Reggae/Dancehall Fresh Picks of the Month: Peetah Morgan, Mortimer, Spice, Skillibeng & More

With carnival season coming to a close, it’s time to let go of the summer and ease into the cooler half of the year. Lucky for us, the world of Caribbean music closed out summer with a bang. During the annual West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn, NY, on Labor Day (Sept. 2), the Queen of Dancehall, Spice, joined forces with BK rap star Lola Brooke for a special parkway performance of “Cry,” from the Jamaican superstar’s new Mirror 25 album.

The week prior, Brooklyn once again played host to the Caribbean Music Awards, which featured hours of celebrations of the past year in Caribbean music and culture. Fresh off his stellar Stateside comeback performances earlier this year, Buju Banton took home album of the year (reggae) for Born for Greatness, which featured collaborations with Victoria Monét, Stephen Marley and Snoop Dogg. Masicka’s Generation of Kings — which reached No. 2 on Reggae Albums last December — was crowned album of the year (dancehall), while fellow Jamaicans Shenseea (artist of the year female – dancehall), Lila Iké (artist of the year female – reggae), Valiant (artist of the year male – dancehall) and Dexta Daps (performer of the year – dancehall).

Two 2023 Billboard-charting hits — Teejay‘s “Drift” and Byron Messia & Burna Boy‘s “Talibans” — earned trophies as well. Teejay’s joint took home video of the year (dancehall) while Byron took home a pair of honors: collaboration of the year (dancehall) and song of the year (dancehall). Other notable victors included Shaggy & Kes (collaboration of the year – reggae) and Romeo Santos (artist of the year – Latin Caribbean). On the honorary side, Marcia Griffiths received a Lifetime Achievement Award, Cedella Marley received a Legacy Award and Spice was honored as Artist of the Decade.

Naturally, Billboard’s monthly Reggae/Dancehall Fresh Picks column will not cover every last track, but our Spotify playlist — which is linked below — will expand on the 10 highlighted songs. So, without any further ado:

Freshest Find: Mortimer feat. Kabaka Pyramid & Lila Iké, “Bruises”

For the latest single from his forthcoming From Within LP (due Sept. 20), Mortimer, one of contemporary reggae’s guiding lights, recruits Kabaka Pyramid and Lila Iké for a solemn, reflective track that deals with the bleak state of the human condition and the global Black struggle. Keeping the tradition of speaking truth to power while injecting a distinctly modern, almost hip-hop-inflected groove to its reggae foundation, “Bruises” is a winning collaboration. Between Kabaka’s sizzling verse and Lila’s tender timbre, “Bruises” is a wholly dynamic listen that balances the hurt and hope that ground the trio’s powerful lyrics.

Chronic Law, “Dark Up Di Place”

Chronic Law is on a seemingly endless hot streak, and his run continues with “Dark Up Di Place.” Operating in the trap dancehall lane, the St. Thomas star adds another solid gun chune to his arsenal with this ominous banger. “How you fi shoot up a yard weh nobody nuh live, come on” he taunts in a tone that’s equal parts apathetic and snarky, underscoring how comfortably he rests in his own proclamations of dominance and power. The chugging riddim feels as dark as the song’s title suggests, but it’s Chronic’s menacing delivery that really brings the whole song together.

Capleton, “Jah Guide My Step”

For the deluxe version of the Brimstone Riddim album, reggae legend Capleton made a characteristically moving appearance with “Jah Guide My Step.” “Jah, guide my step/ Jah, guide and protect” he opens the song, immediately matching the triumphant energy of those opening horns by grounding his vision for his future in the hands of the Almighty. Some of the best reggae songs blend their blistering political commentary with reverence for the endless possibilities of a future buoyed by steadfast faith and holy guidance, and that’s exactly what Capleton achieves on this poignant new track.

Skillibeng feat. Tokischa, “Boom”

Ahead of his stint as a support act on Nicki Minaj‘s historic Pink Friday 2 World Tour, Skillibeng angled himself towards a reggaeton crossover moment with his new Tokischa-assisted track, “Boom.” Built around a sample of the iconic “Bam Bam” riddim, the Yeti-produced track finds Skillibeng doubling down on his trademark X-rated lyrics. “It nuh matter, baby gyal, yuh hot, look how yuh proper/ Waan fi plow yuh like a farmer, wi fi f–k inna da car yah,” he spits to close out his verse, with Dominican rapper and singer Tokischa effortlessly matching his energy with the lines, “He call my p—y, say, ‘Miss fatty-fatty’/ P—y so tight, gon’ make him a murder.” From bilingual verses to an iconic sample, “Boom” is tailor-made for some kind of crossover success — even if this is the second time Skillibeng has put out a song with that name!

Spice, “You Are Worthy”

To kick off her career-commemorating Mirror 25 album, Spice brought herself to the church doors with this gospel-steeped opener. “When I look at what You carry me through/ Who could it be? No other one but You/ I stand on your word in Psalms 92/ And Psalms 35, the words in Mark 2,” she sings in the song’s emotional second verse. In a conversation with Billboard, Spice explained that she opened her album with a gospel song to give God praise for helping her through a near-fatal health scare. “I’m supposed to be here because God saved my life for a reason,” she said. “I escaped death. I don’t take that lightly.” With the way her voice soars with gratitude over the evocative amalgam of organs, piano, drums, and guitar, it’s clear that Spice meant every word of that explanation.

The Wailers, “Sins”

It’s been a major year for the Marleys, but The Wailers have something to say too. On Aug. 30, the Grammy-nominated band launched their Evolution album featuring the excellent closer, “Sins.” Across an earthy mixture of guitars, bass, and horns, the Aston Barrett Jr. warns people to not use the Bible to justify themselves and to not “be a hypocrite,” two proclamations that inadvertently (maybe intentionally!) set them in opposition to the way quite a few artists across genres, including reggae and dancehall, use the Bible to justify positions that can be extremely harmful and downright heinous. It’s a ballsy closer, one that pushes the album further into conversations at the intersection of religion, music, and politics — a true testament to the enduring legacy of both Bob Marley and reggae music at large.

Peetah Morgan & Zion I Kings, “Who Run the World”

Earlier this year (Feb. 25), Peter “Peetah” Morgan — the lead singer of Morgan Heritage — passed away, but his moving voice is still as powerful as ever on “Who Run the World,” his take on Zion I Kings’ “Full Bloom” riddim. “Who run di world and who call di shots/ Yuh think a you just because you hold a glock,” he sings before shouting out Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, and Thomas Sankara among other “African fathers who fight for our liberation.” In a way, the song is a smart answer to those who think being armed automatically equates to having and securing power. It’s also a timely reminder of the interconnected struggles of the global Black diaspora — especially in light of the frenzy Buju Banton’s take on Afrobeats caused a few weeks ago.

DJ Cheem, “She Getting On (Never)”

Bajan-American soca artist DJ Cheem delivers a sunny end-of-summer jam with “She Getting On.” By all accounts, it’s a standard soca track that praises a lady’s posterior and recounts wicked wins over a jaunty combination of groovy drum patterns. What takes “She Getting On” to another level is the chorus melody. It’s relatively straightforward, but when Cheem’s voice soars on “know” just as the whistles and horns come in, your waist will probably start moving on its own accord — and that’s exactly how you know that you have a real soca hit on your hands.

Tina (Hoodcelebrityy), “Lover Man”

Fresh off her Tina vs. Hoodcelebrityy project from earlier this year, Tina is back with a new single that pulls from two dancehall classes. “Lover Man,” a song that flips the script on dancehall’s male-dominant explorations of romance, takes notes from Dave Kelly’s 1994 “Pepperseed” riddim, as well as the hook from Nadine Sutherland & Terror Fabulous’ classic, “Action.” With her voice floating between different registers and lyrics that champion a woman’s right to be selective with who she crowns her “lover man,” Tina’s new single is a sweet synthesis of all of her sonic influences and both of her personas.

Chip & DJ Frass, “Gyalis Pree”

For his take on DJ Frass’ “Party Bus” riddim, Tottenham emcee Chip steps into his dancehall bag with a sexy combination of his British rap foundation and his Caribbean roots. He effortlessly switches between spitting debaucherous bars (“Weed and tequila/ Standard procedure”) and employing a melodic, AutoTune-assisted cadence that allows his voice to try on different textures to play up the subtle percussiveness and vibrant synths of Frass’ riddim. Of course, that callback to 50 Cent’s “In da Club” (“Find me in the club…”) is the icing on top.

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