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Music Trends of 2003:
Reggae, dancehall and the riddim...
THE LOWDOWN
Reggae was hot like fire in '03. It wasn't just Sean Paul that had us blowing out our speakers. We were given wicked tracks from his fellow bredren: Elephant Man, "Pon de River, Pon de Bank," Wayne Wonder, "No Letting Go" and Super Cat featuring 112 - "Na na na na."
We've watched reggae artists steadily enter the charts for the past few years. It started off with sugary, radio-friendly songs from Shaggy, then developed into grittier more edgy lyrics from Barrington Levy ("Bad Boys," Shyne feat. Barrington Levy), and it got nasty - but in a good way - courtesy of Beenie Man.
But in the past 12 months, reggae and, more specifically, dancehall music, exploded onto the scene. Everywhere you turned, you heard someone with a hot Jamaican accent.
So what made this type of music so damn infectious?
First of all, this music is pure party music and you can't help but get up and get your dance on. Secondly, the sexual overtones alone will have you grabbing someone to grind on. And thirdly, the use of collabs gave reggae and dancehall more exposure. As it became more and more popular, every rap artist and R&B crooner enlisted the help of a reggae artist. (The song "Get Low" from Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz is sooo much better with the help of Elephant Man.)However, some artists, unfortunately, chartered into unknown territory and thought that could hit us off with their best patois, but it didn't work (did you hear that, R. Kelly? On his "Snake" track, don't you think he could have gotten some help from Buju Banton, Bounty Killer or even Beenie Man?).
Not only did we tune into reggae 24-7, North America was introduced to some new dance moves. Don'tcha love it when "Like Glue" comes on at a jam and everyone starts signaling the plane??
So far it looks like this trend is far from being over. Good. I'm loving this trend and I can't wait to see how it will develop this year.
Did You Know:
In 1983, there was a show called "Dancehall '83," in which several popular deejays performed, including Yellowman and Charlie Chaplin. A massive crowd of dancegoers packed the venue. Because of the big success of this show (due to the deejays), the name "Dancehall" was used to promote later shows. It was at this time that songs of popular deejays ruled virtually all the dancehalls. The new music that was being played became known as "Dancehall" and the name has stuck ever since.Must See:
The movie Dancehall Queen (1996): A poor woman finds a new life when she discovers the world of dancehall music. ¤ Michelle