10 Iconic Female Reggae Singers of All Time. Lady saw songs

They Don’t Play a Lady-O on Country Radio

You’ve got nothing else to do today but ride around and blast some songs. After a few hours you hit a stretch that includes Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Michael Ray, Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett, Easton Corbin, Chris Stapleton, Sam Hunt, George Strait, Jordan Davis, Luke Bryan, Cody Johnson, and Jon Pardi.

Noticing a pattern here? All men. In fact, here are all the songs by men played directly after other songs by men — men’s back-to-backs — since you started listening. We’re highlighting the second song in a same-gender pair, because it’s the final “back” in a back-to-back that makes it count.

It’ll be 9 hours and 16 minutes before you hear a rarity on country radio: back-to-back songs by women with Priscilla Block’s “Just About Over You” played right after the Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde’s collaboration “Never Wanted To Be That Girl.”

If you listened to this station non-stop from midnight to 11:59pm today, you’d likely only hear 3 back-to-back songs by women. compared to 245 from men.

Songs by women are already severely underplayed, making up only 11% of total plays in 2022. Even at this low rate of play, it’s more likely that we would see around 7–17 back-to-back songs by women for this same day, like in these 10 “coin flip” simulations. In reality, we see 3.

And it’s not just limited to this one “bad” day, which happens to be January 7, 2022.

We looked at 19 dates throughout 2022 for this same radio station and found that out of 6,474 songs, only 64 (0.99%) were back-to-back songs by women plays. For back-to-back songs by men. it was 4,231 (65.53%). Back-to-back mixed-gender ensembles and collaborations account for 36 (0.56%) songs.

To pick the dates, we started with the last Friday of each month, and then added 7 more dates for all the 2022 song releases by women that charted in the same year, thinking back-to-back plays for songs by women might jump. They didn’t. For this station on average, 4 back-to-back women’s songs are played on release days compared to 3 songs on “regular” Fridays.

When you recode mixed-gender collaborations and mixed-gender ensembles as songs by women artists, as some radio stations do, you get 200 (3.1%) women’s back-to-back plays. roughly 10 per day for this station. But, you create a world where, in order to get plays, women have to be tied to men.

So what might explain radio’s avoidance of women’s songs, let alone back-to-backs? Let’s start with TomatoGate.

Back in May 2015, a radio consultant said in an interview about programming that women in country music are not the lettuce in the salad, but the tomatoes — they should be “sprinkled” on the playlist and not played back-to-back. This was the first public admission of a statistical formula guiding radio practices around gender.

This wasn’t new information for those working in radio — the rule about avoiding playing women back-to-back was written into a widely read radio programming manual:

It’s important to orient the announcers about the general preferences I have about music flow, the formatting rules I want them to follow. [. ] For example, I don’t want more than two ballads in a row. I want to avoid having more than two female singers in a row.”

Even beyond this manual, this practice of not programming songs by women back-to-back goes back to at least the 1960s. When TomatoGate erupted in the industry, one former program director said, “. since the 1960s, program directors have been telling people not to play two women back-to-back. It has nothing to do with sexism. It has to do with the fact that through the years, you have had very few hits by women, so you want to spread them out a little bit because there are fewer of them.” For program directors, he said, “it was a matter of balance.”

But you’d think that, over time, as more and more women pursued careers in country music, with more songs being released by women, program directors would eliminate this rule because they had more songs to play. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to have been the case.

Research on representation of women in the industry has shown that songs by women have always been underrepresented on industry charts, which suggests that they also were receiving limited AirPlay at radio. One study shows us that songs by women increased gradually over four decades of the long-running Billboard Hot Country Songs chart from 6.5% in 1958 to a peak of 33.1% in 1999 — a period that many reflect on as one in which songs by women across all genres were charting in greater numbers.

But for country music, this was an historic peak. Following a “banner year” in which songs by women made up 33.1% of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart — that was at the time based solely on radio AirPlay — the percentage of charting songs by women gradually declined in years that followed, reaching a low of 11.4% in 2015 (the year the infamous tomato statement was made) and has averaged 15% over the last 7 years. Billboard now incorporates more metrics than just radio AirPlay into the Hot Country chart, but the numbers from the early 2000s are on par with what we see in Mediabase AirPlay data, which is what we used to calculate the back-to-back rates of play in this piece.

Representation on AirPlay charts, 1996-2022

Note: The 1999-2001 numbers reflect representation on the Billboard’s Hot Country Chart, which at the time was tabulating popularity based on radio AirPlay. These statistics are drawn from Jada Watson’s article on the long-running Billboard chart. Numbers from 2002–2022 track representation on the Country AirPlay chart generated by Mediabase-monitored stations. The statistics are drawn from Jada Watson’s studies on AirPlay charts, including the April 2019 first report on gender representation on country radio prepared in consultation with Woman of Music Action Network and her most recent study Redlining in Country Music 2.0.

What happened to cause such a downward turn in the early 2000s that is still being felt in the industry to this day? Changes in federal legislation, for starters.

In 1996 the Telecommunications Act went through its first major overhaul in just over 60 years. Amendments to the law loosened ownership regulations: not only could a single company now own more stations, but it also was allowed to purchase multiple stations in a single market (depending on its size).

With fewer companies owning more and more stations through the late 1990s and early 2000s, programming became increasingly centralized: fewer individual station playlists led to fewer spots for new songs, which led to fewer opportunities for artists already marginalized within the industry.

Songs by women were on the chopping block

One consultant, Mr. TomatoGate himself, removed half of the songs by women from his scheduling catalog and reported a ratings increase. He then replicated this experiment across other stations and reported the same. Interestingly, he never tested what would happen when reducing the number of songs by men, stating that such a metric would not work in country music.

The result of these experiments was a decades-long consultancy practice built around the idea that programming songs by women at 13-15% of radio playlists was good for business. But this quota has had long-term consequences for the industry, and the declining presence of songs by women at country radio has resulted in fewer opportunities for women to build their careers.

It’s become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The lack of radio AirPlay for songs by women deters labels from investing in women artists and publishers from encouraging their writers to pen songs for them. It means that fewer songs by women chart, limiting their potential reach in being discovered by audiences, because they are receiving fewer opportunities to perform at festivals, on tour, or on award shows. Heck — radio AirPlay and chart positions also determine which artists get to walk the red carpet at industry events.

And since both the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music use chart positions to determine eligibility for many of their awards, fewer songs by women are eligible for consideration.

And this entire discussion really only centers around the careers of white women in the industry, because Black, Indigenous and women of color are still to this day excluded from participation within the country music industry. Just 6 solo Black women and 1 group of Black women have charted since 1958, and in 2022 songs by Black women received just 0.03% of radio AirPlay — with spins almost entirely in the evenings and overnights.

Last Indigenous woman to receive AirPlay or chart

Last solo Mexican-American woman to receive AirPlay or chart

Asian women have not received any support from radio in country music history

The same dire statistics are true for LGBTQIA artists, who received 0.13% of the AirPlay in 2022.

The absolute lack of AirPlay for songs by women of color and LGBTQIA artists has resulted in significant limitations to opportunities within the industry. What’s worse, the absence of AirPlay is then used in discussions about the commercial viability of these artists to justify and maintain industry practices that limit their potential.

So how bad is bad for back-to-back?

Knowing this existing gender bias and racial inequity in country radio, we set out to find out just how bad is bad, especially for back-to-back spins, an audible confirmation of country radio’s tokenism — the idea that you’ve played one woman so you don’t need to play any more. But, of course, it’s fine when 20 different men sing about trucks and beer.

We looked at 29 country radio stations across the US — both large markets and large country markets. The station data we saw earlier was from San Antonio’s KCYY-FM. As bad as those numbers seemed, it’s actually one of the better stations for playing songs by women back-to-back at 0.99%.

Percentage of back-to-back women plays by station

For some of the stations, you could go a full day or more without hearing a song by women played back-to-back. It’s not just 24 hours without alto twang, vocal cry breaks, pitch-perfect harmonies, soaring vocals, and the instrumental virtuosity of women artists, it’s that you’re also missing empowering, personal testimonials of love, loss, friendship, intergenerational relationships, trauma. These stories — often centered around the experiences of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community — get erased when they’re not played on radio. It alienates a huge portion of people who want to see and hear themselves in country music. Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile expands:

I’m trying to picture in my head a 10-year-old girl right now in rural America, who is only allowed to listen to that country radio station her parents [play]. And only every hour to hour-and-a-half can she hear a song that’s not about blue jeans and boobs, and beer and trucks and back roads. What does that say to her about life? That’s not a small problem.”

In addition to the loss of stories, the underrepresentation of women, artists of color and LGBTQ artists and the lack of back-to-back rotation of their songs contributes to a culture in which their voices are unfamiliar to audiences. Repetition is a core element to a genre’s evolving sound and culture, shaping audience familiarity with artists and their voices. So, the more songs by men are played, the more familiar listeners become with their voices.

But the reverse is true, too. The less that songs by women, artists of color and LGBTQ artists are played – in daytime hours and in close succession to each other – the less familiar they are to audiences. Spreading their songs out within a 24-hour cycle contributes significantly and damagingly to a culture of inequity in country music. Not only do radio listeners assume based on this programming that only a few (white) women participate in making country music, but they also develop harmful beliefs about who “belongs” in the industry. This is a culture that privileges white men – old and new – at the expense of all other artists.

Radio AirPlay, which builds exposure for artists and creates pathways to industry popularity charts, is also linked to opportunity and access to resources within the industry, including touring, festivals, merchandising, eligibility for awards, and more. At the same time, radio AirPlay influences how labels sign, produce and promote artists, creating a feedback loop within the industry ecosystem that also impacts songwriters and publishers, studio and touring musicians, and production teams responsible for mixing/recording new music. The path for white women in the industry is faint, but as Andrea Williams explains explains: the path for women of color is non-existent.

When women are played back-to-back it often comes with caveats

Data from the 29 stations shows that women artists are often played during the evening (7pm–midnight) and overnight (midnight–6am) hours when listenership is down. On average, 65.1% percent of songs by women played back-to-back come during these hours — very “if songs by women artists are played back-to-back and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” energy.

Iconic Female Reggae Singers of All Time

Search up a list of the best reggae musicians of all time, and you’ll often find rankings dominated by male artists. Whether you’re new to reggae or a longtime fan of the genre, you may only be able to name a handful of female reggae singers.

Maybe it’s because the poster child of reggae music—Bob Marley, that is—is a man. Or maybe it’s because there are fewer women standing front and center in the scene.

No matter the reason, one thing is certain: if you’re not listening to female-fronted reggae, you’re missing out. To that end, we’ve listed ten iconic female reggae singers (in no particular order) to introduce you to a whole world in the genre and helped shape other subgenres of reggae.

#1 Judy Mowatt

Between her solo works and her time playing with Bob Marley, Judy Mowatt has earned her place as a member of reggae royalty. Born in Jamaica—where she is now an Officer of the Order of Distinction for her services to music—Mowatt’s first taste of stardom was as a member of Bob Marley’s backup singers (better known as The I-Threes).

Mowatt’s later career as a solo artist led to success after success, including Working Wonders in 1985, which earned a Grammy nomination for best reggae album. 1 This list may not be in order, but Judy Mowatt should feel right at home as number one. She has certainly earned her place as one of the top international female artists.

Must-Hear Tracks

If you have forty-two and a half minutes to spare, Judy Mowatt’s seminal album Black Woman is worth a listen in its entirety. For a quick sample of her music, dive headfirst into songs like:

#2 Tanya Stephens

Taking cues from the early reggae artists of the 60s and 70s, Tanya Stephens is an icon of Jamaican music. Releasing nine. hit reggae, dancehall, and pop albums over 20 years, Stephens was one of the biggest names in the game throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

To this day, Tanya Stephens continues to perform.

Her most recent album (2013’s Guilty ) may not have charted like some of her previous records, but her contribution to the genre is undeniable. Between her crystal-clear voice and her potent lyricism, Stephens is more than deserving of a spot on this list.

Must-Hear Tracks

To hear a sample of the best reggae from the late 90s and early 2000s, throw on some of Tanya Stephens’ top songs:

#3 Marcia Griffiths

With a career spanning 50 years, this female singer is a reggae pioneer in her own right. Griffiths was a superstar solo singer, holding her own on songs with influential reggae artists like:

Even when she wasn’t center stage, Griffiths was a force to be reckoned with. She performed as a member of The I-Threes for almost a decade, singing backup for Bob Marley and his Band on their worldwide tours. Known for her smooth-as-silk vocals, her lasting presence as a reggae singer is well-earned.

Must-Hear Tracks

For a taste of Marcia Griffiths’ smooth voice, take these tunes for a spin:

#4 Lady Saw

Born Marion Hall, Lady Saw became known for her fiery, in-your-face style. Starting in the late 1980s, she quickly gained traction on Jamaican radio—and later all around the world—with a string of singles and albums.

Casual fans of the genre may recognize Lady Saw from her collaboration with No Doubt, titled “Underneath It All.” The song earned her a Grammy, gold certification from the RIAA and more recognition than ever. 2

Now a gospel singer retired from reggae, her more explicit days might be behind her. Still, Lady Saw’s contributions to the dancehall genre won’t soon be forgotten.

Must-Hear Tracks

For an overview of Lady Saw’s decade-spanning career, start with the following songs:

#5 Rita Marley

No list of female reggae singers in the history of reggae would be complete without Bob Marley’s other half. This reggae artist is the third and final member of The I-Threes to make our list. Outside of the vocal trio, she also recorded as a solo artist with decent success.

As one of the three voices of The I-Threes, Marley’s powerful voice is on some of the most recognizable reggae tunes of all time. Listen closely to “Three Little Birds,” “Buffalo Soldier,” or “Redemption Song,” and you’ll hear her shine through.

Must-Hear Tracks

While her husband’s name may be attached to some of the most well-known songs in reggae, Rita Marley isn’t without hits of her own. Spin The Lioness Of Reggae to hear them back-to-back, or start with standout tracks like:

#6 Sister Nancy

One of the most iconic female dancehall performers of all time, Sister Nancy (born Ophlin Russell) is a star in every sense of the term. As one of the first solo women to break out into the dancehall scene, she paved the way for aspiring female reggae artists everywhere.

With only two classic albums under her belt (and a third from 2001), this female artist ‘s contribution to the genre was more about quality than quantity. Sit down in any reggae bar for long enough, and you’re bound to hear the opening bars of one of her songs.

Must-Hear Tracks

Even before Kanye West sampled “Bam Bam” on his 2015 track “Famous,” Sister Nancy’s music was known the world over. Her album One, Two is chock-full of dancehall must-hears, including:

#7 Phyllis Dillon

Easily one of the best female reggae singers, Phyllis Dillon showcases a level of vocal control that would make trained opera singers swoon. Starting in the 1960s, she recorded dozens of now-classic rocksteady and reggae songs. On each of them, her high, clear voice is instantly recognizable.

After her passing in 2004, she was honored by the Jamaican government with an Order of Distinction for her musical contributions. Her legacy continues to live on on-air; several of her songs are reggae radio staples.

“Lovers Rock” Various Female Artists

Must-Hear Tracks

Between original songs and reimaginings of classics, Phyllis Dillon’s discography is full of treasures. If you’re looking to dip your toes in, try starting with:

#8 Queen Ifrica

Born Ventrice Morgan, Queen Ifrica is a reggae singer, DJ, and philanthropist whose two 21st century albums have landed in the reggae scene with a splash.

Like many reggae artists, Queen Ifrica has penned songs with messages of social justice and peace. But unlike her peers, she tends to sing in a deeper voice. While many famous female reggae singers croon in the upper octave, Queen Ifrica’s lower register gives her songs a smooth, sultry quality.

Must-Hear Tracks

Queen Ifrica’s debut album Montego Bay is an ode to her hometown, full of unforgettable songs like:

#9 Lila Iké

This list may be full of legends from times gone by, but reggae music is alive and well today. For a modern taste of reggae and dancehall, look no further than Lila Iké. Her updated take on Jamaican music is representative of the new wave of reggae-inspired beats.

After signing a record deal in 2017, she’s since toured the world and amassed a sizable following. Her debut album—2020’s The ExPerience —received critical acclaim upon release. If you want to see where the future of reggae is headed, it’s a worthwhile listen.

Must-Hear Tracks

Iké’s career is still in its early stages, but some of her instant classics include:

#10 Etana

Performing under the stage name Etana, Jamaican singer Shauna Mackenzie is a vocal powerhouse and another fantastic example of modern reggae. Long before her debut album in 2008, she was a known singer in the reggae scene, performing as a vocalist for other acts.

Eventually, after striking out on her own, she found success with early singles and an initial album. titled The Strong One. Her blend of diverse musical influences seems to have caught the ears of many, and she continues to find success today. Almost 15 years later, Etana is still making inspiring reggae music, with her most recent album coming out in 2021.

Must-Hear Tracks

To hear Etana at her best, give her chart-topping 2018 album Reggae Forever a listen, or play much-loved hits like:

Revamp Your Reggae Record Collection

There’s something about the laid-back sound of reggae and dancehall that lends itself to the vinyl format. So pick up a new reggae record or two from the Victrola record store. dim the lights, and let the (female-fronted) music take you away.

To keep learning about reggae, we encourage you to read about the origins of the genre and the different types of reggae music. Hopefully. this list of reggae icons gave you enough listening material for an entire week.

“Lodge”

A true bashment anthem is recognizable less by its hook than by the chorus of whistles and wall-pounding it earns from an engaged audience. One of dancehall’s central paradoxes, in fact, is that the bigger a tune is, the less you actually get to hear it. By that upside-down measure, Bounty Killer’s “Lodge” may be the all-time biggest tune you’ve never heard.

It’s rare for the 45 to play past the treble-heavy opening clarion call of Jammy’s “Sleng Teng” riddim and Killer’s blood-curdling bawl of “Peeeeople dead….DEAD-UH!” before the needle is smacked off the vinyl and the venue descends into pure pandemonium. If a second pass lets you hear the first actual lyrics, consider yourself lucky. By the time the infamous bassline comes in, chopped up under Bounty’s lyrical assault, it’s time to smack the needle again because, by now, wall-pounding will most likely have escalated to chair-flinging and table-flipping. The rest of the song comprises bar after bar of the kind of gun talk that’s cemented Bounty’s place as “the Warlord” of the dancehall. but you’ll never hear it. –Edwin “STATS” Houghton

“Summer Time”

If you were in Kingston in the summer of 2011, you could not get away from the “Summer Time” wave, which began in Jamaica and continued onward to conquer all dancehall capitals, from New York to Nairobi. The appeal was obvious—this was Vybz Kartel, the undisputed star of dancehall, at the height of his fame, leaving his “bad man” songs and working his witty lyricisms and cheeky wordplay into a laid-back, feel-good ode to everyone’s favorite season.

The phenomenon of the Jamaican dancehall summer song was still relatively new on the island in 2011, where realistically summer is 365 days long. With a knowing chuckle and self-deprecating references to his skin bleaching, name-checking uptown haunts instead of the usual inner-city neighborhoods, and cheering on the go-to summer activities (“ De hot gyal dem a bring it on/In a bikini dem in a pretty thong/Pool party!”), he charmed his way onto every floor and playlist. Kartel has been incarcerated on murder charges in Kingston since 2012 but “Summer Time” remains omnipresent in Jamaican dancehall clubs, no matter the season. –Carleene Samuels

“Anything for You (All-Star Cast Remix)

“Anything for You” is all-star, to say the least. The Canadian-born Snow matches the soulful harmonies of Nadine Sutherland with Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Terror Fabulous, Louie Culture, and Culture Knox—a huge collaboration that still hasn’t been eclipsed. While Sutherland lays down the gauntlet, all the DJs profess their undying love and joust to come out on top. While playboy Beenie Man might think he gets the girl here, Buju Banton rides the riddim (produced by Tony CD Kelly) with a natural connection. The lyrics are like a timeless love letter from a badbwoy to his sweetheart: as Banton lays down, “If a Beenie, Fabulous, or if ah Snow/Affection inna Mi heart, just ah bubble, ah fi show/Can’t hold it back, haffi let it flow.” The Hype Williams-directed video helped push its charms worldwide. –Treasure Aaron

“Sycamore Tree”

Lady Saw, the widely acknowledged Queen of Dancehall, has a voice that can sound like it’s being pushed directly from the depths of her chest one minute, then shifts immediately into wicked, playful chat. Both approaches are on show in this song, in which a woman tells her man that she will not bow down to his desires. Perched on Dave Kelly’s “Joyride” riddim, Lady Saw’s lyrics are a parable of consent.

“Sycamore Tree” underlines oral sex taboos, but it also demonstrates that Lady Saw is fully aware of her sexuality: “Mi a gal wi gi yuh all di wickedest ride,” she brags, while at the same time proclaiming “a nuh everything Mi like.” Ideally paired with Tanya Stephens’ “ You Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet ” on the very same riddim, “Sycamore Tree” is classic Saw: raw and sexual, but firmly and potently woman-focused. –Erin MacLeod

“Zungguzungguguzungguzeng”

Before Beenie Man declared himself King of Dancehall, there was the reigning King Yellow, whose dominance of the DJ ranks is still arguable. His songs range from romantic to slack to all the more slack—though this track, with the unforgettable nonsense lyric “zungguzungguguzungguzeng,” does a little something different. Seemingly a stream-of-consciousness that references paper and pen, goats in a pen, and a claim regarding his number of girlfriends—110, to be specific—Winston “Yellowman” Foster extols his listeners to “Catch it!” Thing is, it’s darned hard to catch this tune as it travels—it’s made its way from Jamaica to the US to the UK and back again through samples of both rhythm and melody.

Wayne Marshall, a Berklee College of Music professor, has tracked the many instances where this riddim (known as the “Mad Mad” or “Diseases” riddim, the latter after Michigan Smiley’s cautionary tune of the same name) appears. He’s tallied over 50 so far; Queen Latifah and 2Pac experimented with the sounds of “zungguzeng,” as have Vybz Kartel and Buju Banton. All the while, Yellowman has kept performing his original, exemplifying the roots and routes of Jamaica’s musical tradition. –Erin MacLeod

“Rich Girl”

Reggae duo Louchie Lou Michie One were the original Salt-n-Pepa of dancehall; to date, there hasn’t been another female duo to deliver an anthem like “Rich Girl.” The London duo formed after meeting in 1991 at the Rebel MC festival, and went on to record a few other UK chart-toppers before their golden egg.

“Rich Girl” is legendary in its wide appeal; it speaks to young girls from the village of Numbali, from the inner-city of St. Louis. The lyrics say it all: “And if me rich, tings would run neatly/And if me rich, coulda live out Mi life properly?” In 2004, the song got a mainstream rebirth from Gwen Stefani, who covered it with Eve, on her debut solo album. But even against all that pop power, Louchie Lou Michie One’s version still takes the win. –Treasure Aaron

“Budy Bye”

“Budy Bye” is easily one of dancehall’s most recognizable anthems to non-fans. This is mostly due to its irresistible call-and-response chorus—“Let me hear you say whooooaaaa yeaaaah!”—which was interpolated by Arrested Development on their MTV hit “ Everyday People ,” as well as countless other party breaks and remixes (including an official one from Kenny Dope of Masters at Work). This can hardly be characterized as an injustice, though, since Osbourne, alongside the likes of Barrington Levy and Sugar Minnott, more or less defined what it means to be a dancehall singer. “Budy Bye” is not only a perennial crowd-mover, it’s also perfect gateway dub to one of the great artist catalogs in reggae. –Edwin “STATS” Houghton

“Get Busy”

The ultimate ambassador of dancehall culture outside of Jamaica, Sean Paul was something of an unprecedented phenomenon on the island: an affluent, uptown kid who could hold his own with western Kingston’s tuffest deejays. His initial success relied heavily on the fact that the dancehall masses at large first heard his voice—shadowing Beenie Man’s hit “Who Am I,” on Jeremy Harding’s 1997 “Playground” riddim—before they knew his pedigree.

By the time Lenky’s “Diwali” riddim—a genre-changing combination of pulsing dancehall synths and an intricate, Bollywood-inspired clap pattern—hit in 2002, the situation had reversed. The initial run of the riddim comprised a crowded field of dancehall heavyweights (including Bounty Killer, Wayne Wonder, and Elephant Man) putting down their best work before Sean Paul came and blew everybody out the gate. He not only made “Get Busy” a No. 1 hit, he made it one of the biggest singles of the decade. –Edwin “STATS” Houghton

“Twice My Age” [ft. Krystal]

Shabba Ranks, the original dancehall superstar, came correct with this gyal tune in 1988, his gruff voice and African-influenced scat pairing perfectly with Krystal’s vintage girl-group vocals. Her appearance fortifies Ranks, who happily outlines the benefits to be had in getting with a man double her years. We don’t know how this flirtation ends, but it’s clear that Krystal knows what she wants and gets it, from the way she sings, “ You had better watch your food, old man/Will dip into your plate.” It’s her warning to the young guys: They better get on their job. And Gussie Clarke’s production on the riddim is a high-water mark in Jamaican production values. To this day, you can play this song in almost any room in the world, and everyone will sing it loud. –Walshy Fire

“You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)”

Flashback to 2010, when the honorable Beyoncé sang her rendition of “No, No, No” on her “I Am…” World Tour. The Jamaican flag beamed behind her on the megatrons as she teased concert attendees with a few dutty wines. This is just part of the legacy of Dawn Penn’s “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No).”

Though Penn’s monotonous drawl tells of a story of unrequited love—“No, no, no/You don’t love me and I know now”—her voice is complemented by a rather cheerful melody, and pairs well with the brass that comes in later in the track. With placements on 11 different international charts, this record is one of dancehall’s best because of how adaptable it was across genres. We still see this reflected in samples by a variety of artists (including Rihanna, Ghostface Killah, and Lily Allen). However, though other artists have articulated “No, No, No” in their own way, the original can’t be beat. –Sharine Taylor

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Reggae Dancehall #33: Popcaan, Lady Saw, Beenie Man

After simmering quietly for some time now, the tension between Bounty Killer and Mavado seems to be boiling over. Back in the early 2000s, Bounty gave the young artist a powerful co-sign by making him a part of the Alliance and Mavado repped the crew hard during the Gully / Gaza conflict with another former Killer protégé, Vybz Kartel. But in recent years, Mavado has distanced himself from dancehall’s Five Star General, and this year the pair have been releasing diss tracks back and forth (Mavado’s ‘No Friend’ takes a more subliminal approach while Bounty’s ‘Death Work’ and ‘Kill And Destroy’ get straight to the point).

Amongst all this there is now one voice of reason calling for peace. “Mavado is my friend and I heard things in the street that there is a little vibe going on,” says DJ Khaled, who signed the singer to his We The Best clique. “Mavado will tell you I am always going to promote love and promote peace and I am always going to promote positivity, because that is what a real friend is going to do.” Khaled has even suggested making a track with Mavado and Killer – and nothing helps squash a beef like making a hit song.

One Love Books, the London-based company that published Clarks In Jamaica in 2012, is back with another richly illustrated reggae-centric volume entitled Sound System Culture. Written by Paul Huxtable of Axis Sound System, the book celebrates the sound systems of Huddersfield and tells the story of Jamaican immigrants who brought dancehall traditions to Great Britain, creating a home away from home for themselves and transforming England’s music scene in the process. A must read.

Hot 97 is New York’s number one hip-hop radio station, and their annual Summer Jam concert has become a legendary platform for the biggest rap and RB stars. Over the years the concert has included dancehall artists like Sean Paul, Elephant Man and Cham to please NYC’s massive Caribbean population. This year, Bunji Garlin became the first soca artist to play Summer Jam, on the strength of his worldwide hit ‘Differentology’ (aka ‘We Ready For The Road’). But he almost missed the gig entirely because his flight from Antigua was four hours late. Fortunately, Bunji broke all speed records getting to New Jersey’s Met Life stadium and performed an abbreviated set for 75,000 screaming fans.

TRACKS

The drum bass duo Notis teamed up with conscious dancehall artist Iba Mahr to create a song called ‘Diamond Sox’ that celebrates vintage dancehall fashion like mesh marinas (tank tops), Wallabee Clarks and diamond-pattern socks. The long-form video for the song, which was directed by Jay Will and stars members of No-Maddz as well as a cameo by reggae legend Max Romeo, is like a love letter to a bygone era. Guess this is a case of “Old time something come back again”…

If you don’t know the name then it’s time to get to know the artist behind ‘Put Up Uno Hand’. Latty J is her name and please don’t try and “tame” her. “Muma Saw give me the belt and say fi beat them with it,” says the cheeky new artist who is fast making her presence felt on the scene. Starting on the scene as Mr.Vegas’s backing singer she is now a full-fledged artist signed with his MV Music Group. Looks like #Teamhustle gonna do big fings.

Speaking of Lady Saw, if you can imagine in your wildest dreams what her song ‘Pretty Little Fingers’ is about, then you’ve got it nailed. Saw always keeps it real but this one is X-tra raw. The graphically detailed track speaks about telling your lover where to go if he can’t handle the work. Unlike ‘Mr Short Cummings’ – an outright diss to a guy who can’t keep up with her – in ‘PLF’ Muma Saw finds a solution to her problem. She’s not afraid to tell him where to go and she can handle the job herself: “Me finger nimble them know how fi mek me tremble.”

Saw breaks down her relationship with her vagina…

ALBUMS

It’s been a minute since Maxi Priest has made an album: seven years to be exact, since his last full-length release. This month he ends the drought with ‘Easy To Love’ on the VP label. With two listening parties to preview the disc – one in London, and another a few days later in NYC – the man who gave us ‘Close To You’, ‘Wild World’ and the Shabba Ranks duet ‘Housecall’ seems to be preparing to take the scene by storm all over again with his swaying dreadlocks and rich, soothing voice. ‘Easy To Love’ and ‘Loving You Is Easy’ are the first two songs on the album – so it’s safe to say you can play this one on repeat during date night.

But don’t sleep on Maxi’s deejaying skills. He’s a sound man from the early days – spitting lyrics on Saxon Sound System alongside the likes of Tippa Irie and Smiley Culture. And of course he was responsible for getting Papa Levi in the studio to produce ‘Mi God Mi King’. Anybody who’s into Stephen Marley’s recent EDM-flavoured track ‘Rock Stone’, will have heard Ragga Marley deejaying full lyrics to this classic tune.

90s Old School Female Dancehall ShowDown (Lady Saw,Tanya Stephens,Sasha,Lady G, Crissy D

Popcaan has just released his debut album ‘WWCF’ – ‘Where We Come From’ – on Mixpak Records, with production from a blend of Jamaican and international producers. There has been a bit of controversy around the dancehall star since his former mentor Vybz Kartel was incarcerated on murder charges. But as he explained, “it’s always been about music” for him.

The artist who collabed with Kartel on the 2009 smash ‘Clarks’ might not have changed up his shoe game, but he sure is showing his versatility on this release. The album displays a different side to the Raving King with uplifting songs like ‘Hold On’ and ‘Everything Nice’. A collab with Pusha T and a remix with former rival Mavado show growth and promise that this album will become another milestone for a ghetto yute doing his thing.

Check out the Unruly Boss talking about the new album and where he thinks dancehall is right now:

GIGS

As the resident DJ at The Roxy during the 1970s and ’80s, Don Letts was responsible for mashing up reggae and punk rock sounds for a diverse audience unified by its rebel sensibility. He’s gone on to become a documentary filmmaker and was a member of the Band Big Audio Dynamite. This month Letts will be playing at Paradise by Way of Kensal Green on June 20 th.

Over the past four years, Groovin’ In The Park has emerged as New York City’s premiere reggae festival with an upscale, family friendly vibe and an eclectic range of music reminiscent of the Jamaica Jazz Fest. This year is shaping up to be the best staging of GITP yet.

The headliner is Jamaica’s number one soul man Beres Hammond, the Grammy nominee with a catalogue of love songs and reality tunes unmatched by any reggae singer working today. Representing for the youth is Chronixx, the fastest rising star in Jamaica who will bring his Zinc Fence Redemption rhythm section to deliver a set of roots rock reggae with a dancehall. Also performing are Marcia Griffiths of ‘Electric Slide’ fame and Judy Mowatt, both of who sang harmonies for Bob Marley as the I Threes along with Bob’s wife Rita and have become living legends in their own right.

Vintage stars like John Holt and Bob Andy will also be on hand, backed by the renowned 809 Band. And don’t forget the wildcard of the line-up, ’80s/’90s pop duo Air Supply. Jamaica loves some straight-up pop music and many of Air Supply’s tunes have been covered by dancehall artists. For more info and tickets, head here.

RIDDIMS

Great riddims in rotation this month include Jukeboxx Productions ’ ‘Greatest Creation’ with voicings from Tarrus Riley on the title cut, Shabba Ranks ’s ‘Big Time’, Lady Saw ’s ‘Selfie’, and ‘Don Daddy’ by Konshens. who just shot a video for the Super Cat tribute in Flatbush, Brooklyn co-starring dancehall icon the Outlaw Josey Wales. The place was filled with professional dancers showing off their moves while both Konshens and Josie popped bottles in the VIP section of club Nova.

Ricky Blaze, the man responsible for producing Gyptian’s smash hit ‘Hold Yuh’, has another catchy juggling on his hands with the ‘Uptown Julie’ riddm. This one has voicings by Gyppy plus Kes of the Trinidadian soca/rock crew Kes The Band, Zoelah and Ricky himself. With so many spins on reggae at the moment, Ricky names his sound ‘Trancehall’. Get ready to be entranced.

AND TO WRAP UP…

When your gig is named Best Of The Best, that’s a lot to live up to and if you don’t deliver the goods the whole thing can feel like a gimmick, or just a disappointment.

In past years this was the festival where the biggest dancehall reggae and hip-hop acts shared the stage in Miami’s Bayfront Park. It all sounds good on paper but in reality the mix didn’t always work out so well. This year the promoters decided that they didn’t any more rap acts, with one of them, New York radio personality Jabba, declaring that reggae and rap were like “oil and water” – they just don’t mix. So this year’s show was 100% Caribbean, with a blend of reggae and soca. Acts like Bunji Garlin and Destra appeared alongside Beenie Man and a crowd wearing lots of ‘Free Buju’ T-shirts as far as the eye could see.

Three of the most incredibly talented singers ever to come out of Jamrock were placed adjacent to each other in the line-up. Cocoa Tea followed by Barrington Levy and Beres Hammond – oh gosh! Not many people have witnessed this kind of experience in all their lives. Cocoa gave the crowd something sweet in the Miami heat, as they sang along to tunes like ‘Love Me’, ‘Good Life’ and ‘Rikers Island’. Next up was Barrington, who belted out classics like ‘Here I Come’ (aka ‘Broader Than Broadway’), ‘Living Dangerously’ and ‘Under Me Sensi’ as the sun set over the palm trees.

The early evening set in just as Beres hit the stage. “Hush, hush…” It was time for Jamaica’s number one soul man. Greeting the audience as family, Beres proceeded to reel off classics like ‘I Feel Good’, ‘Groovy Little Thing’ and ‘Tempted To Touch’. By this time the crowd was in a frenzy as the trio’s performance had the park captivated for the duration of each set. Talk about some tough acts to follow!

After the three giants vacated the stage it would have been nerve-racking for just about any other artist to step up next. It was time for rising star Chronixx to do his thing. From his first tune, ‘Here Comes Trouble’, a sizable portion of the crowd showed their restlessness at the sudden halt of reggae classics. Some may have thought it was a miscalculation to ask an up-and-comer to perform in that spot, but Chronixx managed to keep some of the crowd focused before passing the torch to the dancehall acts.

Assassin aka Agent Sasco broke onto the stage and deejayed his arse off. Miami is used to that rap swag, and Sasco had everyone eating out of the palm of his hands as he laced them with fresh lyrics. The countdown to the end of a big park show is always a challenge for both the promoters – desperate not to go over their agreed closing time – and for the punters who want to get ahead of the exit line and traffic jam.

But when the ‘Girls Dem Sugar’ steps on stage you’d better stay put and watch because it’s gonna be worth it. If the girls stay glued, the guys have no choice but to do likewise, and so it goes. “They do this to me all the while,” said Beenie Man, who had maybe 10 minutes to strut his stuff. He launched into mad medley of ‘SIM Simma’ followed by ‘Romie’ and ‘Slam’ – on and done! Beenie may have preferred to stay longer but he gave the people exactly what they came for. Just enough that every single car on the Miami highway seemed to be full of fans singing ‘Dude’ all the way home.

They Don’t Play a Lady-O on Country Radio

If you listened to this station non-stop from midnight to 11:59pm today, you’d likely only hear 3 back-to-back songs by women. compared to 245 from men.

And it’s not just limited to this one “bad” day, which happens to be January 7, 2022.

So what might explain radio’s avoidance of women’s songs, let alone back-to-backs? Let’s start with TomatoGate.

This wasn’t new information for those working in radio — the rule about avoiding playing women back-to-back was written into a widely read radio programming manual:

Representation on AirPlay charts, 1996-2022

Note: The 1999-2001 numbers reflect representation on the Billboard’s Hot Country Chart, which at the time was tabulating popularity based on radio AirPlay. These statistics are drawn from Jada Watson’s article on the long-running Billboard chart. Numbers from 2002–2022 track representation on the Country AirPlay chart generated by Mediabase-monitored stations. The statistics are drawn from Jada Watson’s studies on AirPlay charts, including the April 2019 first report on gender representation on country radio prepared in consultation with Woman of Music Action Network and her most recent study Redlining in Country Music 2.0.

What happened to cause such a downward turn in the early 2000s that is still being felt in the industry to this day? Changes in federal legislation, for starters.

Songs by women were on the chopping block

And since both the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music use chart positions to determine eligibility for many of their awards, fewer songs by women are eligible for consideration.

Last Indigenous woman to receive AirPlay or chart

Last solo Mexican-American woman to receive AirPlay or chart

Asian women have not received any support from radio in country music history

The same dire statistics are true for LGBTQIA artists, who received 0.13% of the AirPlay in 2022.

So how bad is bad for back-to-back?

Percentage of back-to-back women plays by station

When women are played back-to-back it often comes with caveats

Sources:

https://pudding.cool/2023/05/country-radio/
https://victrola.com/blogs/articles/10-iconic-female-reggae-singers-of-all-time
https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/10022-the-50-best-dancehall-songs-of-all-time/?page=4
https://www.clashmusic.com/features/reggae-dancehall-33-popcaan-lady-saw-beenie-man/
https://pudding.cool/2023/05/country-radio/

Electric Saws female, iconic, reggae, singers, time