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| | For subscribers | August 19, 2025 | | 
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Ring the alarm for 13 killer dancehall cuts
13 songs, 46 min 45 sec
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| Sister Nancy Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival |
Dear listeners,
Great to be back with you again. I'm Dave Renard, an editor on the Times Culture desk. When I read a couple of weeks ago that Wayne Smith's 1985 smash "Under Me Sleng Teng" turned 40 this year, I had to go dig up some old and new dancehall favorites that feel perfect for late summer.
As Patricia Meschino's Times article lays out, "Sleng Teng" transformed Jamaican music almost overnight after its all-electronic backing track, or riddim — courtesy of Noel Davey, Prince Jammy and a Casio keyboard — proved wildly popular. The first few songs on this playlist come from before that digital revolution, when reggae D.J.s (who, somewhat confusingly for outsiders, perform a role more equivalent to M.C.s in hip-hop) sang and rhymed over instrumentals or dub versions of previous hits. The lines between older tunes and new creations get thrillingly blurred, as the genre's past is dragged back into its present, tweaked and transformed. Artists also use and reuse the most popular riddims, putting their own spin on them and minting new hits.
Here are 13 tracks that (very roughly) sketch out how dancehall has evolved over the last few decades. Some are well-known classics and others are more left-field personal picks.
I just love how the champion sound keeps playing,
Dave
1. U-Roy: "Runaway Girl"
When he died in 2021, U-Roy was hailed as one of the originators of the Jamaican "toasting" style of rhyming over a prerecorded track — and, by extension, as a pioneer of hip-hop. "I'm the first man who put D.J. rap on wax, you know," he told The Daily Yomiuri of Tokyo in 2006. On this 1975 song, he reinterprets Ken Boothe's "Just Another Girl," from 1969.
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
2. Sister Nancy: "Only Woman D.J. With Degree"
Sister Nancy's "Bam Bam," on the "Stalag" riddim (more on that later), has grown to become almost inescapable. So let's go with "Only Woman D.J. With Degree," her take on the soulful "My Conversation" by Slim Smith & the Uniques (1968), with its great little piano lick. A modern cover of "My Conversation" by Silas Short plays over the closing credits of the 2024 movie "A Real Pain."
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
3. Yellowman: "Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt"
A great example of the cross-pollination between dancehall and rap: One of the first times I became aware of this kind of music was through the Yellowman sample on Eazy-E's 1988 track "Nobody Move." (I didn't know the source until years later, but on "Remix for P Is Free," Boogie Down Productions also flipped the "Diseases" riddim that powered Yellowman's "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng." And no, I can't spell that word without copy-and-pasting it.)
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
4. Half Pint: "Greetings"
The melodic side of dancehall; this track can't help but put you in a good mood. I especially love the way Half Pint stretches out the title word over three long notes in the chorus. Different tracks of his have caught the attention of the Rolling Stones and Sublime over the years.
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
5. Tenor Saw: "Ring the Alarm"
The "Stalag" riddim, based on the 1973 Ansell Collins instrumental "Stalag 17," is one of the most popular in all of reggae and has been used on hundreds of records. "Bam Bam" is probably the best-known, but this 1985 hit for Tenor Saw might be a close second, standing out for its memorable intro ("Brrrrr-ring!") and catchy, singsong cadences.
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
6. Super Cat: "Trash and Ready"
You know we had to get a "Sleng Teng" version in here. "Trash and Ready" may not be as big of an earworm as Wayne Smith's original, but Super Cat rides the Casio bass line with unsubtle but effective bragging: "Everything we wear, it cost a bag of money." (Ghostface and Raekwon would appreciate that he's a fan of exclusive Clarks.)
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
7. Anthony Red Rose: "Tempo"
This track not only goes digital but name-checks the tech: "Sound sweeter, with an echo chamber." The reverb on Anthony Red Rose's voice on the chorus gives it a robotic feel, adding to the slightly menacing atmosphere as the tune creeps along.
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
8. Cutty Ranks: "Limb by Limb"
Tenor Saw might have announced that "another sound is dying," but Cutty Ranks describes how he's going to help his opponents get there quicker, using his skills as a former butcher. Lines like "Send for the hacksaw, take out their tongue" would almost be too disturbing if they weren't delivered with the bounce of a kids' nursery rhyme, while a digitally pitched-up hype man jumps in: "Kill dem!" (Or does that all make it more disturbing?) In the pantheon of dancehall battle boasts, "Limb by Limb" is up there.
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
9. Terror Fabulous featuring Nadine Sutherland: "Action"
A great his-and-hers pop-dancehall duet, with Terror Fabulous providing the saltiness and Nadine Sutherland bringing the sweet. This one even broke through in the United States, hitting No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1994.
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
10. Tanya Stephens: "Big Ninja Bike"
"You never backfire / you never puncture no tire": Tanya Stephens crushes the "Nice Little Baby" riddim and updates all those blues metaphors about horseback riding, bringing them into the motorbike era. Get that little Honda 50 out of here.
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
11. Mr. Vegas: "Nike Air"
It feels counterintuitive compared to how other genres operate, but when there's a big hit on a dancehall riddim, instead of taking that beat out of circulation it seems to make other hits on it more likely. In 1997, the pumping "Playground" riddim backed a huge song for Beenie Man ("Who Am I") and put both Sean Paul ("Infiltrate") and Mr. Vegas on the road to stardom. On "Nike Air" (if I'm interpreting the slang correctly), Vegas offers some life advice: Trading sex for the latest sneakers? Your self-respect is worth more than that, ladies!
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
12. Ward 21: "Petrol"
The late 1990s and early 2000s saw the emergence of the Ward 21 crew (named for the mental health section of a Kingston hospital), who caught attention with offbeat riddims like "Volume" as well as their own hits. "Petrol" comes from "U Know How We Roll," a 2003 album that, with its wide range and relentless creativity, sounds like a precursor to today's open-eared collectives like Equiknoxx and Duppy Gun.
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
13. Turbulence: "Notorious (Original 7" Mix)"
The 2006 compilation "Serious Times" on XL Recordings mainly highlighted a new wave of roots-reggae talent like Richie Spice and Gyptian. As its lead track, "Notorious" straddled roots and dancehall in interesting ways, mixing sung melodies with gruff toasting and Rasta positivity with gangster swagger: "I could have been one of the most notorious / I got saved by the king and his grace is so glorious." Equally tough are the propulsive bass line and sharp claps of the "Scallawah" riddim.
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
The Amplifier Playlist
"13 Killer Dancehall Cuts" track list
Track 1: U-Roy, "Runaway Girl"
Track 2: Sister Nancy, "Only Woman D.J. With Degree"
Track 3: Yellowman, "Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt"
Track 4: Half Pint, "Greetings"
Track 5: Tenor Saw, "Ring the Alarm"
Track 6: Super Cat, "Trash and Ready"
Track 7: Anthony Red Rose, "Tempo"
Track 8: Cutty Ranks, "Limb by Limb"
Track 9: Terror Fabulous featuring Nadine Sutherland, "Action"
Track 10: Tanya Stephens, "Big Ninja Bike"
Track 11: Mr. Vegas, "Nike Air"
Track 12: Ward 21, "Petrol"
Track 13: Turbulence, "Notorious (Original 7" Mix)"
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Have feedback? Ideas for a playlist? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at theamplifier@nytimes.com.
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