Dancehall is a Jamaican music genre that arose in the late 1970s as a faster, more rhythmic, and more “street” offshoot of reggae. Its name comes from the dance venues where deejays performed over powerful sound systems.
A key role in dancehall belongs to the deejay — a performer who rhythmically chants or speaks the lyrics (the “toasting” technique) over an instrumental “riddim.” In the 1980s dancehall was among the first to move to digital beats, becoming the basis for many newer styles. It has had an enormous influence on world popular music: without dancehall there would be no reggaeton, and its rhythms and vocal manner echo in contemporary hip-hop, pop, and dance music around the world.
