in 1984 is one. Prior to this help start the revolution.

Dancehall emerged the 80s, most of the creative output can be credited to studio musicians Steelie and Clevie along with the handful of producers they collaborated with. Steelie and Cle(e)vie (Wycliffe Johnson and Cleveland Brownie) created the music for 95% of the instrumental tracks (riddims, versions, dubplates) that genre was based on. The decade saw the arrival of a new generation of DJs (singers, toasters), most distinct were the harder edged, such as: Ninjaman, Flourgon, General Trees, Tiger, Admiral Bailey, Supercat, Yellowman, Tenor Saw, Shelly Thunder, Reggie Stepper, Shabba Ranks, Johnny P, Peter Metro, and Papa San to name a few. To complement their sound a "Sweet Sing" vocal style evolved out of roots reggae and R&B (marked by its falsetto almost feminine intonation) with proponents like: Pinchers, Cocoa Tea, Sanchez, Conroy Smith, Courtney Melody, Carl Meeks, Barrington Levy. It is important to note that a lot of established reggae singers like: Gregory Isaacs, Johnny Osbourne and U-Roy transitioned into Dancehall.

In the early 90's, songs like Dawn Penn's "No, No, No", Shabba Ranks "Mr. Loverman", and Chaka Demus and Pliers' "Murder She Wrote" became some of the first dancehall megahits in the U.S. and abroad. Various other varieties of dancehall achieved crossover success outside of Jamaica during the mid-to-late 1990s.

1990-1994 saw the entry of artists like Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Shaggy, Spragga Benz, Capleton, and Beenie Man and a major shift in the sound of Dancehall, brought on by the introduction of a new generation of producers and for better or for worse, the end of Steelie and Clevie's stranglehold on riddim production.

The early 2000s saw the success of newer charting acts such as Elephant Man and Sean Paul. Currently, Sean Paul has achieved mainstream success within the United States and has produced several Top 10 Billboard hits, including "We Be Burnin'", "Get Busy", "Temperature" and the 2006 single "Give It Up To Me". VP Records almost singlehandledly still dominates the dancehall music market with Sean Paul, Elephant Man, and Buju Banton all signed to their native label. VP often has partnered with major record labels like Atlantic and Island in an attempt to further expand their distribution potential particularly in the U.S. market.