Dancehall beats
Dancehall beats is a genre of urban folk music which came out of Jamaica.
In the mid to late 1970s and is generally considered to be the direct predecessor of rap.
Dancehall beats is, in its most basic form, a deejay toasting (or rapping) over a riddim.
Dancehall is also known as bashment, a term which can refer to either the music itself or a large party where dancehall music is played.
History
Dancehall gets its name, predictably, from large halls or street spaces where deejays were setting up their sound systems.
As the idea of toasting, rather than just playing pre-recorded songs, became popula.
Some of the more popular early deejays were King Jammy, Shabba Ranks, and Yellowman.
Several dancehall musicians and deejays have achieved worldwide success, particularly chart-topper Sean Paul, as well as
Elephant Man and Buju Banton. This shift in style again saw the emergence of a new generation of artists, such as Sean Paul, Capleton, Beenie Man and Shabba Ranks, who became famous ragga stars.
A new set of producers also came to prominence: Philip “Fatis” Burrell, Dave “Rude Boy” Kelly, George Phang, Hugh “Redman” James, Donovan Germain, Bobby Digital, Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson and Cleveland “Clevie” Brown (aka Steely & Clevie) rose to challenge Sly & Robbie‘s position as Jamaica’s leading rhythm section.
