Sean Paul Says Dancehall Is Not Just ‘Summer Music,’ Lists Skeng, Jahshii As Ones To Watch

Dancehall superstar Sean Paul was at pains to explain that Dancehall music is not restricted to happy, sing-along, dancing tracks reserved for the summertime, as some North Americans tend to believe, during his recent interview on The Breakfast Club on Power 105.1 FM.

Sean Paul told hosts Charlamange Tha God, DJ Envy, and Angela Yee, in the interview which was published on YouTube yesterday, that he longed for the day when the notion of Dancehall music being only for the warmer months is jettisoned.

“One thing I would like to see, about Dancehall music evolve to people’s ears over here, is that it’s not just ‘summer music’.  Because I go into a lot of the meetings and they are like ‘oh, but this aint no summer song though’ and I am like; Dancehall play every day in Jamaica.  It plays all the time.  But it reminds people of tiki bars and summer and sun and that type a thing over here.  And I get dat,” he said.

Sean Paul made it clear that summer songs or radio-friendly tunes are not what define Dancehall, as the genre is a melting pot of various moods, topics, and even lyrics that are considered bellicose.

“We also have different moods like for instance, check out Trap Dancehall; I don’t really like the name Trap Dancehall but I don’t like what everybody speaking about so much, but it is a different mood and it is part of what’s happening in Jamaica.  That’s that mood there and so it ain’t gonna be party oriented or sign-on-the-beach oriented with the drink and tiki bar type looking thing.  But that’s what we are perceived as.  It’s kinda unfortunate,” the Temperature artist explained.

In response to co-host Angela Yee’s question about which younger artists are “big right now” in Jamaica, Sean Paul listed Gvnman Shift artist Skeng and Cream of the Crop artist Jahshii, as the two rising stars to look out for.

“Skeng is a big one.  Also a kid name Jahshii,” he said.

“In the past year, I would say they’ve been putting out stuff and getting on interviews and now the shows’ startin and it’s been crazy.  So people were waitin to see these guys.   That’s two of the names this year that people could check out: Skeng and Jahshii.  And as I said, Skeng is more about the Trap Dancehall kind vibe and the lyrics dem kinda hardcore.”

Dancehall music has had a very interesting connection with people in the colder climates and summertime.

Last year, the Guardian ranked Sean Paul’s 2003 release Get Busy at number three among the top 20 Greatest Songs Ever of the Summer.   Also making the Guardian’s list was Koffee’s Toast which was ranked at number 19.

Toast had also made President Barack Obama’s summer playlist in 2019, positioned at number 28 of the 44 song Summer Playlist which he revealed on Twitter.

Popcaan, Koffee and Reggae icon Bob Marley all featured on the President’s summer 2020 playlist.   Koffee made her second appearance on the annual playlist, for her Don’t Walk Away collab with John Legend, while Popcaan has got the former president’s attention with the single Twist & Turn featuring Drake and PartyNextDoor, which was featured on his Fixtape project, while Bob’s appeared on the list with Could You be Loved.

In 2021, Koffee made the list for the third time with Switch It Up, a collab with Protoje from his In Search of Lost Time album.  Bob Marley’s Exodus was the other Jamaican track featured.