A look at Dancehall huge influence on Afrobeats

Although barely a teenager when Sean Paul made the smash hit, Cynthia Morgan would switch the "Gal" to "Boy" a decade later in a moment that captures Dancehall Music's strong influence in the Nigerian soundscape.

After nearly 3 years of Amapiano's dominance of the Afrobeats soundscape, the sound has delivered memorable moments, however, the South African imported log drum seems to have been stretched to its creative limits.

With listeners craving a new sound that can deliver the street commanding and era-defining qualities of Amapiano, this writer opines that the answer lies not in another adventurous search for a new import but in Dancehall, the Caribbean sound that has for decades contributed to Afrobeats evolution.

This is why Dancehall can chart the next course for Afrobeats' continuous ascension.

1. It's a big part of Afrobeats

The influence of Reggae pre-dated the birth of Afrobeats and with the entrance of Afrobeats came the influence of Dancehall that would combine with Raggae to deliver what would become Afrobeats' earliest Street music.

From the Konto maestro Marvelous Benji to the street-dominating duo Danfo Drivers, the smooth sermonic records of Ragga star African China, and the blusterous music of Steroeoman, Dancehall shaped Street music with several Nigerian stars offering different variants of Carribean sound.

While Hip Hop takes the credit as the most influential genre in Afrobeats, Dancehall is just as commanding.

Jamaican Dancehall stars like Sean Paul, Busy Signal, Beenie Man, and Buju Banton combined with Reggae stars of the 2000s like Shaggy and Chaka Demus to greatly Afrobeats music. And decades later, this influence endures.

Across the different eras of Afrobeats, Dancehall has played a primary role in propelling the next set of superstars while simultaneously displaying its enduring influences.

In the late 2000s, all the way to the 2010s, Dancehall stars Timaya, and General Pype enjoyed defining moments. And even Terry G's Street dominating era was primarily shaped by Ragga music.

Burna Boy, Cynthia Morgan, Patoranking, and Yung L are artists who all enjoyed success in the 2010s through their deployment of Dancehall. And even as Afrobeats entered its urban Pop era through the Afrobeats to the World movement that gained significant traction in 2015, Dancehall continued to be a major part of the mainstream with an artist like Adekunle Gold largely deploying it in his artistic switch.

Today, Ruger is the poster boy for Dancehall in Afrobeats through his Ragga style that's reminiscent of the music of Marvelous Benji and Danfo Drivers.

Ruger's talent and uniqueness have earned him the ears of millions of listeners and a place at the top of the mainstream.

2. The sonics align with the core elements of Afrobeats

Even with the current dominance of Amapiano, Nigerian artists still circle back to Dancehall when in search of something different.

Dancehall like Afrobeats is driven largely by percussion with drums taking the central role. Dancehall is to Reggae what Afrobeat is to Afrobeats and Highlife hence they share a similarity of purpose which is evidenced in the way the music is arranged to appeal to younger generations.

The use of loose rhyme schemes, catchy melody, and Street focus writing is what drives Afrobeats just as it drives Dancehall. This is the reason why Dancehall could easily be repurposed to meet Nigerian peculiarities through the Ragga and an infusion of Afrobeats elements to create relativity.

Even in the face of Afrobeats' commercial appeal and creative peak, the two genres can be fused to achieve new exciting results.

3. Dancehall Pre-dates Afrobeats in the international scene

Although Dancehall has run its course in the international scene and has been consequently dislodged by the rise of Afrobeats, the Carribean import still retains heavy influence and familiarity that far surpasses Afrobeats' reach.

In the face of the Afrobeats to the World movement, Amapiano has played a major role in Nigerian taking its variant of the South African creation to new frontiers albeit to the dissatisfaction of some of its creators.

If the Afrobeats soundscape is to move away from Amapiano, Dancehall provides international familiarity and even markets for it to continue its global rise.

In the final analysis, this writer, like other Nigerians, appreciates the reality that Afrobeats is notorious for its borrowing. This fact might beg the question - Why is Afrobeats not attempting to craft its sound?

Well, the very birth of Afrobeats was inspired by the merging of percussion with Hip Hop. From inception, the other half of Afrobeats was an import (which in turn was also exported from Africa). And as Nigerian mainstream music continues to evolve, it would continue to take other elements to complement its locally derived half.

The beauty of it all is that the percussion and the Nigerian spice that's Afrobeats can never be overshadowed irrespective of the genre it's paired with.