The 50 Best Dancehall Songs Of 2021
The year 2021 was a busy period in Dancehall, as with less touring and stage shows numbering almost zero in Jamaica, artists buckled down and took to the studio. While the women held their own, they continue to be outnumbered by their male counterparts. There were hits, and there were misses in songwriting, and, several new stars emerged, among them Nation Boss, thanks to the power of social media.
Low sales aside, the youth, in particular, did well, proving that Dancehall continues to thrive, with some ditching their rude-boy personas and showing their softer sides. The introspective nature of many of the songs point to the fact that the genre remains a reflection of Jamaican life and culture, be it good or not so good, as opposed to only about guns, scamming, and girls as some erroneously believe.
Let’s take a look at what our writers picked as the top 50 Dancehall songs of 2021. Just want the music? Find our playlist on Spotify.
50. Shane O – Dark Lonely Road
After making his big comeback in 2017, Shane O has been churning out hit after hit. In this 2021 effort, in which he showed off his never-before-seen skills as a director, Shane O tells the tale of a persistent boy who has to walk a dark, lonely road to success, after being put out by his dad with nothing but the piece of sponge he calls a bed.
49. Nvasion, Shaneil Muir – Wicked
After a clip from a performance with him singing the original track went viral on social media, upcoming Dancehall act Nvasion has been riding high on a wave of success for Wicked, which he later remixed with Yamabella hitmaker Shaneil Muir. The ‘battle of the sexes’ context gives the remix a new dimension from the one-sided original, which has been well received by fans.
48. Stalk Ashley – Summer 16
Stalk Ashley was in her bag on Summer 16, which completely immersed listeners in the ultimate breakup anthem. The track appears on her Excuses Pt. I EP.
47. Blvk H3ro – It Nuh Easy
Borrowing the famous ‘earth a run red’ line from Richie Spice, Blvk H3ro summarizes some of the harsh realities faced by Jamaicans on a daily basis. He cleverly provides social commentary by referencing several chilling news stories over the past few months in the video, such as the murder of 21-year-old- Khanice Jackson.
46. Bling Dawg, Christopher Martin – YO!
Bling Dawg and Christopher Martin teamed up to give Dancehall fans a little music for the soul with the single Yo in September. The track, which was Bling’s first single off the album Elev8, summarizes his elevation with a mental state of positivity, health journey with some lyrical gems to life for all listeners to take heed.
45. Prettii Prettii – Sad Eeh
Dancer-turn-deejay, Prettii Prettii proved she’s a tier above the rest when she deejayed AND laid down some slick rap bars on Sad Eeh last July. Produced by Herah Music Production, the track resonated an urban in-the-streets vibe with a confident and gritty message to ‘sad’ delusional girls who think they could ever step in Prettii’s dolly-sized shoes… “gyal life sad eeh”.
44. Jada Kingdom – Jungle
After a very public break up with her former management company and even a statement to fans to not expect any new music in 2021, Dancehall songbird Jada Kingdom eventually came through with her first single under her new label Republic Records in October titled Jungle. The song arrived on an easy head-bobbing, mid-tempo Reggae rhythm with a melancholic narrative written by Kingdom to share her experiences of the dark, harrowing paths in the ‘jungle-like’ streets. “Jungle is an up-close and personal look into what growing up in Jamaica was for me. Most of the things I speak about in the song lyrics and that you see in the video are actually real-life situations that I’ve seen and or been a victim of,” Kingdom revealed about the song.
43. Jahshii, Navaz – Cream Of The Crop
Fast-rising star Jashii took 2021 yet again with the release of Cream Of The Crop with fellow newcomer Navaz. The fans couldn’t get enough of the deejay’s candid tales of poverty and hardships. Released last August, the Active Music –produced track cruised over a million streams in the first few weeks and wrapped up the year with 6.4 million YouTube views. “I am not surprised about di reaction from di fans an’ how people have been gravitating to my music. Mi put mi heart inna di music because mi nuh sing ’bout nuttin weh mi naw see or do. Di people are gravitating to di work an’ I am appreciative,” the Grants Pen native said.
42. Vybz Kartel – Chip Glock
Though he has taken a more enlightened path, for the most part, these days, every dancehall fan knows that di teacher gives his most advanced lessons in songs about irreprehensible violence. He excites the minds of his quick-witted students in this killer thriller, and once again proves why there will never be another Adidja Palmer.
41. Mr Eazi, Dre Skull ft Popcaan – Sekkle & Bop
Nigerian singer Mr. Eazi excites women to show their best moves in the chorus of the easy-going bubbler by Mixpak record label CEO Dre Skull. Popcaan turns up the tempo a bit in his verse with his distinct unruly bars and unique vocal cords.
40. Masicka, Popcaan – Pain
Having gone through Pain in all shapes, sizes and forms, Masicka not only coils these adversities in one song but also seeks assistance from a living conqueror, Popcaan, to deliver this profound track. The single is featured on Masicka’s 438 album and since its December 3rd release has gained more than 1.4 million views on YouTube.
39. Popcaan – Relevant
In the same vein as Win, Poppy kicked off this year with Relevant, which reminded listeners to not only pursue their dreams relentlessly, but to watch out for disingenuous people on the journey.
38. 450 – Journey
For Dancehall newcomer 450, his Journey chronicles a raw yet relatable rocky past and gritty come-up. It is songs like this that have launched him into the limelight as favorite new act in 2021. “My uniqueness, my style of music, my lyrical content. Those are some of the stuff that mek me standout apart from the crowd. That’s what the people love and appreciate my music for,” the 21-year-old told DancehallMag. The music video for Journey – released last September, now stands at 5.4 million YouTube views.
37. TeeJay, Tommy Lee Sparta – Power Struggle
“Dem say fi be yourself but when you be yourself them quick fi judge yuh,” is a lyric that clearly resonated with fans of both artists, as this meditative song has remained a staple on the airwaves and charts since it was released last January. With the lyric video so far amassing over 8.6 million views on YouTube, TeeJay is on the launchpad for a successful release of his Rags to Riches album. Meanwhile, Sparta is serving a three-year prison sentence.
36. Alkaline – Top Prize
As the title track of his 2021 album, Top Prize has a special place in the heart of the Vendetta Boss. “Top Prize is whatever goal you want to achieve,” Alkaline said in an interview. “It’s rising and exceeding expectations. And just enjoy the whole process, the whole journey.”
35. Popcaan – Win
There is a line in this song for everyone with a goal, and that is perhaps why it hasn’t come off our wake-up playlists since it was dropped at the start of the year. Not to be confused with his 2016 hit We Still A Win, which was more of a flashy party anthem, Win is one of the Unruly Boss’ latest motivational tracks.
34. Squash – Rate Who Rate You
Featured on the My Letter To You riddim was Squash’s Rate Who Rate You – a thoughtful reminder to extend respect only to those who return the same courtesy. The 6ix Boss’s words certainly hit home for many who could relate and the Dynasty Records and Attomatic Records produced song made its way on Dancehall music playlists far and wide, exceeding streams of 8.5 million on YouTube after its May release.
33. I Waata – Clip Tall
New wave Dancehall lyricist I Waata has had an excellent year so far, and his growing catalog of hit songs is proof. In Clip Tall, he warns “from yuh diss one, try know yuh diss all. F–kni clip tall. Nuh K nuh response.”
32. Vybz Kartel – African Summer
The Worl’ Boss threw his hat in the ring for a playful summer song with this one, and as usual, he didn’t disappoint. While the unsuspecting scroller might assume the song is about a trip to Africa during the summer, the title is just a metaphor for the heat of the lewd, detailed experience that the entertainer promises. African Summer has almost 16 million views on YouTube.
31. Skeng – Brrrp
Skeng’s carefree laid-back flow has proven to be just what the current Dancehall scene likes, and this technique has allowed him to shoot to prominence in less than a year. In addition to Brrrp – whose chorus, by the way, is just that sound – the young musician has two other tracks on this 2021 list.
30. Masicka – Different Type
Masicka delivers some ‘different type’ of lyrics in this hard-hitting jam.
29. Jesse Royal ft. Vybz Kartel – Rich Forever
On one of the top songs on his Grammy-nominated ROYAL album, Jesse invites the lyrically impeccable Worl’ Boss to add explosive bars to this anthem of resistance and gratitude. The video also features cameo appearances by Like Royalty singers Popcaan and Protoje.
28. Masicka, Tarrus Riley, Dunw3ll – Corner
Loyalty – that’s the glue that holds this solid ode to friendship and unity together. With Riley’s soothing vocals on the chorus, Masicka reminds his friends and family that he will be there with them through thick and thin. Produced by Dunw3ll, the groovy track proved to be comforting and timely as the world continues to grapple with the social and economic fall-out that plagued the last year.
27. Skillibeng – Hot
Closing out 2020 with the biggest song of the year (Crocodile Teeth), Skillibeng dropped Hot with the RD Studios – directed music video to portray the scorching levels of his new stardom.
26. Demarco, Stephen Marley – Dance My Stress Away
Demarco struck up favors with the fans again on his summer banger Dance My Stress Away – a single from his long-awaited debut album Melody. The track featured vocals from Stephen Marley and took viewers on a night out on the town with Demarco as he ‘danced his stresses away’.
25. Jahshii – 25/8
Even through the pandemic, Jahshii managed to make significant strides thanks to songs like 25/8. “I think I have grown tremendously over di past year. I have grown with di fans an’ right now, wi a give di people what they want to hear,” the young talent said. 25/8, which was produced by Dynasty Records, DJ Mac Productions, and Attomatic Records, arrived on the Bleed Riddim, where Jahshii details his drive to not only elevate himself out of poverty but take his family as well. The aptly titled track shows his proven tenacity to go hard for his goals, running a “25/8” shift rather than “24/7” to denote his non-stop efforts.
24. Dexta Daps – WiFi
Dexta connects with his female fans like a strong broadband connection on this one. Best known for his smoothly expressed content, the ‘Dappadon’ also impressed fans with a futuristic video featuring a sultry vixen and his well-oiled waistline that had Shenseea affirming his prowess on Instagram.
23. D’yani ft. Jada Kingdom – Feelings
As a creative way around a musical embargo due to conflict with her previous management team, the Esyde Queen started remixing a number of songs by up-and-coming artists, including this one by DownSound’s D’yani, which was released in May. With the lyric videos’ viewership trending in the millions, enamored fans clamored for an official music video, which eventually came in July to rack up over 6.2 million views at the close of 2021.
22. Silk Boss – Mankind
Silk Boss’ Mankind was another big hit from a newcomer in 2021 following its release in August. Flexing some smooth flows to express his experiences with heartless people, the Terro Chop City Records and Silverbirds Records produced track has garnered over 5 million YouTube views and a score of raving comments from fans and industry colleagues such as Rytikal and Intence who both openly hailed Silk Boss’s talent.
21. 450 – Imperfection
It’s not often that you hear a young Dancehall artist baring his soul and confessing his deepest insecurities and regrets on a song, but rising talent 450 does just that with lyrical and rhythmic precision. The video, which shows the artist in a vulnerable state of inner turmoil, has racked up almost 6 million views on YouTube since its release last June.
20. Koffee – West Indies
Koffee’s West Indies, and its matching visuals which were directed by Meji Alabi, captured the essence of the West Indian culture, showcasing picturesque island views, family time, the local cuisine and party life that are all synonymous with Jamaica. The song is the first single from her upcoming debut album.
19. Chronixx – Safe N Sound
The ‘Odd Ras’ keeps his foot on the neck of corrupt politicians and capitalists in Safe N Sound, in which he calls for more love and unity in inner-city communities. Chronixx takes no prisoners as the lyrical onslaught also raps the citizens of Jamaica who have been also contributing to moral decay on the island.
18. Skillibeng, Nicki Minaj – Crocodile Teeth (Remix)
E-Syde topman Skilli had the last laugh back in May, after impatient fans and defensive Barbs dragged him for announcing a collab with Nicki Minaj that did not seem to be materializing. But they all had to eat their words when the Trinidad-born rapper dropped the remix on her Beam Me Up Scotty Mixtape, and it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 100.
17. Masicka – Suicide Note
Suicide Note — the third track off Masicka’s 438 album — received an RD-Studios-directed video, which found the deejay at a graveyard dishing a solemn, heavy-hearted narrative of a lifelong struggle overridden by determination and resilience even against all the odds.
16. Skeng, Tommy Lee Sparta – Protocol
Skeng linked up with incarcerated Spartan Soldier deejay, Tommy Lee for the release of Protocol, which—like Gvnman Shift and Brrrp before it—detailed their expert gunmanship. The widely successful music video, which has racked up over 10 million YouTube views since its release on November 12, was shot by Trueyez Films in the heavily NYPD patrolled streets of New York City to find Skeng parring with his crew and switching his lyrical flow at will.
15. Mavado – Not Perfect
Penned and released while his son Dantay Brooks was awaiting judgment in a murder case, The Gully Gad reminded us that he, too, is human. “Things do happen, it’s not like I planned it…” the entertainer pleaded. The younger Brooks was found guilty a few weeks after the song’s release.
14. Alkaline – Hostage
Also on the Top Prize album are several hit tracks, as expected after the entertainer’s hiatus from the scene. Hostage is one such song, and even without a video, the official audio has garnered 7.6 million YouTube plays.
13. Shenseea – Run Run
After a 7-month hiatus, Dancehall star Shenseea returned in the summer of 2021 with the release of the first single from her long-awaited debut album. Produced by the Grammy-winning Stephen ‘Di Genius’ McGregor, Run Run took inspiration from late 80s fares like the Pirate Riddim and Gussie Clark’s Rumors riddim. The Christian Breslauer-directed music video picked up 6.9 million views at the close of the year.
12. Laa Lee – Tip Inna It
Laa Lee’s Tip Inna It went viral as tens of thousands of TikTok users ‘dirt bounced’ to the song. The viral challenge has over 24 million views on the platform, compared to YouTube where the David Island and Everton Gentles music video has 6 million views. Laa Lee has since followed up with the Dirt Bounce single, which features the creator of the dance, Tyreke Pennicott.
11. Rytikal – Chosen
Chosen, produced by Dynasty Records on the My Letter to You riddim, allows the fast-rising singer to be vulnerable and vent some of the frustration from his ‘spiritual battle. “People ah go through whole heap a tings so I know this can help them to overcome as well,” the artist told DancehallMag when asked about the creative process that went into the song. Chosen currently has over 13 million views on YouTube.
10. Nation Boss – Humans
The next new artist hoping to deliver a respectable debut single will have a high standard to aim for, after newbie Nation Boss released one of the top songs of the year in Humans. The minimalist video shows the young artist walking a long distance to find a safe, secluded spot to bury his heart, after being hurt multiple times. “We a speak things that people a go through now, in their everyday life,” he told DancehallMag in an interview. “We a work on some singles right now. The same energy, nothing different. The fire just a go get hotter from here. We just a kick the ball off on a positive note.”
9. Popcaan ft Beres Hammond – God is Love
Not even Popcaan’s strict Christian mother, Miss Rhona, could resist falling in love with this one. Youthful exuberance met with the wisdom taught by experience in this rare cross-generational smash hit, and it sent chills through the spines of fans around the world. This modern classic is the collab fans didn’t know they needed.
8. Yaksta – Ambition
If parties were a thing when this song was released, it would have been the recipient of at least 5 money pull-ups per session before it could be allowed to play out. In a musical climate that currently glorifies ‘braffing’, and scamming and violence as a means of income, newcomer Yaksta quenched the aural thirst of ambitious youth with this farming, investing, and thrifting anthem. Asked whether he knew Ambition would be his breakout song, Yaksta told DancehallMag in an interview “well, not in particular, regarding the track. But I have been working for this day. It’s just that sometimes a sudden flight, causes a universal impact. Yuh undastan? So everything just crash down pon mi one time and I wasn’t fully ready. But nonetheless, I have to be ready because now is the moment.”
7. 10Tik – Roll Deep
10Tik’s smooth and deadly delivery is his greatest asset, and he puts it to good use in this effort. Almost 14 million YouTube users agree that there is definitely something addictive about this melodious cruise-worthy jam about loyalty to the end and self-defense. The former firefighter told DancehallMag in an interview that “I talk about the ones who are unspoken, the ones who are marginalized and forgotten. When people listen to my music, it’s going to be personal to them.”
6. Masicka – Update
Produced by TJ Records and Genahsyde Records, Update came in October as a dispatch to inform Masicka’s fans of his then-upcoming album’s arrival on December 3. Directed by Rizzy of Rosh Studios, Karizma Visuals Media and RD Studios, the music video has accumulated just over 5 million views on YouTube. At the close of the year, Masicka was listed as the 7th most-streamed Jamaican artist on YouTube.
5. Skillibeng – Coke
The emergency crash landing of a small private plane in Rocky Point, Clarendon last year was all the inspiration Skillibeng needed to not only compose this song declaring that ‘The plane just crash with the coke!’, but also to brazenly film the music video for the song at the site that was still under investigation. It was worth the risk though, as the video hit three million views in three days and is now edging towards the 15 million mark.
4. Jah Vinci – Virgin
Former Gaza empire member Jah Vinci caught a powerful second wind in the steamy baby-making Virgin. Released as part of his The World Singer EP with producer NotNice, the visuals for the sexy tune alone have amassed over 14.5 million views so far.
3. Spice, Sean Paul, Shaggy – Go Down Deh
Spice’s legendary ‘triple S’ collab with Shaggy and Sean Paul had an undeniable chokehold on summer 2021. Go Down Deh‘s chant-like chorus and infectious beat were just the right formula to have the song spending several weeks atop the Reggae/Dancehall iTunes charts. The official video has racked up almost 40 million views on YouTube.
Go Down Deh also made NPR’s 100 Best Songs of 2021, and former US President Obama’s Favorite Music Of 2021.
“The fact that I was able to bring this together for dancehall is a big moment for me”, the Queen of Dancehall told DancehallMag in an April interview. “It’s a great energy for all three of us as hitmakers to come together and believe in this song.”
2. Intence – Yahoo Boyz
After its release on July 5, Intence’s Yahoo Boyz was the most streamed song on YouTube in Jamaica for five consecutive weeks according to the platform’s Music Charts And Insights. It currently has 9.5 million views on YouTube.
Produced by Country Hype and Cryshy, the uptempo-sounding track is arguably responsible for the popular Rifle Bounce dance. The streets agree that Yahoo Boyz was one of the year’s most resonating singles. Later on, as the year came to a close, the song was revealed to be the most-streamed Dancehall track on Spotify in Jamaica. Intence ended the year as the No. 5 most-streamed artist on YouTube in Jamaica.
1. Skeng – Gvnman Shift
“Intellectual, murda people edition…” And that’s all it took to get Skeng’s extremely potent Gvnman Shift playing in your head. Produced by Chemist Records and Raheef Music Group, the track debuted on the 1Matik riddim last August. The KD Visuals-directed video, which takes us through a day in the life of the deejay on his stomping ground, has since raised over 15.2 million YouTube views.
The Spanish Town native checks all the boxes on this gunplay anthem: Mass murder (“dozen man affi dead a weh yuh feel”), travelling to eliminate your enemies (“Every guns up, killa mask up/Travel pon dem endz…”), the amassing of firearms (“And a buy bey gun fi anything start up”) and finally, the usual direct glorification of criminal elements (“Fully dark, fully charge and fully crawb up”). It even shouts out a high crime area as a bonus (“Spanish Town, Bobby Lane, Craig Town…”), and, as the cherry on top, it shouts out an actual gang (Ratty Gang).
Its potency is not even lost on actual cops.