Dancehall owes its moniker to the spaces in which popular Jamaican recordings were aired by local sound systems and readily consumed by its “set-to-party” patronage; commonly referred to as “dance halls”.  Social and political changes in late-1970s Jamaica were reflected in the shift away from the more internationally-oriented roots reggae towards a style geared more towards local consumption, and in tune with the music that Jamaicans had experienced for some time when sound systems performed live.

Michael Manley’s socialist PNP government had been replaced with Edward Seaga’s right wing JLP. Themes of social injustice, repatriation, and Rastafari were overtaken by lyrics about dancing, violence, and explicit sexuality. Musically, older rhythms from the late 1960s were recycled, with Sugar Minott credited as the originator of this trend when he voiced new lyrics over old Studio One rhythms between sessions at the studio, where he was working as a session musician. Around the same time, producer Don Mais was reworking old rhyhtms at Channel One Studios, using the Roots Radics band. The Roots Radics would go on to work with Henry “Junjo” Lawes on some of the key early dancehall recordings, including those that established Barrington Levy, Frankie Paul, and Junior Reid as major reggae stars. Other singers to emerge in the early dancehall era as major stars included Don Carlos, Al Campbell, and Triston Palmer, while more established names such as Gregory Isaacs and Bunny Wailer successfully adapted.

Sound systems soon capitalized on the new sound, with the likes of Killimanjaro, Black Scorpio, Gemini Disco, Virgo Hi-Fi, Volcano Hi-Power, and Aces International also introducing a new wave of deejays. The older toasters were overtaken by new stars such as Captain Sinbad, Ranking Joe, Clint Eastwood, Lone Ranger, Josey Wales, Charlie Chaplin, General Echo, and Yellowman, a change reflected by the 1981 Junjo Lawes produced album A Whole New Generation of DJs, although many went back to U-Roy for inspiration.

Deejay records became, for the first time, more important than records featuring singers, with deejay’s often voicing over new rhythms before singers. A further reflection of the live experience was the trend towards “sound clash” albums, featuring rival deejays and/or sound systems going head to head in competition for the appreciation of a live audience, with underground sound clash cassettes often documenting the violence that would come with such rivalries.

Two of the biggest deejay stars of the early dancehall era, Yellowman and Eek-a-Mouse, chose humour rather than violence, with both becoming huge stars, and Yellowman the first Jamaican deejay ever to be signed to a major American label, and for a time enjoying a level of popularity in Jamaica to rival Bob Marley’s peak.

Listening to Yellowman sing is like watching Michael Jordan play basketball. He knows he’s got it, you know he’s got it, and it’s a trip just experiencing him perform.

Yellowman’s sexually explicit lyrics in popular songs such as “Them a Mad Over Me” boasted of his sexual prowess, like those of other reggae singers/deejays, earned Yellowman criticism in   the mid1980s.  Today King Yellowman continues to influence many of the dancehall artists in Jamaica today such as Bounty Killa, Mavado and Beenie man, who claims “King of the Dancehall” status.  Yellowman was a true pioneer in the culture of dancehall music in Jamaica.  His accomplishments will always be remembered.

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Talawah Staff