Now that the cup has been passed around
Warning the next islander in town
I have seen many kings and they all lose their crown…
-Buju Banton, “No Respect”

Remember Mad Abju? Alley Cat? Zebra? Alozade? Bling Dawg? It wasn’t long ago that fans were calling these DJs the vanguard of Dancehall’s new generation, the group to break the Bounty-Beenie-Buju stranglehold on the charts. Easier said than done.

Don’t look now, but for all the supposed fickleness of Dancehall fans, Beenie Man is well into his second decade as a consistently consistent hitmaker. Buju B’s “Stamina Daddy” topped the charts almost fifteen(!) years ago. The lanky teenage rudebwoys who first crowed “peeeeople deeeead” with Bounty Killer are approaching their thirties now, and their little brothers are the new constituents of the Poor People Governor. Capleton’s time at the top is longer than his dreadlocks, dating back to “Almshouse” and “Lotion” in the early 90s. Even Spragga Benz first jacked it up in 1992, and Lady Saw is fast approaching the age where her highly charged sexuality borders on self-parody.

The pretenders to the throne have fallen by the wayside. In the last five years, the upper echelon of the Dancehall has remained remarkably unchanged, with only the incomparable Sizzla Kalongi establishing himself as a true superstar. Other important, interesting and entertaining artists have arisen since then, but the direction and the imagination of the Dancehall Massive is still firmly in the iron grip of the Bounty-Beenie-Buju collective.

2004 arrives with new talk of Dancehall’s next generation. There are whispers that Buju’s growl doesn’t command selector’s attention anymore, that Beenie’s hits just aren’t hitting like they used to, and that Bounty Killer’s switch from gun tune to gal tune is a tactical retreat from the hungry dogs yapping at his heels. Dancehall’s loyal subjects are wondering whether the old lions have what it takes to withstand another challenge from the young cubs who chaff at their second class status. Will the old guard gracefully cede the kingdom and drift into Dancehall lore with their predecessors? Or will they live to fight another day?

Reggaematic takes a look at the latest artists who have designs on the throne.