Review

A collection detailing the moment when dancehall got rougher, tougher, cruder and, in many cases, a hell of a lot more fun.
The tail end of the '70s and the beginning of the '80s marked a paradigm shift in Jamaican music. Where roots singers and traditional soundsystem deejays had previously ruled, a new breed of singjays and toasters rose to the forefront with their own style, no longer dedicated to spiritual upliftment or social commentary. Instead dancehall or “raggamuffin music” was rougher, tougher, cruder and, in many cases, a hell of a lot more fun. Mainly concentrating on the work of pioneering studio don Henry “Junjo” Lawes, The Biggest Dancehall Anthems is an ideal primer for this period. Including Barrington Levy’s “Shine Eye Gal,” Clint Eastwood & General Saint’s “Another One Bites the Dust” and Papa Michigan & General Smiley’s “Diseases,” it’s all right here, and you’ve just got to love Yellowman’s “Morning Ride,” a sweetly smutty ode to JBC Radio broadcaster Fay Ellington.