The Top Moments In Reggae/Dancehall Of 2022: Year In Review
As 2022 gathers the last of its belongings to hit the road, let’s look back at the top music moments of the year for fans of Reggae/Dancehall—the controversies, achievements, viral moments, and sadly, those who passed away.
DRAMA ON-DEMAND
What’s a year without a bit of drama? Try as we did, not many of us were able to peel our eyes away from the little embers of dispute that grew to become full-on dumpster fires. Some of them in the end proved trivial, while others dangerously blurred the lines between innocent fun and life-threatening danger. Silk Boss got unfortunately close to the latter this year.
The Mankind artist made waves on social media in August when a video of him being physically assaulted by multiple men surfaced online. Silk Boss, whose real name is Rohan Reid, revealed that the men – who held him, his girlfriend, and her brother at gunpoint – were actually jealous friends of his. According to him, they released the video a month after the assault happened, coinciding with one of the hottest streaks of his career. Fortunately, Silk Boss seems to have recovered from the ordeal.
Well, they say only drunks and kids tell the truth – and Jahshii, who is obviously old enough to drink, sparked a few memorable embers this year when he appeared on TVJ’s The Entertainment Report and spilled a mouthful. From calling out Shabba Ranks, while simultaneously praising Bounty Killer, Jahshii’s liquid-courage-fueled rant to Anthony Miller was found wanting. Perhaps, had it been just a few decibels lower, that appearance might have been a sobering moment in the young star’s promising career. Even so, it certainly didn’t hurt his stock, at least not in a way that would cause him to burn anything. Leave that to Sizzla.
When the Thank You Mamma Reggae icon uploaded his fiery rebuke of perceived disrespect from DJ Khaled in early December, the video clips quickly went viral. Sizzla burned two platinum plaques sent to him by Khaled for his work on Father of Asahd and Grateful, and – we must note – perhaps unintentionally, reminded us that he still had his lyrical wits about him. Setting flame to the ‘Grateful’ plaque, Sizzla chimed, “Grateful without gratitude” – a bar no doubt, reminiscent of his performance on the album, where he sang the lead for the album’s leading track, ‘I’m so Grateful.’ According to Sizzla’s firemen, the plaques came disrespectfully late and, quite literally, neglected to put some respect on his name. Though DJ Khaled has yet to respond to the act, we may not be wrong in presuming he won’t be sending Sizzla another one.
Bounty Killer was another Dancehall OG who brought the hammer down on perceived disrespect this year.
When Ishawna, fresh off her Ed Sheeran collaboration , took to the Sumfest stage with life-sized cutouts of the Prime Minister and Bounty Killer for her performance, everything that could have gone wrong, did. Her performance of Equal Rights – while sitting on the face of Bounty’s cardboard cutout; Downsound Entertainment’s subsequent apology for the ‘disrespectful’ act and Bounty’s colorful response all encapsulate the rather unfortunate series of events.
In spite of that, 2022 was a big year for Sumfest as it was the show’s first physical staging since the pandemic began in 2020.
Obviously missing from stage shows this year was incarcerated deejay, Vybz Kartel, but that doesn’t mean the Worl’ Boss wasn’t busy making his own highlight reel of 2022.
The 46-year-old shocked the world when he revealed in September that he was engaged to a Turkish national, Sidem Ozturk, who went on a brief press tour after the engagement was made public.
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Still in the GAZA family, Kartel’s teenage son, Akheel Raheim Palmer, known popularly as Likkle Addi, had announced he was expecting his first child. But in an interview on the FIX podcast, he revealed that a paternity test had absolved him of the responsibilities of fatherhood.
Popcaan, the Unruly Boss, sunk his claws into 2022, and at the end of it all, appeared to come out holding one of the year’s most enviable prizes – former Ms. World, Toni-Ann Singh. While the two continue to play with the public’s insatiable appetite to make a couple out of almost anything, rumors seemed to have been rubbished when they released their all but relationship-confirming song accompanied by its PDA-heavy music video, Next To Me. For the threads of doubt that remained as to whether the two were an item, Popcaan called out the beauty queen and Miss World 2019, Toni-Ann Singh, on stage at Burna Boy’s Love Damini Tour stop at the National Stadium in Kingston. In front of a 19,000-strong crowd, Popcaan kissed the beauty queen on the cheek before revealing that he loved her.
But that wasn’t Popcaan’s only big reveal of the year.
In September, the Family artist revealed that he has a Swedish son named Portmore, whom he affectionally calls Portie, much to the shock of the entertainment world.
While we’re on the topic of shocking news, how about SOJA’s Grammy win for Best Reggae Album earlier on in the year? The American Reggae band squared up against heavyweights Spice, Sean Paul, Gramps Morgan, Etana and Jesse Royal to come away with the coveted prize for the Reggae category, drawing the ire of Dancehall and Reggae fans all over.
‘YOU GET A SUIT…’
Though January lulled us into a suspicious calm initially, its second half quickly delivered our first taste of what would become one of the year’s most prevalent themes – lawsuits.
Etana, whose real name is Shauna McKenzie Morris, along with Freemind Music LLC, got the ball rolling against VP Records when, on January 25, they filed a lawsuit against the label in the Supreme Court of New York. For the 2X Grammy-nominated Etana, that decisive action was simply about one thing – getting what was legally hers.
If the first two months were akin to a light stroll into the year, the next 10 were a blistering and unhinged sprint. Wherever we happened to look, there was a lawsuit underway, with the most prominent of the lot being those involving Jamaican star Shenseea and her label Interscope Records.
Lick, Shenseea’s collaboration with rapper Meg Thee Stallion, turned out to be a brief moment of celebration following its January 21 release, as the project yielded not only mixed reviews, but also a US $10 million lawsuit from producer Pupa Nas-T, whose 1999 song was sampled on the single. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only lawsuit Shenseea would have to ‘put her back’ into this year. She was hit with a US $450,000 suit over the music video for her 2019 song, Foreplay, after it was alleged that nearly forty seconds of footage belonging to the plaintiff, Stephanie Sarley, was used without proper authorization.
While both suits are likely to reach settlement before trial, we are lowkey hoping to see the Blessed singer’s fit as she sits a deposition or testifies in either of the New York or California courts.
And then came the others.
While a number of the lawsuits to be mentioned here didn’t officially begin this year, 2022 proved to be the year a few of them came to a head. Greensleeves V Chris Brown and Sony Music was one such.
The UK-based Greensleeves Publishing Limited filed a copyright infringement suit against the R&B star on July 2, 2021, claiming that he had essentially ripped off Red Rat’s 1997 hit song, Tight Up Skirt, and used a portion of it without permission. That US $1.5-million-dollar suit came to a settlement in September, the details of which remain undisclosed.
Then there was the suit levied by Steely and Clevie Productions at Reggaeton singer Luis Fonsi, the artist responsible for YouTube’s most-viewed music video to date – Despacito, which currently sits at a whopping eight billion views. The suit, filed originally in October 2021, claimed that a number of songs recorded by Fonsi utilized elements belonging to Steely and Clevie’s 1989 riddim, Fish Market, or, as it’s come to be known internationally as a result of Shabba Ranks’ hit song of the same name – Dem Bow.
Those aren’t the last of the suits. There’s Bounty Killer, who declared victory in December regarding his lawsuit against producer Othman Mukhlis, the British national who is now obligated to pay him a settlement for the $60 million JMD in royalties owed.
Mr. Vegas also makes the list, reaching a settlement with VP Records concerning his copyright infringement and breach of contract lawsuit over some of his biggest hits.
Over on the Gully side of things, Chinedu Ikoroha, a Ugandan show promotor, levied a suit against Dancehall superstar Mavado who, it is alleged, was a no-show in a concert that he was booked to attend in December 2012. In June this year, Mavado’s lawyers responded to a motion moved for summary judgment on behalf of the promotor. The case is being heard in a New York Court.
SERIOUS BUSINESS
Dancehall Queen Spice suffered a serious medical scare this year, which played a major role in the postponement of several of her shows. Fortunately, Spice, whose real name is Grace Hamilton, has been resting and recovering.
This year also brought us the second interlude to Jah Cure’s otherwise respectable music career – another tenure behind bars. In what feels like a case of déjà vu, Jah Cure is preparing to release another album, this time while he’s an inmate in a Dutch prison. In March, the Longing For singer was sentenced to six years for attempted manslaughter after stabbing a promoter.
LOSS AND LIFE
Dancehall and Reggae had its fair share of losses, and they round out a rather painful segment of the year.
In March, we learned that Denroy Morgan, the patriarch of the famous Morgan family – known for producing Grammy-winning Roots Reggae group Morgan Heritage, died after a prolonged battle with cancer.
July stood out in particular as a month of loss for Dancehall and Reggae. Veteran deejay Merciless, 51 at the time, suddenly died in a motel on Beechwood Avenue in St. Andrew on the 19th. Two Dancehall artists – one an up-and-comer and the other, a former member of the Bounty Killer-led Alliance, also lost their lives. In the case of EleganceGad – the up-and-comer from St. Elizabeth, he was gunned down in Manchester while in a motorcar. The second instance features Omar Thompson, more popularly known as Assailant, who was gunned down at an after party in Los Angeles. July also saw the passing of Frederick Waite Jr., a member of Musical Youth, one of Reggae’s earliest boy bands. Waite Jr. passed at the age of 55.
October was the month that saw famed Reggae group, Mighty Diamonds, dwindle from a trio to just a solo act, as two of its members died four days apart. Lead singer for the group, Donald ‘Tabby Diamond’ Shaw was killed in March in a drive-by shooting, while Fitzroy ‘Bunny Diamond’ Simpson passed away after a long battle with diabetes.
THE SILVER LINING
For all the suits, trials, drama and loss that threatened to topple 2022, in characteristic fashion, we rise.
This year brought to the spotlight potent stars such as Valiant, Silk Boss and Jahshii, and Skeng, who, however, have raised concerns among veterans and politicians alike regarding the direction Dancehall is trending in.
One of the best pieces of news from the tumultuous year came out of Dutty Rock’s camp, presided over by the legendary Sean Paul.
His Grammy-award-winning album, Dutty Rock, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, was also certified triple platinum in the United States, selling over three million copies.
Another hit from that era, Wayne Wonder’s No Letting Go was certified Gold in the US in August, while Serani’s 2008 hit No Games surged in popularity in the UK, in part, thanks to a boost from seven-year-old Lottie Tute.
The song was certified Platinum in the country in October.
Paul’s wins keep racking up though, as the 49-year-old, with Scorcha, joins Kabaka Pyramid (The Kalling), Koffee (Gifted), Protoje (Third Time’s The Charm) and Shaggy (Come Fly Wid Mi) as the nominees for Best Reggae Album for the upcoming 65th Annual Grammy Awards, despite the record precipitous drop in entries up for consideration in the category.
Speaking of Shaggy, we are reminded that in May this year, the Reggae and Dancehall legend was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Ivy League institution, Brown University. Shaggy’s academic triumph wasn’t the only one we had to celebrate this year, as Mr. Vegas warmed the hearts of Dancehall fans all over when he shared his recent academic successes on Instagram.
Mr. Vegas, whose real name is Clifford Smith, broke the news in early December that he has attained yet another degree, this time from Florida International University, all while maintaining an impressive 3.9 GPA. The Head High singer tallies this impressive feat against the backdrop that he is a high school dropout, failing to make it beyond the 9th grade.
Whether academically or otherwise, the theme of freedom reared its head multiple times throughout the year. Former Dancehall artist, Flippa Mafia, can attest to that. The 43-year-old, who had been serving time in the East Jersey State Prison in United States, was released on parole after serving nine years. The DJ was initially given a 25-year sentence on drug trafficking and money laundering charges, after being arrested in 2013.
Capping off this reflective exercise, we are hard-pressed to find a more riveting display of appreciation coming out of this year comparable to Dave Kelly’s Reggae Sumfest tribute. With Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Cham, Wayne Wonder, Spragga Brenz, Firsco Kid and Mr. Easy on stage, the sheer energy and love that flowed from the Catherine Hall venue for the legendary Dancehall producer were unmatched in intensity, and was every bit deserved.
