Bounty Killer On Why Afrobeats Has Taken Over The World And Dancehall Is Still Stuck In His Country

[MikelArteta]

 

[Budda]

Dancehall had it's moment in the late 90's early 2000's, followed by Reggeaton, now it's Afrobeats turn. Trends change and every decade has it's own sound

Reggaeton's moment is now, but the music is trash.

 

[Amestafuu (Emeritus)]

I agree with some and disagree with some.

Dancehall fell off on the international stage, I really should say on the mainstream stage, because the topics became much less relatable. He was right about that. Sheer gunman talk. There are a lot of really good dancehall still but it’s just not hitting the mainstream like that

Dancehall culture was low key cancelled when they started going after any artist that ever said a gay slur and banning them from getting travel visas to tour the America and Canada. I've never seen shyt like that.

Not long after they stopped getting placements in radio for even the radio friendly acts. Ain't no reason why Proteje or Chronix is not on radio. Even the girl with the lockdown song.

They give their slot to reggaeton. Reggaeton artists don't give them features despite eating off their culture. Bad bunny reached out to Snow why not a Jamaican legend?

Jewish and CAC "reggae" bands eating up awards for the genre and let's not mention Ed Sheeran and Maroon 5 etc had a period where they were doing reggae and charting while Black acts have no placement.

Finally the gunman talk and the crass p*ssy talk in dancehall specifically is ridiculous. However they could have had programming directors pick fitting songs. The fact is they got clean pushed out of the way and there was many factors. But the LGBTQ went ballistic on dancehall. When Dave Chappelle says stop punching down at my people this is what he is talking about. Eminem said worse shyt and got a hug from the king of fags Elton John Double standards galore. They went scorched earth on Jamaican acts.

 

[xXOGLEGENDXx]

Have 90% of your music be about aggressive sex and wonder why it isn't international brehs

 

[Diondon]

Dancehall starts with the riddim
These current riddim are all maggot water

 

[MajesticLion]

Nobody wanna plant de corn
everybody want to raid de barn
who yu ago blame it on
when is a next man yu a depend pon

well yu wrong





Who cannot hear must feel.

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

Still shocked Soca isn't on a bigger level

its TOO annoying

 

[maxamusa]

I agree with some and disagree with some.

Dancehall fell off on the international stage, I really should say on the mainstream stage, because the topics became much less relatable. He was right about that. Sheer gunman talk. There are a lot of really good dancehall still but it’s just not hitting the mainstream like that

yea when the fun stopped it was over.

Modern "R&B" suffered the same when the love stopped.

 

[Bonk]

Great build from The General. Interesting he doesn’t have a seizure trying to explain that all music is from Africa.

The vulgarity in modern Dancehall is almost some Clockwork orange shyt..I remember that one joint that literally begins with “I have a penis for your vagina hoooole” being a defining song of the 10s

Like what type of shyt

You’re right. I grew up on dancehall as well (we call it ragga or bashment here).

Bounty Killa is right. The music just got redundant when it became repeatedly too violent/aggressive & over sexualised. It lost its hence when it shifted away from the rhythm & melody that produced the crossover hits.

They just need to find a balance. There was a balance back in the day when you can vibe to Movado & Bounty Killa - then listen to Elephant Man, Mr Vegas, Busy Signal & Tony Matterhorn - then cool off with Wayne Wonder & Serani.

These days, it’s just pure badness & vulgarity. I thought Kranium would make dancehall mainstream again but I don’t know what happened to him. Ditto Gyptian & Alkaline.

 

[Bonk]

Still shocked Soca isn't on a bigger level

Soca is more of carnival & street party music. Perhaps if they make it more like dance music, the way South Africans did with Amapiano - it will cross over & blow up.

 

[Nero Christ]

Soca artists don’t market to the North American market enough and soca is still very much tied to carnival

But I’m surprised nobody has really tried to take soca global

Soca is a lil too raw and fast paced for casual audiences

 

[Givethanks]

its TOO annoying

You're Jamaican eh lol

 

[Dad]

Because of cacs

 

[Bonk]

Dancehall needs more tunes like this:



The tune should’ve been bigger - I guess it didn’t get a major push.

 

[ReasonableMatic]

The truth is, they need to make Dancehall less explicit.

The melodies and production is there.

The explicitness makes it unnecessarily difficult to market across larger audiences that don’t already like Dancehall.

One of the best examples I can give is

Alkaline - Moving Mountains

The song starts off with beautiful instrumentation.
Only for Alkaline to go: “I have a penis for ya vagina hole ”
Wild unnecessary

Any wise adviser woulda told him to cut all explicitness off in the studio and turn it into a classic love song.


I still love the song, but I can’t play it casually around a lotta ppl because of its explicit content.

We see this flaw in R&B all the time as well.

R&B and Dancehall was/is simply better quality and marketability wise when it’s not as explicit.