rolling surf the riddim 2026

I'm stealing the rap thread's naming convention, so I can make a broad anglo- and francophone Caribbean music thread — post dancehall, reggae, soca, shatta, bouyon, etc. itt

(Spanish-language stuff should go in curmudgeon's thread, though one exciting development is how much collaboration the french and spanish artists are doing right now)

Don't worry too much about "2026." I plan to post stuff from last year or even earlier; for example, the thread namesake:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR4ujMOgxA4

Miimii ft Dj Skycee - Sé Miimii

I couldn't quite get into bouyon until I heard this. Fizzy, effortlessly charming, too short.

As much as I like "Sé Miimii," finally paying serious attention to shatta was the smartest decision I made in 2025. I love how it combines and updates the post-Sleng Teng rough minimal digital and early 90s ragga random-ass sound effects dancehall traditions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCRztEFJc50

BAMBY x KERCHAK - Pas Jalouse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIDiOzWS8GA

BAMBY x MAUREEN - Chic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiKsY6uSLQs

Meryl & DJ Tutuss - Jetski

Meryl, Maureen, and Bamby all put out albums last year, and while the first two go in a slightly boring-to-me album-oriented direction, they also all put out a bunch of fab singles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcEFkqD9cx0

Vybz Kartel & Shenseea, "Panic"

how is this so delightful??

Thanks for thread . Plenty of good stuff already.

Cheers, curmudgeon!

Here's a great example of why I made this thread geographically non-specific:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7JiLfMSJ9I?

DJ Steri × Tii Alexandre × Meryl × TUKS - WOULÉ LA FESS

So this is francophone dembow from Mauritius featuring Meryl, who is Martinican. Not being familiar with any of the Mauritians involved sent me down an incredibly charming Mauritian dembow rabbit hole:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P02cUpQ3ziA

Tii Alexandre & Tipti - Freestyle ft. Wave Empire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0-bGqf2cng

Tii Alexandre & Tipti - C'est BMF ft. TUKS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGw2dq8nNJs

TIPTI ft. Jo’Ey - To Ti Pou Aster

and there's lots more where that came from, and I assume it's all as infectious and fun

I did intend this to be the Caribbean thread, but since I just posted 3 tracks from Mauritius, I'm posting this French banger that I can't figure out where else to post:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2U4JiHPoPk

BILOUKI - TCHÉBÉ 2X

getting back on track here's a monster bouyon track from last year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW8KrbpTXcI

1T1 ft Théomaa - Bouwery

the Bamby album is packed with gems:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFYXVcRLaDQ

"Telephone"

love that vybz kartel x shenseea song

bookmarked tyvm

yeah Panic is so fun, reminds me of how fresh Toast sounded back when

rob is this stuff mostly youtube-only? or can I actually buy digital files somewhere other than Bandcamp?

I haven't really looked into it tbh. I used to use iTunes to buy this kind of stuff, but I haven't done that in years. Some of this is on major labels (e.g., Meryl, Bamby) so...however you would normally do that should work. DJs must have a way to play this stuff, though idk they might just be streaming it!

oh and fwiw I think everything I've posted is on Qobuz. I'm not sure if you can buy the tracks from them as I've not done that yet

yeah all I've used is Bandcamp for years, and this stuff isn't showing up there mostly, any tips welcome!

xp ah will look into Qobuz, thanks

there's another service that I remember some people recommending for buying afropop tracks in good quality, but I'm blanking on the name...I think it had the number 7 in it?

ok it's called 7digital but in figuring that out I saw a reddit thread warning people not to use it, argh

lol yikes

I tried a few at random and it looks like you can buy files on Qobuz, but I'm not sure if you have to have a subscription

looks like you can

https://www.reddit.com/r/qobuz/comments/ta2zr4/can_i_buy_digital_music_on_qobuz_without_a_paid/

Ugh, I didn't realise this was the Afro-Caribbean thread till now. Hello!

7Digital is where I buy most of the tracks I need when I play out.

oh, is it bad and hated? shit...

hello! was hoping you'd notice this thread :)

I know absolutely nothing of 7digital, I just saw a few redditors saying they paid and then couldn't download, so I wanted to be circumspect in telling sleeve about it

Rob, thank you - the only thing I knew here was Bouwey!

Oh I haven't had a problem with 7Digital in that respect - but sometimes Google Chrome asks if I want to "Keep" the track before it downloads. It is literally the only place I've found that lets me download stuff in club-ready format (I don't trust m4a's) and they have so much on there

I don't trust m4a's

high five

ha dl, I was just about to tell you to listen to Bouwey in particular! def check out Sé Miimii too

this just came up on my shatta playlist, so infectious, WOO WOO, accordion is the secret weapon in a bunch of these tracks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7hy6bTdrVQ

Meryl - EDF Riddim Remix (feat. Danthology)

DenDen is France-French (though also Ivoirian), but this is a nice example of bouyon infecting the broader francophone music world (cf. Theodora's smash "Kongolese sous BBL"), translating it into dreamy pop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BixNB-r0Epo

DenDen - "Padtal"

https://exposedvocals.com/miimii-kds-ignites-bouyons-future-with-se-miimii/#:~:text=On%20her%20latest%20track%2C%20%E2%80%9CS%C3%A9,the%20beat%20slaps%20with%20an

This person is rightfully enthusiastic about Miimii ft Dj Skycee - Sé Miimii, that is in the lead post for this thread.

I am also now catching up on a Rob nominated 2025 dancehall track by Skippa called WYFL. Skippa is doing a late night gig Saturday March 7 in Jessup, Md which is halfway between DC and Baltimore and has a sizable Jamaican community it seems

The WYFL riddim got big and DJ Mac has released a bunch of versions now, including a run of vets like Kartel, Mavado, Mr Vegas, Anthony B, and Buju. Cool as a phenomenon though I think I still like the original best.

Not sure I recommend anything else I've heard from Skippa unfortunately -- that's not a comment on his talent, it's just almost all the riddims are dreary dark piano-led traphall that I've already complained about enough around here.

Ghanaian Shatta Wale I see has also used the WYFL riddim

Jetski is really good, as is a lot of the stuff in this thread already

yeah I love stripped-down minimalist shatta. You might already know these dl? They're all a bit older

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4ci1gCE4BQ

PLL - Maya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0GWC5HdFWc

Kalash & Maureen - Laptop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUd0kaNF7s0

NATOXIE x BAMBY - BMW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As59PhBFrKQ

Maureen -Tic

I know you know Tic, but if anyone else hasn't heard it, it's a serious classic

Yeah I know Tic and Laptop, big faves. The others I don't. Loving this thread though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn-vwYUo13M

Kybba, J Balvin & Rytikal - I LOVE IT

more impossible to disentangle and fun as hell fusion, though I do think "dancehall" is the best descriptor here

I guess it figures that, like Mauritius, fellow Indian Ocean island La Réunion would also be putting out cool stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gku25G-MrNE

TKS 2G - Whine

Speaking of Mauritius, are you familiar with Joker Kartel?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY1giKiTZfI

I recommend the SEDJEM remix of that track, High Copy. It's really high energy

not until now, thanks! this bangs

happy new tunes friday!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFGVFrBqX0w

Meryl - Click (feat. BlackBoy)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R73WxrPM1YU

Shenseea, Vybz Kartel & Rvssian - Talk To Me Nuh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx7VXtxMdiQ

TKS 2G - Boucan Canot feat. P.L.L.

those are all great, but I remain in a state of happy shock at how rad these Kartel & Shenseea tracks are

I forgot to include this Ayetian track. he was my fave dancehall artist last year, despite sometimes defaulting to boring Tommy Lee Sparta cosplay. He's not doing that here, and the riddim is a breezy and bouncy 80s balearic thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCJUGIiGxsc

"Whine Fi Mi"

and while I'm posting, here's an older shatta I only recently heard and love:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14GClBV33jQ

Kalash - So Coman

Nice! I put So Coman into one of my mixes a little while back and it is so fun. Love love love this thread. Hopefully I can contribute more at some point

really glad to hear it! and definitely post new or old stuff here, the francophone stuff is very new to me, and the Indian Ocean stuff was literally just youtube rec magic

In that case this is a few years old and another Meryl tune but it is such a banger. I wish the last part went on just a bit longer.

Bébé Conte

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Eehtz8NPQQ

hell yeah that rules, love the drums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrRs3Gusj2k

Ayetian - Riddle Me Dis

another fantastic Nvttz riddim on this one

https://www.jonathanbogart.net/blog/2026/3/24/2025-favorites-martinique

Jonathan Bogart fave 2025 shatta and some bouyon from Martinique ( he’s also been posting fave African stuff. I think he’s mentioned in past using YouTube to research)

He’s got streaming links on his site to his playlists. He also posts on Bluesky

yeah I follow him on bluesky and was anticipating this. It's funny though, as sympatico as I should be with JB's project, our tastes diverge a lot and his women-only (more or less) approach is imo ultimately limiting; e.g., his Jamaican lists always look like they were beamed in from another planet to me. Still, I will check out the songs I don't know from this and the next one.

Is JA dancehall shaking off its morbid depressive streak?

This is a warm breeze:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLicBMCs6Gk

Armanii - NEW TINGZ

This is less summery but still super fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rywk5a0JWOo

Govana & Shakespeare - Mi Seh

The video has one uhhh very interesting vfx, though even more striking is that insane move at 1:40

https://www.jonathanbogart.net/blog/2026/3/31/50-songs-2025

Bogart posted his fave top 50 on his site & bluesky. He's got songs for this thread, dancehall, afropop/afrobeats, Latin etc.

I found out so much great music through his top 2025 songs. Really is a proper head

2024 songs, i should say

Super interesting comp of St. Lucia, Dominica & Guadeloupe riddims on Soundway: https://soundwayrecords.bandcamp.com/album/road-fever-new-generation-carnival-riddims-from-st-lucia-and-dominica

"Road Fever draws together instrumental Dennery Segment and Bouyon riddims originally made for vocalists, presented for the first time as stand alone pieces of music." Covers 2012-24 or so. As a non-DJ, instrumental riddim comps tend to be more educational than enjoyable, but this is definitely worth checking out.

Instrumental riddim comps tend to be divisive. I really like them, personally, because I'm as interested in the productions as I am the vocals (possibly even more!)

I absolutely had you in mind when I posted that :)

I can def get into the production as its own thing, but without vocals it feels...anti-social? I think I need the sense of a personality, a scene, or a culture to get really into it. Ideally the comps would give you both. Showcase style comps were pretty common in the golden age of reggae reissues.

I can't really hang w/this one but I very much welcome any/all Bandcamp links itt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3amqpWps7Ow

Miimii KDS - Coming

Absolutely no new ground being broken on this, but it's so fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQRi3LWM0t4

Masicka & Di Genius - Slip & Slide

fun vintage afropop/calypso sound on this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CXVwU8QPNk

Bilouki - Full

I continue to find Bilouki's bouyon-influenced French rap thing delightful

Not sure where to mention this. Probably the Afropop thread but Mina is coming to play our night tomorrow and I am so shook

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJblK7t6MWY-

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/billets-bilouki-live-in-ottawa-showcase-1987353660296

x-post -French rapping Bilouki of Congolese background with a gig coming up in Ottawa

interesting! thanks for mentioning that. it's not a possibility for me unfortunately (hell even if it were in Montreal, a midnight start time would give me pause). also pretty odd that he appears to be playing Ottawa and nowhere else? maybe he has family there...mysterious!

I played Jetski and Click in my set last night. Both great

And here's a link to the mix - loads of shatta and adjacent stuff here: https://www.mixcloud.com/charliestoic/charlie-stoic-terrain-live-mix-the-jam-jar-bristol-april-2026

great stuff dl!

digging it

Thanks folks. Tbh I spent the first half feeling like it was going really badly but listening back it sounded fine - one of my better sets in fact. Credit to threads like these for track inspiration too - a lot of selections based off stuff i found here, so thank you!

I thought you wove everything together super well! organically moving from Slip & Slide to, eventually, that gqom track you posted on the afropop thread — I suppose it's rudimental DJ technique but I was impressed :)

whatever was at 41:00 was a banger

That'll be "like JENNIE" by JENNIE, a K-pop banger that actually made the last EOY :-) I really like it and it always seems to go down well

Masicka's "Slip & Slide" was just the first version on Di Genius's Hilly & Gully riddim. There's a bunch now all with full videos, here's a couple I enjoyed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17vcngBqKmg

Skippa - "Service"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-z1L-F4Lco

Nigy Boy - "Wah Mi Money"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOwmvfmiXGM

Denden - Den 2X + Timinik

not sure if I'm the only who adores her "Padtal" around here, but I'm psyched for her new single. both are good though not super well-served by the combination video

Jada Kingdom on a great remix of "Mi Seh":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jf3M4zgnsk

the Hill & Gully version factory is still going strong; Kes is a great choice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtdNbHBLi30

Kes - Masterpiece

Yay Kes!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DYOrep3P9ti/

thought i opened the ken loach thread for a sec

lol

fyi dog latin: there's a Kes tiny desk concert I haven't gotten around to watching yet (I can't open the IG link so apols if that's what it links to)

It's a very quick reel about the long long history of that riddim

ah sweet! somehow I haven't managed to hear barely any of those (though I'm queuing up the Ini Kamoze version I have on Rough Inna Town)

more Hill & Gully with a fun video and a rowdy drummer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvY23Rh6X-g

Ayetian - Donkey Call

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VZiXQWSWoU

ARMANII, NOTNICE - WUL UP

this isn't quite there for me, but the production feels fresh (by being recognizably dancehall lol)

timely revive, we have a neighbor now who loves his reggae and dancehall and etc, I can hear it now

gonna start posting the random shit I'm shazaming as I hear it on the island

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7agMxttD7A

yeah that's a great tune, though it's from 2018 just fyi. is he listening to the radio or playing these himself? are you hearing Spanish-language stuff too or just Jamaican? I was a little surprised when I went to T&T how ubiquitous JA dancehall was on the street, on the radio, etc.

this was a teenage boy walking to school with a bluetooth speaker in his backpack

hearing Spanish and Creole in equal proportions so far

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5LUmZxWEII

Skeng, Khandy Brawling, Jiggy D - Who A Dance

as with WUL UP I'm down for the refreshing return of lightness (relatively, WUL UP isn't all that sunny) in dancehall this year

I heard "Slip And Slide" at the bar yesterday!

nice! I had a feeling that riddim would be pretty huge in the region, cool to get on the spot confirmation

Who A Dance is fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhqrxYY-fJ8

Meryl - Boss (feat. LeJuh)

franco dembow, nothing groundbreaking but fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlNRWZlvjcU

Natoxie Ft Sage - Elastik

bouyon, I think dog latin might dig this

pretty exciting to see JA artists actually trying to make summer jams (even though there's still a downbeat undercurrent here)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKpBMfwtnic

Ding Dong, J'Calm, Zum - Outside

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q-J1_4H3-M

Bayka, Dj Mac - Hot Mama

love the riddim on this

ah Aidonia's "Bada Boom" is on that riddim too, though I can't figure out its name

Yes to that riddim on that Bayka, DJ Mac Hot Mama song

not new, but heard this Aidonia banger at the bar on Saturday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5e-ZAWc6ak

that's dope sleeve, thanks, throw hand drums on anything contemporary and I'm happy

new JA riddims continue to be a breath of fresh air:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3teVO8fyhuw

Najeeriii, Yung Bredda - STEAM

hell yes this kind of splits the difference between traphall and the more upbeat stuff I've been posting itt. wild vocal + spacey beat, love it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddAbOvXuidY

Pablo YG - Mawnin

not sure how the NYT missed this one on their songwriting list, much to contemplate in the lyrics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7B5yj3by54

Intence - GIFTA

I haven't checked in on Intence in a long time, but this is great and not what I was expecting. Awesome bass sound

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAQnYCziZ9w

Buju Banton - Butterflies

not spectacular, but Buju on the Real Rock riddim is like a nice stack of pancakes or something

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyuLcnlgEKI

Tielo Lanez & Dj Mac - Chullups (Tumble Dung Riddim)

this is the same slinky guitar mystery riddim on "Hot Mama" and "Bada Boom" above

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIb_zOymBfw

Kman 6ixx - Bend Ova ft. SamDan, Countree Hype

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6YzuYUi-2Q

Nigy Boy - Bad Like Dat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6SnCr4TMEc

Original Koffee - RAPID FYAH (feat. Skillibeng)

this rules

UK's Pigeon doing "Miami" (not sure what thead this should go on)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orZihOQgqJM

that's cool

I can't remember where we've discussed Falle Nioke before, but I guess whichever thread that is would be best? or if we still do a rolling post-punk thread

really liked that

Falle Nioke is great. Based in Margate in Kent but I saw him live in Stroud recently and it was a lot of fun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEhvNN1nU4M

TKS 2G - Poulet Koko

this is so good. a totally brain-dead beat with delightful marimba on top

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCxS38nMFN0

DJ Glad x Bilouki x N'Ken - Chaud 3X

forgot to post this one a while back. French rapper Bilouki guesting on some bouyon

I guess I should have made a full-on French rolling thread but oh well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og9D6Dpjg2w

LinLin - +

I haven't highlighted N'Ken before, but she's a low-key MVP on a bunch of songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYH9yDWQeQQ

Shannon - Comme moi (feat. N'Ken)

and while I'm in a french mood, I never posted this excellent DJ Skycee & Miimii track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1v5D9G6L5E

"Bodé"

s/o pitchfork for highlighting the best track on the new Vybz Kartel album so I didn't have to listen to the whole thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVsszBU6ufs

Round and Round

perfect heat wave banger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc-QIG5ZSpE

Shenseea - BRUCKSWEAT

the 00s revival is in full effect, this is the third new track I listened to today doing the orientalism (not really pejorative) thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT-7D0OzYoA

Teejay - Celibate

plus here's a shatta song with Ce'cile and a new Cham & Jada Kingdom collab:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sym8TPkMsKk

Ce'cile, N'ken, Dj Fly, Foxii - Drink & Wine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQtbIwmpme0

Cham & Jada Kingdom - Move

rob et al you are doing god's work in this thread. i've got a set at St Paul's Carnival today, I'm going to be playing a lot of stuff from this thread

thanks dog latin, that looks like a great event, enjoy!

My set was only half an hour but was really well received. The remit was "Caribbean music only", so while most of the other DJs were playing dancehall and soca it was great to lean into my French background and play a set of mostly shatta, bouyon and other Frnacophone styles.

Anyway, it's given me a hankering to check out more Bouyon so here's a thing:

Real Reel - Comic

youtube.com/watch?v=C6rgo_3ojck&themeRefresh=1

Oh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6rgo_3ojck

Apologies if this has been posted already. But if it has it deserves to be posted again

DJ Leska x Shannon - Capitaine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbIQMP_ZzDU

threw in some of these as ringers in my first island set and can report that "Talk To Me Nuh" went down best with the locals

xp that one's new to me dl, thanks!

that's cool sleeve, always curious to hear about your musical exp down there. I was just in Costa Rica, heard a lot of reggaeton and some other stuff on the radio but never had the chance to dig into anything

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zd-pLC48Y0

Natoxie Ft Bad’Deey & Bad Bitch - Kiki

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo4rcZbpgNo

Staniski x Scory Kovitch x N'ken x Matieu White - Mém Si "Doudou"

love this new Meryl, wish I had a better sense of what's actually going on musically with some of the franco stuff (I think I'm hearing some kind of combination of Haitian kompa and Congolese guitar??)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rELzBj1tDlk

Meryl - Y'a Blo (feat Guy2Bezbar)

Meryl is, like, my favourite artist this year. How is she consistently putting out all these amazing choons?

yeah it's a brilliant run

A couple of stylistic swerves from Jamaica:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcDcQ3sD34Y

Tanzie - Thanks

Not a huge swerve here, this is really warm rnb (sorta 90s neosoul too). I need to check out more of her stuff, she's great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abFz_xZNZ4Q

Witty - Jacket Weather

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyXB4O2JHN4

Witty - Five Minutes

But this is unique. It's alt rock, but the vocals are still straight-up dancehall (he sounds a bit like Aidonia), worth keeping an eye on

damn I think I love this stuff, I'm about to start a hopeless dedicated thread:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZyVUT28SM8

Witty - Friday Night

Dancehall rock! Crazy

check out this big international (Martinique, St Lucia, Colombia, La Réunion, Mauritius) group hang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uJnKet_T5U

Thug Life - Tii Alexandre, N’ken, Lion Fiah, Blaiz Fayah, Jozii, T'jy, Junior, Blackboy, TUKS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uvq5kGz1EM

Meryl - Nous on a vraiment bossé beaucoup

ho-hum another Meryl banger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JliXkJgBSB0

Nordia Mothersille & Notnice - Wealthy and Lonely (Walk Out Riddim)

this is getting popular, and there's a few other versions on the riddim (I liked Stalk Ashley's)

It's hard to get super excited about new Protoje in 2026—he's so consistent, you know what you're going to get—but I like the production on these two:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFoWmICZbeg

"Something I Said" ft. Jesse Royal (smokey 70s soul)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V--zpofsJI

"Reference" (modern nyahbinghi? not really, but it's v pretty)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axndNXphlY4

Eve La Marka - golden boy ft. Bamby

V good video for this. Eve appears to be French (I should've made a roulant France thread this year), though everything I'm listening to from her is basically shatta

for example, from 2024:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtoqXeFCPaM

Eve La Marka ft Dj Sebb - Boss it

so surprise this bangs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvNS7ey6xrI

Govana & Zimi - Gyal A Bruk Out

*no surprise

Skeng has a version on that riddim too, "Good Ole"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4hub-weooY

Tempa - Funds (Trini dancehall)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TxHCfJu5wo

Shannon - In the water feat. Whyneed (shatta)

She's got a whole album out that I haven't tried yet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHLMZyHUfdw

Ayetian & Slingerz - Miami Vice

I love Ayetian's voice, but his real strength is his ear for riddims. This one sounds like someone doing the trap/drill-dancehall stuff but back in the dancier days of 2013

so this is not really in the style of the thread, it's basically pop/reggae to my ears, but I hear this EVERYWHERE on the islands - bars, taxis, people's bluetooth speakers, all the time. so i nominate it as the official summer song of the South Atlantic Autonomous Region.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nry4elWUOg

Hmm.. Very little about him online and the slightly wobbly/high contrast production raises my internal "Is he a real person?" alarm in my head

He also has 19 albums on Spotify, all released in the last 12 months and he looks different on every cover

oh dear

Eeek... It raises the question of how can a fake artist with no real public profile become so popular that their music is being played all over a small Caribbean island? Someone must be pushing it somehow, but I have no idea how it happens

prob Spotify's fault

That's pretty wild! Sort of glad to know about it lol. Being into Caribbean music already means not taking a 100% purist stance against AI as much as that would be my preference—my ears aren't really attuned to the telltale signs in music, but it's definitely being used in some of the videos I've posted and on artwork. No surprise there, of course people needing graphics in impoverished countries are going to use it, and I think it's maybe better that at least they're using it in eye-poppingly garish ways? Still a bummer though

Here's nice

Lé Will & Deuspi ft. Maureen - Yabadabadou

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40ZmRsm_cE4

Another killer from Meryl - Nous On A Vraiment Bossé Beaucoup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uvq5kGz1EM

I actually posted that Meryl earlier—I should maybe rethink my youtube dump posting style itt, which looks especially baffling on Zing I noticed today—but it is great!

J'adore Yabadabadou beaucoup, merci

The Shannon album I mentioned earlier is definitely worth a listen; it makes for a good tour of the franco scene.

I really like the Ayetian album too. There's some interstitial guff but lots of great production, and Ayetian is something special IMO. For example, as mentioned ad nauseum I'm not really digging the trap/drill-influenced horrorcore sound of the early 2020s anymore. And yet I thought this was great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVufLZsJd24

"Scale Tip Ova"

Some interesting techy* UK dancehall here, also showing an MIA influence à la Alewya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=062j875zP3Q

iKeda - Go!

*lol not sure I'm using this correctly, but there's a hard, clubby edge to it

Xp oh sorry, my bad - i was lazy about searching the thread

No worries at all, I’ve come close to reposting my own posts a couple times

good stuff thx. yesterday I heard both "Panic" and "Slip And Slide" in the wild here

yeah that makes sense. I'd guess that Kartel's "Round and Round" would get traction too, though it's extra filthy

did either of you guys ever check out those Witty tracks? I still can't decide if I think they're genuinely good or just very novel (or both), curious how they land with other people

My job today is to go through as much of what ive missed in this thread to prepare for a Francophone special on my radio show on Tuesday

ah you get a pass on Witty for now then :)

there's some francophone stuff I haven't posted itt that I'm enjoying this year, might just collect it here for you dl

This might be a little moody for your purposes—it's indie pop more than anything dancehall related—but I love this Camille Yembe track I posted on the Friday vids thread: It's Friday, Post Vids of Chill Tunes Why Not?. I also like her "Je ne l'ai jamais dit à personne" but that's basically a ballad.

Dave Moore tipped me off to this local artist Fyore, who does a really cool mix of idk dancehall, afrobeats, various dance musics, plus a touch of hyperpop:
https://fyore.bandcamp.com/track/afrokeb
https://fyore.bandcamp.com/track/fyore

I thought I had posted this one itt but I guess not:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvB7hIFx8MI

(D)Juno - BB BRINGUE

Her "Partenaire en crime" is also cool.

Thanks rob. just checking out FYORE and really enjoying it

speaking of melding genres, Instagram showing me - "India-mapiano" dj gig was in DC yesterday and is in NYC today w/ dj Priyanka (who was also at dc one) and others; also someone is advertising a "soca-mapiano" gig . I get that its marketing but I feel like some folks may not even know amapiano yet , but they're using a variation of the word

Tempa - Funds this is really fun(ds)!

I just don't know what to make of Witty. I don't remember anyone asking for dancehall vocals over 2005-era landfill indie guitars. That's one way to say I'm not against the concept, just that the music isn't all that interesting and I can't figure out if it's just jarring. It would be cool if it ROCKED a bit harder

I don't know how this surfaced in my recent tracks. Did someone here post it? Anyone got any idea who this person is (tell me it's not AI again!)

DOVA ft. More Sewo - EARTHQUAKE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usflvsQlY6g

possibly from St Vincent from the sounds of it

I don't remember anyone asking for dancehall vocals over 2005-era landfill indie guitars.

ha yeah part of my confusion is I've listened to so little 21st c. rock that I don't know how to contextualize the sound. e.g., I know the phrase "landfill indie" very well but have little idea of what it really signifies

iirc a certain generation of 3rd tier 90s britpop bands

xp YT comments mention St Vincent a lot yeah, a scene I don't follow, and he's new to me for sure (not posted here)

yeah I don't think I ever went past the 2nd tier lol

will give Yabadabadou a spin at my next DJ night this Friday but nobody here speaks French, only some tourists, so I don't throw many of the French tracks here into my mixes

do you hear much Spanish-language stuff there sleeve? or is it mostly Jamaican music?

(I was a little surprised when I went to Trinidad that the radio only played Jamaican dancehall, nothing local afaict)

island is a mix, predominately English-speaking Creole natives but there are a lot of Spanish-speaking Hispanic Nicaraguans, who the Creoles amusingly call "Spaniards". So we hear dancehall from the Creoles, all kinds of Spanish stuff from that end, and (bafflingly) a lot of American country & western music which I hear from both demographics!

I am not totally sure but I'd guess Jamaica dominates the dancehall tracks, it's one of the closest islands to us (not that close tho)

one of our neighbors likes to blast poppier reggae stuff on his big ass system, I will Shazam a few next time for data points.

my cumbia tracks have gone over well, the reggaeton not so much

interesting! I heard a lot of reggaeton in Costa Rica though also some local stuff I don't have the knowledge to classify

American country & western music

this is a thing in Jamaica as well I have been led to understand (also Celine Dion, though I'm not sure if that has fallen out of date)

I'm playing tomorrow night on Void.Radio (that's the URL), billing it as a "Francophone Special" and it's going to be pretty much all shatta and bouyon from this thread, maybe with a few curveballs here and there - I'm not sure about the ethics of lumping-in stuff like Coupe Decale or Congolese afro-pop into a mix like this based simply on shared linguistic roots and post-dancehall sounds

(I was a little surprised when I went to Trinidad that the radio only played Jamaican dancehall, nothing local afaict)

― rob, Monday, 10 August 2026 15:55 (thirty-one minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

That is surprising considering how big soca is there. My understanding is that Jamaicans don't really fuck with Trini soca a great deal.

We were there in December and what I gathered from locals is you really do only hear soca during Carnival season. The Trini dancehall scene has grown since then, so maybe they're getting radio play now too though.

I think it would be the rare crossover soca track to play in JA at all, but I don't really know tbh

Here's my "Shatta, Bouyon and Beyond" special on Void Radio, Bristol. In retrospect I really should have given ILM a shout out as I found out about a lot of this music on this thread. Consider yourselves big-upped

A couple of mistakes in here so I'll probably redo this at some point and release it as a "proper" mix. It's been so fun getting into this music. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoUrbO5x0c0

This is fab dog latin! Do you have a track list? There were def some tunes I didn't recognize and liked (but couldn't take note of the timestamp)

"what is it with shatta and old lady names?" made me lol

big shatta hit from last year I only just heard today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpuRsDQPfsU

Skunk, Tiitok, Leto - Mwen An Sa

ok dl what's this Tracy Magic Girls track, I don't know this one! Dominica in general is off my radar—I think most of the bouyon I've heard is actually from Guadeloupe—which might explain some of the ones I'm not recognizing

I know exactly two Tracy Magic Girls songs. One is that one "Cap Reine" and the other is this one in a very different style called Lajan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8tgHruhLmo

I'm suddenly second guessing as to whether she/they are Dominican. I'm sure she is

Shit, it'a Haiti. I messed up! Haiti, not Dominica

It can be difficult tracking down information about a lot of these artists. And i'm new to a lot of it and still learning. I didn't really think much about Guadeloupe wheb putting this together. I know a bit of Zouk from the 80s and 90s but not much new stuff. Definitely going to need to do some better research if i' going to produce a proper studio mix

As well as a lot of the artists either living in France or identifying as French... as I say, I'm not terribly au fait with how it all works

I 100% sympathize with your last two posts. I am so grateful when people put flag emojis in their youtube descriptions for that reason. I have zero idea how to gain any concrete info about the franco scenes (the anglo ones too these days, though at least there I can rely on preexisting knowledge). Artist bios and the occasional wiki.fr article is about it.

On that note, I had basically forgotten that bouyon was originally from Dominica. But I can tell you that Miimii and 1T1 are from Guadeloupe, so you've been hearing at least some stuff from there.

Haiti is a whole thing I haven't tried to grapple with much. I think there's a lot of compas/kompa influence on shatta, bouyon, and the France-French stuff but I could really use an expert's guidance.

sleeve correctly chided me for not posting this here: ilxors <3 MOLIY

should be of strong interest to any thread residents

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQKBr6s0SzQ

MOLIY ft. Yailin La Mas Viral & Theodora – JETSKI (FRIKI)

What is it with the number if songs out this year called Jetski? So far I count this, DJ Tutuss & Meryl, Pedro Sampaio, and Anthony B & Jazzward. Four songs with that title

haha I don't know two of those so I wasn't aware of the jetski-wave

Masicka has a new album out. I've never really totally vibed with him, the odd track here and there aside, but this song is ambitious enough I might have to give it a shot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL3qr5dF3hw

"Oak Tree"

TIL "Jet Ski" by DJ Tutuss & Meryl didn't even come out this year - it's from 2024. So dang, that's my EOY list all out of whack

sick bouyon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9TJcjd7zqc

Theomaa - Wouloo (feat. 1T1)

Yeeeeeahhh this is really cool

it's the Emancipation Day festival on the island, so far I've heard Moliy's "Shake It To The Max", that "lelelele" song, and the fake AI tune (twice already and it's not even 1 pm). plus a ton of other stuff I don't know. as usual

ok 3 times now for the AI song. people visibly love it, sing along, dance, etc

The other night played a 4 hr set of mostly dancehall, shatta, afrobeats, dembow etc to a bar courtyard, so most people were sat down just sitting down, chatting, vibing. But I did have the bouncer come up and fistbump me during WYFL and ask "What you know about this riddim!" which made me very happy for a while, I admit

<3 high five

I'm enjoying the current hype around bouyon. It's exciting, fun music. But I have to admit a lot of what I'm hearing all sounds kind of similar. Anyone out there got some exceptional tunes for me?

Not really tbh. I like the odd track a lot, but maybe a little like amapiano (sorry lol) it's functioning more as a virus infecting other pop scenes for me, and I can't listen to an entire hour of it or w/e. As much as I like, say, Miimii all her songs are def pretty much the same.

This is a little different though. Taking bouyon into a groovy soca direction, shockingly passing the 3-min mark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCboJ35W9VQ

Shelly & Signal Band - Out Da Group Chat

I'm starting to realize there is some cool stuff going on in Trinidad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW0Lv_UzwWY

Lady Lava - Matrix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9mfkLcPLGM

Kman 6ixx - Bring It

I posted his^ "Bend Ova" upthread. This one is from last year and is moody/dark but that riddim is weirder than expected.

this Lady Lava is a banger too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LO6E_QlKjg

"Happy Birthday"

Yep. And that video is uh something

Enjoying a lot of these. The Bouyon/Soca crossover of "Group Chat" is good fun. I like "Matrix" a lot ,

Not sure if this has been posted but this is ruling my world

From an EP called fujiBouyon

onoola-sama, DEELA - fêteRock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV62T2bs_wM

Unsure how I came across this, but it's also fun. Sounds like another soca/bouyon fusion to me, but no idea really

Suhrawh x Chow Minister - In The Water

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dorkOr3q3Tk

Also great. Again, apologies if I'm just reposting things that have already been posted.

Lejuh - Air Force 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AUVlX-weVc

I really love this and would be playing it out a lot if not for feeling a bit reticent due to strong repetition of the N-word

Tii Alexandre, N’ken, Lion Fiah, Blaiz Fayah, Jozii, T'jy, Junior, Blackboy, TUKS - Thug Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uJnKet_T5U

I dig that Suh Raw tune, looks like they're from St Vincent, a scene I've never managed to keep up with. Following youtube recs, I like this one too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghGoXBR0T7U

if y'all ever find anything from San Andreas or the Corn Islands, please post!

all I see on YT is this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk66T8HYjok

I will definitely alert you sleeve

I did some searching and found a few things. I think the closest to this thread is a guy called Dirty El Bad Bway who seems to have been active a few years ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk66T8HYjok

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVQyhLpZe7Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EBXzH5Ydeg

I couldn't find out anything about him though, so I can't even be that confident he's from the islands

lol sorry I only just saw your previous post lmao

since this is my stealth French music thread:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNLIrkYU8C4

(D)Juno - Don Junio

made a mix from this thread plus one ringer ;)

https://www.mixcloud.com/Forest_Of_No_Return/little-corn-mix/

Excited to hear this sleeve

nice one sleeve

mix is incred imo

<3

Oh gosh - sorry, been waiting for the right time to check this. Don't be afraid to nudge me!

(by "The right time", I mean when I'm not at work)

I’ve been working on a complicated and annoying presentation all day and this mix has been helping keep my spirits up

cool to see "Go!" on your mix sleeve, I like that one a lot too. Unfortunately I didn't like anything else from her ep

I have my big 2026 mega-playlist on shuffle right now and Meryl's "Y'a Blo" just came on, so so good

I like how softening bouyon pushes it toward drum n'bass:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5vLlqvfE8A

DJ SKYCEE & Kima - Caribbean love

also nice from Kima:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx7DNLjYSs0

Kima x TKS 2G - Chipeur

I swore I already posted this one, but ctrl+f says no. Anyway, I love this riddim (Super Glue) from Weekday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZcL23IU_rI

450 - Bounce

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv9k1S-mLUU

Ding Dong - Arch Yuh Back

damn this goes hard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOdlW0Jv5Q4

Ronisia - Cuenta ft. Meryl, Shay

sort of halfway between bouyon and shatta, I think you guys will really like this one

Xpost - yes to Meryl from Martinique

Ronisia is Cabo Verdean, based in France. Shay is Belgian but also Tabu Ley Rochereau's granddaughter

just heard in the wild
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgxGL56MdrM

new Shenseea too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGkoTeIQIy0

Both of those feel kind of sluggish to me—though I liked the cat in the Shenseea video—but that's probably because I listened to this right beforehand:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UCl0dWwPp4

Skillibeng, Johnny Wonder, Adde Instrumentals - Inna Di Dance

Lyrics might cross my personal threshold into yuck, but I'd be very happy to hear other versions on that riddim

That led me to this year-old, super minimalist track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd2z4SY3ZdA

Skillibeng, Johnny Wonder, Adde Instrumentals - Ivany

J Bogart just posted this shatta guy, Pusso, from the Seychelles on bsky, good stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfYxUo9mXaQ

"Dans Norty"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXSUPaTi3Qg?

"Balance"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHrYqrrtzv0

Govana x Chronic Law - Feefa

on the secretly this is a French music thread front:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebTfBThtLww

(D)Juno - Tailleur Piranha

heard this total banger at high volume while walking past my neighbor just now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaD8sNRPPgo

sure are a lot of asses in these videos

lol. this Govana video is pretty funny in light of that correct observation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvNS7ey6xrI

I can't listen to audio right now but will check that song later

some other recent Shazams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKL_ETLPFh4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKL_ETLPFh4

oops sorry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIb_zOymBfw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgxGL56MdrM

yeah Bend Ova is great (posted upthread somewhere). gotta say I'm real jealous you're hearing this stuff in the real world

haha not to brag but the bar is now playing this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhkUMJ6rGYE

ahh how tf did I miss "What I Like"?!? (okay it came out in Dec 2025 is how but still)

yep to the Rvssian, MOLIY, Ayetian, and Tyga collab on "What I Like"