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2019 DANCEHALL+REGGAE TOP 10

  1. Toast / Koffee
  2. Any Weather / Vybz Kartel
  3. Just Touch Down / Stylo G
  4. Nah Mad / Munga Honorable
  5. Dumpling / Stylo G
  6. Hillside / Chronic Law
  7. Blessed / Shenseea (ft. Tyga)
  8. Wile Side Government / Jahvillani
  9. Shen Yeng Anthem / Shenseea
  10. Steppa / Buju Banton

1. Toast – Koffee

Congratulations to new Jamaican recording artist Koffee. Koffee AKA Mikayla Simpson, was born February 16th, 2000, so she’s still 19 at the time of this article’s January posting.♦ The undisputed number one song 

for 2019 goes to ‘Toast‘, a 2018 Columbia Records debut single celebrating giving thanks for the blessings in life. Toast is about gratitude and upliftment, thanking God for life and what He has provided.  Why toast material things; it’s better for one to show gratitude and toast oneself and one’s own personal growth and achievements.

‘We nuh rise and boast
Yeah we give thanks like we need it the most
We haffi give thanks like we really supposed to, be thankful!’

A surprise chart topper throughout 2019, Toast, officially released in 2018 on Columbia Records, caught on like wildfire. Nobody would have predicted that a virtually unknown 19 year old female would be capable of releasing music that would take out entries by Dancehall’s most dominant artists the likes Vybz Kartel and Stylo G.

But this was the case for Koffee, her Toast single, taken from her Rapture EP, shot up the charts with support by a modest music video currently sitting at an incredible 96+ million views on YouTube.

It’s been an amazing year for Koffee, who because of her youth and short time in the business, can still be described as one of reggae’s ‘diamonds in the rough’. She’s been publicized as being on former US President Barack Obama’s Spotify Playlist, she’s already performed on some of the biggest stage shows, tours and festivals in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Now, there are rumours that the NFL has confirmed Koffee performing at the Super Bowl 2020 weekend festivities, further evidence of Reggae music going global.

Her debut #Rapture EP also received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album, making Koffee only the fourth solo female artist and the youngest solo artist to be nominated (yes she won the Grammy – this article was written previous).

‘Blessings all pon mi life and
Me thank God for di journey, di earnings a jus fi di plus (yeah)
Gratitude is a must, yeah
Me see blessings fall by mi right hand
Buss a toast fi di friends weh tek off heavy load’

Says Kamal (Black Reaction):
I liked it from the first time I heard it. The song, her style, the beat, it’s all appealing because it’s so commercial. It’s not 100 percent Reggae but the tempo is similar to many of the timeless riddims that are built off the Punanney (riddim), good to dance to.’ 

Kamal is quick to point out that although Koffee has a unique sound of her own, there’s another culture artist that she reminds him of;
She’s like a teenage Queen Ifrica, her flow, the way she talks, the patois, the rawness, the metaphors; she’s like a young Chronixx, righteous in her own ways, never done a slack song yet, not one!  Nobody has a badman version of ‘Toast’ anywhere in the world.’

‘Cyaan’ bawl ina life man

Mi haffi thank God for di journey, di earnings a jus fi di plus (yeah)
Gratitude is a must (yeah)
Mi see blessings fall by mi right hand
Buss a toast fi di friends weh tek off heavy load’

Koffee
is unlikely to be a one-EP wonder, she is a focused artist with substance, very manageable, and on the verge of doing things no reggae artists have done before. As a motivated artist, she has be taking large strides, moving in leaps and bounds, taking full advantage of her new business as a successful, well loved and consistently conscious recording artist. Koffee’s management team, the same team that manages Chronixx, realizes they have a gem. Her mom signed her with strict conditions, and together with management, they call all the shots when it comes to Koffee’s career.

This same management however, is being criticized for ‘removing’ Koffee from the general population of artists. At the last Reggae Sumfest, it was alleged that she was isolated in her own artist tent while awaiting showtime and nobody could get to her, not even legendary Cocoa Tea, who may have made a small scene after being denied access, even though he was the one that first bus her! Word on the street is that some of the friends Koffee used to hang with – also gone, she’s had to lose them too as part of the road to stardom.

I asked Blacks (Black Reaction) what he thought about Koffee and her remarkable 2019 year. Before he answered, he wanted to caution his sound system fraternity to this small fact; when sounds pay their $1,500 US that Koffee charges for a Toast dub plate, her management will deliver to you a ‘generic’ dub, identical to every one else used by sounds across the globe. The name of your sound will be the only thing ‘unique’ about the way it sounds, which the engineer will ‘punch’ in at ‘appropriate’ points, with splices hardly noticeable.

Says Blacks: ‘The song has made it’s way through every channel, it’s being played in every club. There are Soca mixes, EDM mixes, the mere fact that the energy in it is positive and that it’s a clean tune, opens doors for more songs with dancehall and patois language to get through.

Congratulations to Koffee, runner up for Top Upcoming Female, finalist for Top International Female, and champion of our ReggaeMania.com Awards ‘2019 Tops’ Dancehall-Reggae Chart with the #1 song – ‘Toast‘. Looking forward to hearing more from you Koffee!

2. Any Weather – Vybz Kartel

Almost any riddim he touches turns to gold. Vybz Kartel makes his second appearance on our Top 10 ReggaeMania.com ‘2019 Tops’ Dancehall-Reggae Chart in the prestigious #2 position with ‘Any Weather’. 

This conscious and uplifting Vybz Kartel tune is the standout tune from the G6ixx riddim, also featuring less popular tracks by Teejay, Squash, Jahvillani, and Chronic Law.

‘Any Weather’ is appealing because Jamaicans, especially, can relate to it. Jamaicans are amongst the most creatively ambitious people on this earth, specialists in to turning negatives into positives, even if it means ‘painting’ their environment so it ‘appears’ more positive and beautiful. It’s a kind of escapism because life for the poor and marginalized there means having to face and overcome incredible daily obstacles in order to survive garrison living.
Any Weather’ pays tribute to all of Jamaica’s garrison capitals, bigging up the places and the people who live there. The song currently sports 25 million views on YouTube, and wastes no time connecting with the people in it’s start;

‘The whole a Portmore and the whole a St. James..Member we when we gone, we live forever, Salt Spring’

If one was to offer a translation, Addi spends most of ‘Any Weather’ crying out to the ghetto people, motivating them to abandon their ghetto mindsets and instead, strive to make ‘tomorrow’ a better day. Do your thing, don’t bow down, hustle hard and make money…

‘We not going under, All ghetto youth get your money longer,
Ready, bruk pocket nah work,
Straight ‘pon the narrow nah mek no wrong turn’


Kamal (Black Reaction) states; ‘Metaphorically, the ‘weather’ is a circumstance in life. If the bus nah turn, or the car nah work, you walk to work, you don’t give up on yourself. Literally speaking, it shouldn’t matter, the ‘weather’, hot or cold, hurricane or tornado, the youths dem, if dem wah mek it, haffi go out and “hunt” for the food.’

Vybz Kartel
likes to play on lyrical borderlines in many of his songs, ‘Any Weather’ is no exception. One can misinterpret this song as possibly promoting a criminal element; is one resorting to crime endorsed as an option for ‘hustling’? This would follow current trends, where today’s youths are impatient, lazy, unmotivated, refusing to work at McDonald’s, yet still desiring the lifestyles seen by dancehall’s rich and famous. Doing what one has to do to ‘get that money’ is a positive message maybe, but what if that ‘hustling’ comes down to living that criminal lifestyle, staying strapped, taking life? Before we crucify Vybz Kartel, Addi, ‘Any Weather’ could be discouraging youths from taking the road of crime; Vybz Kartel makes reference in the song to ‘badness’ being the reason for him being in prison;

‘Mommy say, “Sonny no bother with the choppa, Me never listen, but it never matterFrom you is a ghetto youth, dem have you as a shotta, My badness and me mother prayer mek me deh yah’

Says Blacks (Black Reaction): ‘People go off when their ‘bad’ areas get big up, and let’s face it, Yard is all about bad people. You go from one side of the island to the other when you big up Portmore, St. James, Mo Bay. These places are on fire right now, Flanker, Glendevon, Salt Spring, Whitehall, Hilltop, the whole a’ Mo Bay rotten, you can’t go there. Being on a resort is a different story, but even in the regular city right now, there are soldiers on every corner with glocks.

‘Me fi have a chopper, watch it a propeller,
Me house fi have, elevator not a ledda

Daddy say, Son dem a tell we say no better no deh,
But a lie that, blessing a forever

‘Get the Chedda, money maker, any weather,
Buried treasure, dig it up a weh the ledda’

There are so many of Vybz Kartel songs that are immediately likable, but for a number of reasons, ‘Any Weather‘, still a banger, was the song that connected most with the people in 2019. Kamal (Black Reaction) expresses his amazement about ‘Worl’ Boss‘ and ‘Any Weather’- Says Kamal;

The amazing thing about Any Weather is that Vybz Kartel wrote and voiced this while being in prison. But the mic quality is so perfect, how does he do that? And his lyrics are from the outside, that’s what stimulates songwriting ideas, Hellshire Beach, Duns River, good places for inspiration. But Addi probably hasn’t even seen the new highways, how Jamaica is starting to look like fareign, his environment is not shaping him, rarely if ever, have I ever heard Vybz Kartel dee-jay’ing about his current life in prison‘.

Kamal goes on to explain; ‘…Jah Cure released ‘Prison Walls’ when he was incarcerated, even though he didn’t write the song, but Vybz Kartel hasn’t apologized, he’s still fighting for his innocence. Because he’s not out there experiencing life, it’s just unbelievable what he’s doing, rhyming off the top of his head. Yet his music doesn’t sound dated, he has pure gyal songs, and another big new one with Spice, ‘Back It Up’, big in the dances, tearing up the charts!’

‘Any Weather’ is song #2 on our ReggaeMania.com ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019′ dancehall-reggae chart.  Congratulations to Vybz Kartel, people love him, and we hope he will continue to be consistent in releasing great tunes on a regular basis despite incarceration.

3. Just Touch Down -Stylo G

After his Top 3 nomination for both Top International Artist of 2019 and Top Upcoming Artist of 2019, and after taking the #5 spot on our Top 10 Chart, Stylo G is back. His Just Touch Down mega single earns our 

ReggaeMania.com Awards song #3 spot on the ‘2019 Tops’ Top 10 Dancehall-Reggae Chart.

Just Touch Down has provided some of the happiest memories when looking back at good times inside the best dances in 2019. The song is not to be taken seriously, just a bragging-boasting tune, talking about the good life artists can live when they’re rich. What’s exciting about Just Touch Down is the combination and lyrical performance of the three power artists featured, Nicki Minaj, Vybz Kartel, and of course, Stylo G. These supreme dancehall superstars unleash in your face lyrics on an level musical playing field with equal potency and precise execution; the flows, the advance patter, all could not have been delivered better.

‘Just touch down inna the airport (Mm-hmm), Tracksuit and mi airforce (Mm-hmm)

All of mi gyal them love me (Mm-hmm), All the one weh seh me ugly (Mm-hmm)
She go spot me designer (Mm-hmm), She wan give me the vagina (Mm-hmm)
Everything a from London Bond Street nothing never come from China (Mm-hmm)

The beat or ‘riddim’ for Touch Down is one of the appeals of the song, it’s great to dance to, you want to get on the floor and put down your best moves when you hear a beat or drum pattern sounding similar those created by 1980’s early Hip-hop old school heads Run-DMC. As soon as the vocals come in, everything is proper, the song sounds nice. The music or sample saturated inside the beat, though hard to describe, sounds gypsy like, or East-Indian, maybe Persian, a simple looped one-bar g-note, extremely addictive because it’s repetitive, bold, hypnotic, raw, and unconventional. There was no official video made for Touchdown, but the YouTube (Audio) post has a almost 14 million ‘views’ and over 6,500 comments.

The more you hear Touch Down, the more you like it, it’s lyrically brilliant, and Nicki Minaj kills it, just like Spice in Dumpling, she makes reference about being rich and living the good life;

‘Just touched down inna da G5 (Mm-hmm)
You know I’m buzzin’ like a beehive (Mm-hmm)
We still bumpin’ to dat C5 (Mm-hmm)
Fendi prints pon mi knee highs (Mm-hmm)’

Vybz Kartel
is so lyrically talented, even from prison, he was able to spit out a lyrical style on Touch Downthat left people re-crowning him as the G.O.A.T.  Nobody knows how he does it, but if there were any artist who deserved credit for influencing Stylo G’s style, it would be Vybz Kartel.

‘Just touched down like NASA (Mm-hmm),
Nicki pum-pum fatter (Mm-hmm)
While you’re there at your job (Mm-hmm), Your girl givin’ me a blowjob (Mm-hmm)’

Just Touch Down was not only one of last year’s most popular songs, it was also one of the most debated when dancehall critics questioned ‘what’ kind of music they were listening to. The realization was, if you strip or remove the vocal elements from Touchdown, the beat may still sound great, but had nothing to do with reggae. As a matter of fact, if an American rapper like Drake or Jay Z werer to drop lyrics on this same Touchdown instrumental, it’s unlikely that people would hear any reggae influence whatsoever, the song would pass as American-UK Trap/Hip-hop.

Dancehall diehards are just monitoring, a bit paranoid because their intuition tells them their dancehall, the way they knew it, is eroding, right in front of their eyes, and that the traditional reggae music and riddims on which they grew, was now being pushed back in the back of the DJ Serato crates, making room for a new league of artists who thrive on the Trap-Hip-hop path we are seeing more and more of today.

There is a good argument on both sides, with old heads criticizing the quality of today’s Trap influenced dancehall-reggae music, how it sounds, the lack of lyrical depth, the negativity, the sexism, the male chauvinism, the arrogance, the ignorance. The elders say, it’s just not ‘good’ music, some of the ‘worst’ produced in years.

A me pop off mi tag dem (Mm-hmm), Mi new Benz it a mad dem (Mm-hmm)
Everyday mi swag dem (Mm-hmm), Louis deh pon mi bag dem (Mm-hmm)’

On the flip side, the new heads say to the elders; for too long, what you’ve been doing, the way you’ve been doing it, has not worked for an industry that has kept its head buried in the sand while in stagnation, and for years, have not been profiting for the majority of artists out there trying a ting. They say something has to change, and see themselves as players and re-arrangers here to institute those changes, via perhaps, this different, more Americanized and pop-structured Trap-Hip-hop approach.

Congratulations to Stylo G. ‘Touch Down’ is song #3 on our ReggaeMania.com Awards ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019’ dancehall-reggae chart.

4. Nah Mad – Munga Honorable

Munga Honorable has always had a wicked lyrical flow, and I have loved this Jamaican sing-jay’s unique sound since 2007 when he released the classic ‘Bad From Mi Born’. It was a pleasant surprise in 2019 when Munga
Honorable again resurfaced with another classic dancehall smash, ‘Nah Mad’, voted #4 on our ReggaeMania.com Awards ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019’ dancehall-reggae chart.
Munga’s appearance in our Top 10 is a bit awkward – missing are the reggae artists of old, the former rulers, the dee-jays and foundation singers that were guardians of the old school styles and sounds. Munga is from this school, but because of the success of ‘Nah Mad’, he has managed to stay relevant and squeeze through the new school gates while not compromising his own vocal style or reliance on traditional reggae riddims. Nah Mad’ is sweet, and Munga sounds like a brand new previously unheard artist on the track. The song currently sports 15 million views on YouTube, and has a hook that makes people want to sing the chorus out loud;
‘Cause a boy like me, Mi nah mad (No!)
Mi nah mad ova nuh gyal’
Despite the addictive hook in ‘Nah Mad’, the song has another wonderful hidden component. One of its repeating verses, although slightly sexist, is very top 40-friendly; Munga changes up his restyled patter to resemble styles used by US pop artists, great for commercial radio and juggling affairs;
‘Yuh can’t break my Confidence, All these lies is just Pretense
You fucked up girl Don’t blame me, Cuzzz That’s just your Incompetence
If you wah leave den Jump di fence, You must face the Consequence
Let’s just call it Self defense, Fuck yuh feelings And fuck your friends’
The ‘Nah Mad’ video, while conceptually weak, is well produced, and Munga, a very energetic performer, looks young and fresh with his crew backing him. Arguably, the story could have been told better; in a year of missing anthems and under-representation from dancehall’s traditionally popular male and Rasta artists, Munga created a catchy phrase that many of our dancehall alpha males will salute.
The topic has been covered before, but all it takes is one or two times to be crushed, betrayed or double-crossed by a woman you loved and trusted, and who you thought loved and trusted you, for the aftermath to see some men turning cold and reverting to standoffish states that lasting for years. They refuse to 100-percent trust love, or to ever be possessed by a woman again. Some protect themselves by never wearing their hearts on their sleeves, and chose spending prime times bonding with male brethrens and crews. These men do not see themselves as women-haters, just young men with a similar-to-sexist attitude refusing to be spellbound by ‘catty’ women using what they ‘got’ to get what they ‘want’.
‘From a gyal a run di pussy, Yea mi ready mi up
But from a gyal a gimmi static, Yea mi ready fi cut’
Munga’sNah Mad’ is a nice tune, and throughout 2019, radio needed it, as well as our dancehalls. The big winner in all of this of course is Munga himself, who, despite the good fortune of resurfacing with ‘Nah Mad’ has got his own demons to contend with. Sad for Munga, but he is still in the midst of fighting a murder case, currently delayed, as of last June.
Munga, AKA Damian Rhoden, was charged in connection with the February 2017 murder of Cleveland Smith, who after after a disagreement with a group of thugs a dance, was reportedly accosted and shot, later dying in hospital. One of these thugs is alleged to be Mr. Rhoden AKA Munga. Reports later surfaced that the same Cleveland Smith, nephew of dancehall superstar Mr Vegas, was alleged to have attacked and ‘chopped’ Damian Rhoden in a separate incident which happened a year earlier. Since being granted bail in June of 2017, Munga has been fighting for his innocence while trying to carry on with his career as the case drags through the courts.
Munga had made the news earlier in January of last year after he survived a deadly automobile accident that unfortunately left one of his female passengers dead at the scene. Munga, the driver of the vehicle, as well as another passenger, were hospitalized and listed in serious but stable condition following the accident.
Big up Munga – ‘Nah Mad’ is a clever tune, and is still the code many of our dancehall soldiers live by. On the flip side, we hope Munga Honorable did not go down that road, and will be proven innocent of the charges laid against him.  Our dancehall cannot afford to lose any more valuable artists the likes of Munga Honorable!

The ReggaeMania.com Award for Song #4 on our ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019′ dancehall-reggae chart goes to Munga Honorable for ‘Nah Mad’ ’. Congrats Munga!

5. Dumpling – Stylo G

We out and bad, Stunting, Dem gyal a seh wi sweet like pumpkin,
True wi coil dem like dumpling, Coil dem thick like dumpling…‘
Stylo G could not ask for a better 2019 year. His chart topping ‘Touch
Down’ single was Jamaica’s hottest remix of the year featuring superstars Nicki Minaj and Vybz Kartel. Little believed he could do better, but his next song, ‘Dumpling’ would also blow up the charts after its summer 2019 release, and is our #5 song on our ReggaeMania.com Awards ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019′ dancehall chart.
‘Dumpling’ threw away any uses of traditional reggae riddims and offered instead, sequenced trap-styled hypnotic drum beats highlighted by a repeating Asian or East-Indian melodic loop. The song is focused on all the things that money can buy when you’re ‘bad’ like Stylo G – money, property, jewelry, cars, girls, weed, alcohol, its the story of the good life – dancing, partying, flossing.
‘Badman out and stunting, Coil dem thick like dumplin
Gyal wid big batty jumping, Action ready fi di tumping’

After seeing the song’s massive appeal and great crossover potential, Stylo G re-released ‘Dumpling’ in remixed fashion, this time featuring a full length video and co-starring dancehall superstars Spice & Sean Paul. The entire concept was genius. Stylo G looked great in the ‘Dumpling’ video, how he moved, how he was outfitted, how he acted, it all clicked for him in the video currently sporting over 13 million views on YouTube.
Down’ single was Jamaica’s hottest remix of the year featuring superstars Nicki Minaj and Vybz Kartel. Little believed he could do better, but his next song, ‘Dumpling’ would also blow up the charts after its summer 2019 release, and is our #5 song on our ReggaeMania.com Awards ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019′ dancehall chart.
‘Dumpling’ threw away any uses of traditional reggae riddims and offered instead, sequenced trap-styled hypnotic drum beats highlighted by a repeating Asian or East-Indian melodic loop. The song is focused on all the things that money can buy when you’re ‘bad’ like Stylo G – money, property, jewelry, cars, girls, weed, alcohol, its the story of the good life – dancing, partying, flossing.
‘Badman out and stunting, Coil dem thick like dumplin
Gyal wid big batty jumping, Action ready fi di tumping’

After seeing the song’s massive appeal and great crossover potential, Stylo G re-released ‘Dumpling’ in remixed fashion, this time featuring a full length video and co-starring dancehall superstars Spice & Sean Paul. The entire concept was genius. Stylo G looked great in the ‘Dumpling’ video, how he moved, how he was outfitted, how he acted, it all clicked for him in the video currently sporting over 13 million views on YouTube.
Needless to say, our 2019 international dancehall scene needed Stylo G and his lite-humoured songs to spice up the dancehalls, remove some of its tension, and ultimately make people laugh, relax and have fun. We say this respectfully, knowing that he is not a one-dimensional artist. Who knows what will come next from Stylo, but we wait with anticipation.
Congratulations to Stylo G, having the honour of being one of only three select artists with more than one song on our ReggaeMania.com Top 10, and also ranking in our ‘Top Upcoming International Artist’category as well as in the ‘Top International Male’ category.! The ReggaeMania.com Song #5 spot on our ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019′ dancehall-reggae chart’ goes to Stylo G for ‘Dumpling’ (Remix) featuring Sean Paul and Spice!

6. Hillside – Chronic Law

‘Rather deh pon a hillside, Weh nobody no deh fi turn to, Rather deh pon a hillside, Than deh ’round people weh will hurt you’ Chronic Law’sHillside’ takes the song #6 spot on our ReggaeMania.com Top 10 Songs of 2019 

Dancehall Chart. On YouTube, it currently sports 5.5 Million views. This St. Thomas artist, Ackeme ‘Chronic Law’Campbell, can be congratulated for releasing one of the most refreshing songs of last year, refreshing because when you hear it, it’s immediately likeable and captures one’s attention, making you want to hear more from this sing-jay.

‘Hillside’, one of Chronic Law’s best composed conscious efforts of last year, is about one’s temporary escape, both mentally and physically, from the harshness and pressures of garrison living. It is a reference to an unpopulated safety zone of sorts, where protection comes from one’s isolation and  camouflage offered by escape to the Jamaican hillside, far from society, and safe from its predators and Babylonian laws.

‘Rather deh pon a hillside, Hillside with no friends, nigga
Rather run from wild hog than friend killer, Rather sleep inna tree weh picherrie put dem nest inna’

Production wise – ‘Hillside’ is the simplest of compositions, appearing to be they type of song that can be produced, voiced and packaged for reggae radio stations world wide, top dee-jays and sound crews, as well as to leading streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, all within a few hours.
‘Hillside’ is styled with a very basic underlying drum pattern, a repetitive two-chord guitar loop, and then Chronic Law’s sweet, charismatic ‘weeping’ vocals where the tone alone is a symbol of the pain and struggle coming with the experience of ghetto living.
Popular Jamaican artists the likes of Sizzla, Anthony B, Bushman, Luciano and Capleton are examples of artists already famous for at times, mysteriously disappearing for extended periods, and journeying to these same ‘hills’ to meditate and find salvation, total isolation, protection. Usually, its often a religious and spiritually uplifting journey to achieve a re-charging of one’s batteries, to free up oneself, to escape from technology, electronics, wi-fi, the media, the daily hustle and bustle. There is just something special about what the ‘hills’ have to offer – most of us will never know what happens there, and the experience and journey is more than likely unique for every artist.
Chronic Law, born December December 17 1993, is not only a current leading member of Mo Bay’s talented ‘6ix‘ crew, he’s also their most talented lyricist. Since 2018, he and the ‘6ix’, with leader Squash, has been in part responsible for creating the new trap-dancehall sound taking over Jamaica, where traditional reggae riddims have been removed and replaced with modest trap-styled beats, and the practice is for artists to ‘rush’ out new songs with a speed and consistency, nearly matching the pace set by record holder Vybz Kartel.
Chronic Law, signed to East Syde Records in Palm Beach, is a one-man music factory. His philosophy resembles a jackpot approach, the more coins you put in the slot, the greater your chance of winning;  just like in the re-modeled dancehall-reggae music biz we see now, where, as before-mentioned, artists sacrifice music quality in order to get their songs out to the people the fastest.
Chronic Law himself, may be an example this new way of thinking, his vault is full, new songs are released by him at rapid pace, and he’s rumoured to be in possession of over 100 songs since premiering in 2018. The good news for Chronic Law is that to date, his methods and approach as a new artist in the industry is working, and nobody is complaining about the quality of his music. On the contrary, people love the way this artist sounds, and can hardly wait for more good songs to be released from the vaults.
The ReggaeMania.com Award for Song #6 on our Top 10 Songs of 2019 Dancehall Chart goes to Chronic Law for ‘Hillside’. Congrats Chronic Law.

7. Blessed – Shenseea ft. Tyga)

‘Blessed’ is Shenseea’s second entry to our ReggaeMania.com Top 10 Songs of 2019 Dancehall-Reggae chart, and it’s her biggest song to date. This pop-dancehall track, also featuring American rap star Tyga, is a
popular ‘must-play’ favourite by today’s leading club dee-jays and dancehall selectors. ‘Blessed’comes with a repetitive hook  that is extremely addictive. The simplistic hip-pop production is creatively constructed and masterfully composed.
Lyrically, Shenseea’sBlessed’ is similar to Koffee’sToast‘. Both songs are about being blessed, thanking God for life, feeling good about yourself when you get up in the morning, being grateful for what you have, for what you have achieved, for surviving the hard times, an overall positive outlook on life.
‘Blessed’ would peak at Number 2 on Billboard’s reggae digital sales chart, and the music video has surpassed an amazing 35 million views on YouTube. Shenseea’s Instagram, featuring the many sides of Shenseea, feature posts with over 900,000 views, and over 10,000 comments…per post!
‘First thing in the mornin’ when I wake up
Thank God for life, Look in the mirror
Say, “Bitch I’m the best, best, best, best, best, best, best…’
 
‘Blessed’, throughout 2019, rose to become a huge motivational song in a relatively short period of time, so much so that it has now been crowned a ‘champion‘ ladies anthem in our dancehalls, but not without some help from featured artist Tyga, balancing up the sexes with his own incredible cameo appearance so that male listeners and fans can come to the table and join the ladies in their frenzy, a beautiful thing to see.
Says Tasha Rozez (Gunz N’ Rozez): ‘Shenseea…she’s hot, Blessed, it works, it’s a great transition song, a prime time-anytime tune. The beat mixes with almost anything, any genre, you can drop it in anywhere. It’s a club banger, great for audience response. I’m so bless, bless, bless, bless…’
‘Blessed’ has so much power, when Shenseea and Tyga perform it live, or when a selector plays it, the ladies (and some of the men), with lit cell phones raised high, take over the dancehall by vocally hi jacking the song Unified, they temporarily leave their men behind as it’s ‘ladies only’ who congregate to recite out loud, all of the song’s lyrics from start to finish.
Shenseea has become used to this, the ladies know and recite out loud, lyrics for the majority of her songs, including the popular #ShenYeng Anthem. Says Shenseea on her IG:
I like how powerful my music makes women feel. I like watching my Shengyengs enjoy themselves’.
Shenseea, only 23-years young and signed to Interscope Records, is not to be underestimated. She’s the real deal, and will remain prominent in the scene; time has proven that it’s the dancehall where she truly belongs. Perfect for Shenseea, because aside from a being a great artist, she’s a diva, a model, an actress, a brand.
Shenseea is also a social media guru, very comfortable with exhibiting her extraordinarily sexy body for marketing purposes, as the pictures on her Instagram and Facebook Pages prove. 
Says Tasha Rozes (Gunz N Rozez): ‘She’s at the age where that’s expected. When you’re young and you look good, you have to flaunt it, and keep it up for as long as it lasts. If you’re gonna talk about how you look good, you have to have the body to back it up.’
Big up Shenseea, truly representing with two songs on our ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019′ chart, 3rd place for ‘Top 2019 Upcoming Female’, and 3rd Place for ‘Top 2019 International Female’. Not bad for a ‘newcomer’ eh!
The #7 song on our ‘ReggaeMania.com Top 10 Songs of 2019 dancehall-reggae chart goes to ‘Blessed’. Congrats Shenseea and Tyga!

8. Wileside Government – Jahvillani

Mobay Man steady wid di matic, Any weh mi see di enemy, mi clap it’
♦ Song #8 goes to Jahvillani for ‘Wile Side Government’, sporting 3,607,000+ views on YouTube, and one of the hotter underground tracks
from 2019. This song is lyrically dark and sports a simple piano melody and drum pattern that allows Jahvillani’s vocals to be heard crystal clear. The relatively new St. Thomas Jamaican singjay’s hook is catchy, and Wile Side is irresistible after a few listens.
‘Outside and a bun a spliff, Glock 17 deh ya, wid di rubber grip
Yuh know Wileside never fear nobody, Anyweh wi go fi bwoy, wid a new sinting, Two duppy haffi go pon it
Murder di fucker dem, Run it out fast, den mi tun it up again
Di streets lock, yo a Wileside government’
Like many other songs that came before it, ‘Wile Side Government’ represents Jahvillani’s ‘turn’ to go through the gun-tune gate. Jahvillani, former member of the 6ix, singjays about his new Wile Side crew and how capable they are of defending their Mo Bay turf populated by gangsters who appear to have sophisticated and lethal weaponry, and who are not afraid to shoot people, not afraid to take life.
Wile Side Government’ looks inside the pompous, reckless and fearless mindset of today’s gun carrying youths who feel they are impenetrable until the day they feel a bullet themselves. Due to the dark nature of the lyrics, it’s mainly for the hardcore.
The ‘Wile Side Government’ video does an admirable job depicting the lavish lifestyle that today’s new young artists aim to lead, no matter what the costs, showing Jahvillani, suited up and looking dapper, in a number of scenarios, mostly in his ‘Wile Side’ neighborhood where all elements are exposed – bad boys with guns, beautiful women in scanty yet sexy attire, alcohol, cocaine and  marijuana, expensive cars and luxurious party spots.
Wile Side Government’ is catchy yes, and granted, people like it and defend it as a wicked reality tune. It’s only after investigating what the song is saying lyrically, that one starts to think twice about adding it to their personal playlists. Lyrically speaking, the song’s raw version, written first, serves little purpose to me, other than promoting and endorsing the violent gun culture existing in Jamaica which has now extended into North America and especially Toronto.
For now, a young Jahvilanni is writing lyrics he is ‘qualified’ to write. It’s rare that such new artists can produce lyrics so convincingly unless this said darkness is part of their every day reality living where they live. The audience for these tunes are limited, and because of their lyrical lack of depth, represent temporary life in the dancehalls. When gun tunes finally get get old and dated, they are usually buried, left behind and forgotten.
I guess I should say ‘thanks’ to Jahvillani for exposing one of Jamaica’s best kept secrets; after listening to ‘Wile Side Government’, I’m now a little more educated and alert and will watch my back when traveling there from the 6ix! Who had any idea that the Mo Bay area, naively seen here in Canada as a nice ‘danger-free’ tourist zone, is considered ‘bad’ by Jamaicans. Mind you it’s not all of Mo Bay that’s bad, the tourists in the hotels are secure with nothing to worry about.
Sad to say, but impressive for Jahvillani, is the fact that ‘Wile Side Government’ is lyrically accurate. In Mo Bay, the ‘garrisons’ are up in the hills, and going there without a ‘pass’, especially at night, is not recommended. One would never know, driving through Mo Bay, that up there behind the bushes, are populated and impoverished communities which sometimes turn into dangerous war zones.
‘Yuh fi know wi nuh love man bredda
Yuh nuh see a bare gun man deh ya?
Wileside man fall black rain
Pon a bright sunny day’
In fairness to Jahvillani – people need to give this artist a chance to evolve. Some of our finest dancehall-reggae artists have started off this way, gun tunes they say, are the easiest ones to write.  But then, as their world becomes more expansive, these same new artists will bring new positive experiences into their song writing.
Next fact – Jahvillani is not just relying on his own talent for success, just like the 6ix, he’s building an empire with other talented artists under him. All this artist has to do is keep doing what he’s doing – success will come for Jahvillani, it’s just a matter of time.
Our Song #06 on our ReggaeMania.com Awards ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019’ dancehall-reggae chart goes to Jahvillani for ‘Wile Side Government’.  Congrats Jahvillani – ‘bad’ artist!!

9. ShenYeng Anthem – Shenseea

Song #9 from our ReggaeMania.com Awards ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019‘ dancehall-reggae chart goes to Jamaica’s beautiful Shenseea for her still warm 2018 release of ‘ShenYeng Anthem’. The interesting and colourful
official video for this song sports over 6.4 million views, and the official Audio sports close to 7.5 million views on YouTube.
Lyrically, Shenseea flows with her usual well-timed rhythmic patter, perfectly synced with its pulsating underlying riddim. Thematically, the story is not new or unique, we’ve heard it before, it’s just told differently, this time delivered with catchy, sexually confident and punctual style told exclusively from a Shenseea female perspective.
ShenYeng Anthem’ has truly gone on to become an anthem, where the ladies in the dancehalls can often be heard shouting the lyrics of ‘ShenYeng’ louder than the audio system playing it. Ladies love this song because it’s comic relief and relationship reality, and they can relate to it; whether they’ve been the man-tief, or the victim of the latter, chances are if they live in accordance with a dancehall lifestyle, it’s something they can laugh about because they’ve either experienced it themselves or know somebody who has.
ShenYeng Anthem’ is also how our female dancehall artists can put on display their gangster sides, not by singjaying about or lyrically endorsing gun songs, but by coming out with a character or side that is cold and dispassionate, non apologetic about playing the role the ‘bad gyal’, one who is not afraid to shamelessly take another woman’s man, then keep him with a non-return policy.
Shenseea has no problem with these women back-chatting her, but the physical fights and confrontations usually coming as a result of these actions are absent in her world, where a woman trying to test is unlikely. Because Shenseea’s ‘got it like that’, beauty, charm, youth, intelligence, talent, money, the competition has to humble themselves, look the other way, and ultimately, cant test!
‘When cocky good, baby you haffi share it, But me no care once me a him favourite
Me good pussy shift cocky and tear it, Send him a your yard after so you repair it’
Shenseea’s international dancehall fan base will continue to grow as long as she continues to put out relatable songs like these for her mostly female fans. She has joined dancehall’s current elite league of female sexual-empowerment artists, with blatant, uncensored, relatable lyrics great for live performance, and music that allows women to understand, explore and be proud of their sexuality.
Whatever Shenseea is doing seems to be working, because ‘ShenYeng Anthem’ has truly become that, an anthem for females to sing out loud in the dance, word by word, with smiling faces accompanying because the song is crafty and lyrics catchy. 
The song is written ‘accurately’ because one of the passa-passa realities of our current and previous world dancehall culture, is that no relationship is safe or secure when you are a top-a-top living by a dancehall code. The lesson for ladies is – you gotta defend what you own, because it’s not a matter of ‘if’, instead, it’s a matter of ‘when’ somebody will try to ‘tek yuh man‘.
Our ReggaeMania.com Award for the #9 spot on our ‘Top Songs of 2019’ reggae-dancehall chart goes to ‘ShenYeng Anthem’.  And guess what massive, she is one of only three artists with more than one song in our Top 10! Congrats Shenseea!

10. Steppa – Buju Banton

Song #10 on our ReggaeMania.com Awards ‘Top 10 Songs of 2019’ dancehall-reggae chart belongs to Jamaica’s most beloved living legend, Mark Anthony Myrie AKA Buju Banton. ‘Steppa’ is a good comeback song 

and video for Buju, a good re-start for the restoration of his rightful place as ruler in our reggae-dancehalls.

‘Steppa’, officially released November 15th of 2019, sees Buju picking up from where he left off. It is a lyrical characterization and expose of the secret ‘steppa’ code versus the philosophically opposite and notorious ‘shotta’ lifestyle, as seen through the Buju Banton ‘window’. If there is a difference between the two, Buju seems to be saying that ‘steppas’ are entitled to a little more ‘respect’ and understanding due to their survivalist nature, versus the ‘shotta’, who are feared, heartless, murderous, and who kill for no reason.

‘Two degrees cold , Man A step when it hotta, Nuh make no mistake, Confuse steppa with shotta
Steppa step and survive, Shotta brain get splatta…Weh mi say steppa, Steppa a nuh petty thief, Steppa a nuh taker,
Man nah step fi the worst ,
Man ago step fi the betta…’

Even though ‘Steppa’ is well liked and made more for radio and video than to tear up dance floors, there are better things to come for Buju, who is just beginning his comeback trail. His latest single shaking the reggae foundations and rising up the charts is ‘Trust’, which sees Buju sounding incredible after changing up his dee-jay styles and patter to emulate and keep pace with today’s trending artists while appealing to the new generation of fans whom he may have lost while spending time away.

As dancehall fans will attest, there is nobody else like Buju, and since the 90’s, his voice, patter, and overall sound, continue to have a distinct, magical place in our dancehalls. About to enter his 4th decade as one of Jamaica’s most eccentric and prolific dancehall artists, Buju has has carved his own niche in the scene. No doubt, when a dee-jay/selector drops a classic Buju in a dance or sound clash, there is no other vibe like it. Buju, our crowned and so highly decorated ‘king’ of dancehall’, seems knighted, adored, forever young, forever relevant, forever dominant, a constant – linking quondam old school reggae sounds and styles with the new.

2019, of course, was a redemption year for Buju, recently back on the scene after his December 8th 2018 release from US prison for drug charges. In a 2011 trial in Tampa, federal prosecutors used audio and video recordings and testimony from a Drug Enforcement Administration ‘infarma’ to convince a jury that Buju was guilty of attempting to purchase 11 pounds of of cocaine valued at US $135,000 from this same ‘Babylonian’ informant.

There was no escape for Buju – despite frantic efforts from lawyers and ‘free Buju’ endorsements from hi-end celebrities, colleagues and fans, it was more or less an an open-shut case for US authorities, and eventually, Buju was convicted, and had to serve 8 years of a 10-year sentence after being found guilty for illegal possession of a firearm, dismissed later by a judge, and conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute.

Jamaicans and Buju fans alike were stunned, left scratching their heads in disbelief; how did Buju allow himself to get caught, why did he ‘fire’ the ‘Driver’? And why was Buju, one of our industry’s more financially secure artists, playing the drug game? It was both a shock and a bit of an embarrassment not just for Buju, but for a defiant culture where hustling is seen as survival, and a marginalized dancehall populous refuse to conform the rules and ideals of a flawed and unjust Babylonian system.

What we saw next was a case of ‘American justice’ vs ‘Jamaican justice’, two completely different monsters. One just has to look at the case of Jamaica’s Vybz Kartel and how, despite being imprisonment for the more serious crime of murder, mind you, in a Jamaica prison, continues to be free to release music on a weekly basis while behind bars, literally turning his jail into a recording studio.

In the case of Buju – no such privileges, no celebrity pass! Unlike how things worked in Jamaica, spending time in a US prison would represent a completely different experience. On TV, we saw glimpses of US authorities handling Buju the same as they would common criminals. In America, his Jamaican superstar status pulled little weight, and other than periodical updates from his legal team, fans would not hear a peep from Buju during his time of incarceration, no new music, no dub plates for clash sounds, no live press conferences, no behind-bars concert, and very little, if any, social media – nothing!

Fast forward to 2018 – on what Jamaican’s called a ‘glorious’ day, crowds gathered at the airport for Buju’s long awaited and triumphant return to Jamaica after almost eight years of US imprisonment; the story makes news around the world, and as he is being released, there are arguments from various Caribbean stakeholders as to where his first concert should be. Within a relatively short period after his release, fans see Buju back where he belongs, re-uniting with friends and family, in the studio recording new music, doing dub plates, and of course, planning, producing, and performing at his own sold out mega concerts inside Jamaica and the Caribbean.

For now, there would be no Visa for Buju to perform in Canada or the US, prompting many people, including celebrities from all over the world, to flock to Jamaica and join a congregation who could later say with bragging rights that they were there to see Buju live in concert performing for the first time after imprisonment. On the first night alone of his ‘Long Walk to Freedom‘ tour, reports had it that Jamaica’s National Stadium was full beyond capacity with over 40,000 people in paid attendance.

Hopefully, serving time has made Mark Myrie a better person, and that he has learned from his mistakes. Although there is no proof for this, experts suspect that if one puts personal ‘greed’ aside, it is Buju’s history of having written and performed some of dancehall’s most popular yet homophobic lyrics, and the offsetting damage done to the surging international LGBT movement as a result, that is the likely undercurrent for Buju being ‘set up’ and imprisoned.

Today, Buju is back – and it’s great to hear his voice once again reigning in our dancehalls. I am a firm believer that his sound and tone, just like with Vybz Kartel, is already ingrained into the fabric, tone, and overall DNA of Jamaica’s reggae music. One thing is for sure, the entire going-to-prison and coming back a ‘hero’ ordeal has certainly helped cement Buju Banton’s place as a true ‘king’ in Jamaican and international dancehall, past present and future.

Our ReggaeMania.com Award for song #10 on our ‘Top 10 10 Songs of 2019‘ chart goes to ‘Steppa’. Congrats Buju!

2019 SOCA TOP 20

  1. TOP 20 SOCA SONGS OF 2019

    1. DEAR PROMOTER – VOICE X KES
    2. KES – BOSS LADY (BAILA RIDDIM)
    3. SWAPPI – JUMBIE HEAD
    4. NAILAH BLACKMAN – MORE SOKAH
    5. KES – SOCA TAKE OVER
    6. MACHEL MONTANO – LOYALTY
    7. BUNJI GARLIN – THE STRUGGLE
    8. SKINNY FABULOUS – UP & UP (CAUTION RIDDIM)
    9. MACHEL MONTANO – PLAY HARDER (POP’S GUITAR RIDDIM)
    10. PATRICE ROBERTS – CARY ON (POP’S GUITAR RIDDIM)
    11. NADIA BATSON – FATT (CAUTION RIDDIM)
    12. LYRIKAL- RUKSHUN (DARKSEID RIDDIM)
    13. VIKING DING DONG – OUTSIDE (KNOCK ABOUT RIDDIM)
    14. SWAPPI – FEELING IT
    15. MOTTO – SHOTS (ONE FOR DE ROAD) (BAILA RIDDIM)
    16. SHAL MARSHALL – TWO KNEE (FENDER BENDER)
    17. POWER IN SOCA – TRINIDAD KILLA
    18. SKINNY BANTON – WRONG AGAIN
    19. JAMESY P – DOH GIVE AH !
    20. FARMER NAPPY – FETE WID MEH DAHLIN

    Top 20 Soca chart contributed by Gemstone International
    Email: Gemstoneint@gmail.com
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