Reggae music makes for an excellent wedding entertainment choice, and has witnessed a revival since 2010 thanks to artists whose Rastafari-influenced lyrics and laidback riddims bring back memories of reggae’s golden age of the 1970s.
Dub is a musical collage, composed by taking elements of other arrangements and reconfiguring them into new combinations, often for both soothing and thrilling effect. Dub can range from soothingly meditative to thrillingly psychedelic experiences.
1. Sean Paul
Since 2000, Sean Paul has reigned supreme in dancehall culture and fused his homegrown talent with hip hop and pop to reach mainstream audiences. His debut album Stage One garnered some notice while Dutty Rock catapulted him into global stardom with chart-topping hits “Get Busy” and “She Doesn’t Mind”, plus collaborations with Rihanna, Enrique Iglesias and Sia further solidifying his status as an innovative reggae artist.
Tomahawk Technique experienced some popularity decline; however, Imperial Blaze rose to the number 8 spot on Billboard Reggae Albums chart and won Best Contemporary Reggae Music Grammy award. Singles such as “Got 2 Luv U” and “Strength of a Woman” showed that he still had what it took to succeed on a big scale level.
Recent projects of Sean Paul’s have seen him collaborate with Dua Lipa, Skrillex and Spice. No Lie with Dua has proven enormously popular on YouTube this year alone with over 318 Million combined views (across multiple videos) alone on that platform alone! This pounding Applause Riddim and Sean Paul’s rapid patois flow combined to produce an infectious club hit that peaked at number one in Switzerland before receiving Gold certification in Germany and Italy; when released his next track “Rockabye” with Clean Bandit & Anne-Marie is sure to create waves when released later on this year!
2. Chronic Law
Akeeme Campbell, better known by his stage name Chronic Law is a Jamaican dancehall artist who has released several hard-hitting singles since 2018. A member of Montego Bay-based 6ix collective, Chronic Law’s powerful lyrics shine through in “Empty”, which addresses the pain and desperation associated with living in an unstable society where losing loved ones or possessions is ever present.
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3. Tarrus Riley
Tarrus Riley, son of reggae icon Jimmy Riley, spent his formative years soaking in Jamaica’s rich music history. Now hailing from Bronx New York and becoming one of the world’s top reggae festivals he is an irresistibly charming reggae performer with an infectious croon. Best known for lovers rock slow jams he is one of its biggest draws.
Riley made an impactful debut album with 2004’s Challenges, winning him both Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year awards from Excellence in Music & Entertainment Awards. Additionally, his single She’s Royal was recognized with Song of the Year honors. Three albums followed on Cannon Production / VP Records distribution including his third opus Contagious featuring hits Start Anew featuring Konshens as well as Superman by Robin Thicke (covered on that release).
Riley was the fourth most streamed Jamaican artist on YouTube worldwide in 2022, garnering 318 million views that included official music videos, lyric video versions and “bass boosted” versions of songs by users.
Vybz Kartel finished fifth this year on the global reggae music chart with 678 million views, ranking behind only the United States and Brazil with 84.8 million. He also was popular across Britain, France, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana; this was his most-viewed artist across Africa & Caribbean regions this year.
4. Raging Fyah
Raging Fyah, a five-piece reggae band from Kingston, Jamaica that specializes in traditional reggae music. Their sound is defined by the dialectical lyrics of lead singer Kumar Bent who frequently addresses topics like personal identity and social progress while looking forward to moving their home country forward. Musically, this ensemble blends classical tones appropriate for tropical church services with elements of dub and expansive vocal harmonies to produce their sound.
At #3 this year is dancehall queen Spice, who also ranks among YouTube’s 10 most-viewed reggae/dancehall artists for 2022. Her songs such as So Mi Like It, Tables Turn and Back Way have amassed more than 12 million views each.
DancehallMag conducted an analysis on YouTube’s Music Charts and Insights to determine which reggae artists were globally popular as well as within Jamaica in 2022, as well as their top performing songs on the platform. Shaggy was most viewed globally; people in the US most frequently listened to his music, followed by Mexico, Colombia and Brazil (in that order), Turkey Canada France being amongst those featured.
5. Caleb Hart
Caleb Hart has always been a performer since his youth on Tobago Island in the Caribbean, using music as an outlet to spread positivity through performance art. From Tasman Jude band members to solo performers – his musical stylings called “island soul” leave audiences feeling hopeful and united.
Hart and his band from Vancouver have taken Western Canada by storm with their high-energy shows as part of CBC’s Musical Nooners. Boasting a tight yet immaculate sounding band and his flexible voice that seamlessly transitions from roots reggae to dancehall grimy in an instant, Hart’s group has gained tremendous momentum over recent months.
Vybz Kartel amassed an astonishing 678 million views on YouTube this year, with Jamaica accounting for only three million of that total number. His top ten most-watched songs include Machel Montano’s politically charged “Flagpole Firin’,” as well as songs such as Count Your Blessings which features heavy dub elements with lyrics like, “Complexities, Fixation on Superiority.” Check out his new full album released this year titled 11.
6. Tom Orr
Spice has taken top honors on YouTube’s Charts and Insights list this year for Jamaican artists with the most views this year, garnering 415 million global views for her track “So Mi Like It,” while other tracks such as Conjugal Visit featuring Vybz Kartel, Girl Next Door, Tables Turn, and Back Way also made it on to this year’s list.
Shenseea and Stefflon Don both made it into the top 20 Jamaican female artists, with Shenseea coming in at number 12.
Bob Marley has amassed 678 million YouTube views this year, with Jamaica only accounting for a small share of that figure. Other nations that rank highly include Brazil, France, Mexico India UK UK and Colombia.
The Tom Orr Band are Scotland’s premier accordion players, performing Scottish Traditional Dance Music while also drawing upon an eclectic range of influences, making their band stand out among traditional acts. Their new album Off the Beaten Track shows what can be accomplished with just six musicians playing traditional tunes.