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50 Biggest Dancehall Infused Songs Of All Time

  • Donovan Watkis, David Bonner and Chantel Thompson
    • Some of the artists whose music is being used to train AI include Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Shaggy, Rihanna, VYBZ KARTEL, Major Lazer and more

    Some of the artists whose music is being used to train AI include Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Shaggy, Rihanna, VYBZ KARTEL, Major Lazer and more

    What makes a song a dancehall song?

    WMV’s list of the 50 Biggest Dancehall-Infused Songs of All Time is based on the commercial significance of dancehall, the riddim-driven subgenre of reggae that originated in Jamaica.

    The data used here is gathered from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

    Some of today’s biggest artists have found international success by blending dancehall with pop, R&B, Afrobeats, reggaeton, and other genres. For dancehall purists, it may be surprising that some of the genre’s major hits locally did not make this list because the highest-selling dancehall singles are performed by non-Jamaican artists.

    The debate over what qualifies as dancehall music, or whether a song must be performed by a dancehall artist to be considered authentic dancehall, is further compounded in Rolling Stone Magazine, in a since-edited review, described Rihanna and Drake’s hit “Work” as “a tropical house-flavored track,” downplaying its dancehall roots. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal credited Justin Bieber’s “What Do You Mean?” with “pioneering the ‘Caribbean, beach-party vibe’ of tropical house in the mainstream,” further blurring the lines between dancehall and other genres.

    The LA Times, describes pop dancehall tracks as “Caribbean-flavored house beat” or “airy tropical-house bangers.”

    The HuffPost article titled “Enjoy Dancehall Sounds, But Don’t Let Enjoyment Be Erasure”, speaks about the “whitewashing” that has happened to music of black origin for decades saying, “While musical genres should be inclusive, the problem comes when progression and mainstream acceptance comes with erasure of the culture that created the music, lessening the authenticity.”

    Bieber’s Sorry, first released by Def Jam records is produced by Skrillex and Bloodpop. It became a point of controversy as fans chastised Beiber and his choreographer Parris Goebel for appropriating dancehall culture with the music video.

    Still it became one of the biggest singles of 2015 and is the third most successful dancehall song of all time based on US certifications (11x Platinum). The track peaked at No. 1 on the global YouTube charts and spent three weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It broke sales records in 2016 tobecame the most-streamed song in the U.K. of all time. It was also the first song overall to hit 100 million streams in Britain at the time and according to the esteemed magazine, “helped the Canadian star become the first artist to hold positions Number 1, 2, and 3 simultaneously on the Official Singles Chart”.

    Following the success of Justin’s Sorry, Drake released One Dance with Wizkid and Kyla which is the second most commercially successful dancehall song on this list. Drake also released Controlla and Work during the same era.

    Still, no dancehall-infused song has been more successful than Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You, released by Atlantic Records—the same label that signed Sean Paul in 2002. This global smash hit has sold over 41 million units worldwide, making it the most successful dancehall-inspired track of all time in both the US and the UK. Certified 13x Platinum in the US and 10x Platinum in the UK, Shape of You holds the No. 1 spot on this list, cementing its status as a record-breaking achievement in the genre.

    The criteria for the rankings on this list are based on official record label releases, where the genres are categorized as some variation of dancehall or dancehall fusion. The rankings reflect certifications in the US and UK as of August 25, 2024.

    Legend:
    US (Gold- 500k, Platinum – 1m, Diamond – 10 m)
    UK (Silver- 200k, Gold- 400k, Platinum- 600k)

    RIAA, BPI

    1. “Shape Of You” – Ed Sheeran (2017)

    2. “One Dance” – Drake ft. Wizkid and Kyla (2016)

    3. “Sorry” – Justin Bieber (2015)

    4. “Unforgettable” – French Montana feat. Sway Lee (2017)

    5. “Work” – Rihanna ft. Drake (2016)

    6. “Cheap Thrills” – Sia ft. Sean Paul (2016).

    7. “It Wasn’t Me” – Shaggy featuring Rik Rok (2000)

    8. “Too Good” – Drake featuring Rihanna (2016)

    9. “Rude Boy” – Rihanna (2010)

    10. “Controlla” – Drake (2016)

    11. “Temperature” – Sean Paul (2005)

    12. “Rockabye” – Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul & Anne Marie (2016)

    13. “Pon De Replay” – Rihanna (2005)

    14. “Light It Up” – Major Lazer featuring Nyla and Fuse ODG (2015)

    15. “Swalla” – Jason Derulo (2017)

    16. “Get Busy” – Sean Paul (2003)

    17. “Baby Boy” – Beyoncé ft. Sean Paul (2003)

    18. “Locked Away” – R. City ft. Adam Levine (2015)

    19. “Come Closer” – Wizkid ft. Drake (2017)

    20. “Boombastic” – Shaggy (1995)

    21. “Informer” – Snow (1992)

    22. “Hold You” – Gyptian (2010)

    23. No Lie- Sean Paul featuring Duo Lipa (2016)

    24. “(When You Gonna) Give It Up To Me” – Sean Paul ft. Keisha Cole (2005)

    25. “Got 2 Luv U” – Sean Paul ft. Alexis Jordan (2011)

    26. “Like Glue” – Sean Paul (2003)

    27. “Flex” – Mad Cobra (1992)

    28. “Turn Me On” – Kevin Lyttle ft. Spragga Benz (2001)

    29. “No Letting Go” – Wayne Wonder (2003)

    30. “Whine Up” – Kat Deluna ft. Elephant Man (2007)

    31. “Slow & Sexy” – Shabba Ranks ft. Johnny Gill (1992)

    32. “Cigarette” – RAYE, Mabel, Stefflon Don (2018)

    33. “Move Ya Body” – Nina Sky ft. Jabba (2004)

    34. “Fever” – Vybz Kartel (2016)

    35. “Nobody Has To Know” – Kranium (2015)

    36. “Hurtin’ Me” – Stefflon Don & French Montana (2017)

    37. “Boasty” – Wiley, Idris Elba, Stefflon Don (2019)

    38. “Run Up” – Major Lazer ft. Partynextdoor and Nicki Minaj (2017)

    39. Who Am I (Sim Simma) – Beenie Man

    40. “Gyal You A Party Animal” – Charly Black (2016)

    41. “Oh Carolina” – Shaggy (1993)

    43. “Murder She Wrote” – Chakka Demus and Pliers (1992)

    44. “Never Leave” – Lumidee (2003)

    45. “No No No” – Dawn Penn (1994)

    46. “Hey Baby” – No Doubt ft. Bounty Killer (2001)

    47. “Dude” – Beenie Man ft. Miss Thing (2004)

    48. “Bam Bam” – Sister Nancy (1982)

    49. “16 Shots”- Stefflon Don- (2016)

    50. “In The Summer Time” – Shaggy ft. Rayvon (1995)

    Honorable Mentions

    . “Gimmie The Light” – Sean Paul (2002)

    . “I’m Still In Love With You” – Sean Paul ft. Sasha (2003)

    . “Twist & Turn” – Popcaan featuring Drake and Partynextdoor (2020)

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