Imagine a group of teenagers huddled around school desks or a tree, tapping and banging out beats with the rhythm of their hands. This isn’t just noise; it’s the heartbeat of Dancehall culture, without amplifiers and in its rawest form. Dancehall originated in Kingston’s inner-city communities, where sound systems and freestyles were born in the late 50s. Just like track and field have championships, in high schools across Jamaica, desks became the makeshift sound systems, where students stage informal battles through lyrics and rhythm for reputation.
Several dancehall legends have traced part of their success back to the rhythm of school desks.
In his first interview, Dancehall deejay Alkaline revealed, “I started music from high school… used to beat desk wid me fren dem & dem ting deh.” A past student of Ardenne High, Alkaline was also a Junior School Challenge Quiz contestant.
Earlier this month, 15-year-old Lyriii rose to fame after his controversial single “Respect” peaked at No. 2 on the Official YouTube Jamaica chart, proving that high school freestyle culture continues to be a launching pad for young artists.
King of the Dancehall, Vybz Kartel, has addressed the topic of high school and education in both his music and public statements. In 2017, while in prison, he released the track “High School Dropout,” reflecting on his experiences with the education system. The lyrics explore the challenges and decisions that led to his departure from formal schooling.
The Calabar High dropout told The Guardian, “Calabar was in Kingston, where all the studios were at the time. So it was fascinating to me to see all those big artists—Ninjaman, Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton, Josie Wales, Charlie Chaplin. It was such an amazing time for me, so I literally just kept going every day. By the ninth grade, the principal at Calabar said, ‘We don’t want you back at the school anymore.’ I didn’t even feel sad because I already knew what I wanted to do in life, which was music. So, for me, it was a done deal.”
Kartel, who spent 13 years in prison before being acquitted of murder, acknowledges his fortune in making it as an artist. “I’m one of the lucky ones, and I give thanks every day. Since walking out of prison, people ask me what was going through my mind. Too many things. Even now, I’m trying to process it.”
A clash legend, Kartel has battled with some of Dancehall’s biggest names, including Mavado, Assassin, Spragga Benz, and Bounty Killer.
Similarly, Baby Cham, another Dancehall legend, recalls his introduction to music through his uncle’s sound system. “My uncle had a sound system called Studio Mix from Waterhouse. Super Cat used to perform on it, along with John Wayne and Little John. I was just a tiny tot, but I loved music from then. It was a joy to see Super Cat take the mic and toast. But when I heard Buju, who was the hottest artist at the time, that’s when I wanted to be an artist. By buying Buju records, I started to perform on the sound system,” he told World Music Views.
Just as sound systems like King Tubby’s and Coxsone Dodd’s laid the foundation for the genre in Kingston, high school freestyles have served and is serving as the starting point for the next generation of Dancehall talent.
With the rise of social media, these freestyles have now gone global. What was once confined to Jamaican classrooms is now shared worldwide, giving young artists a platform to showcase their skills. Several channels on TikTok and other social media platforms are dedicated to this art form, ensuring that the legacy of high school freestyles lives on.
