On this day in 2015, Justin Bieber’s “What Do You Mean?” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the youngest male artist at the time to debut at the top of the chart.
The song, along with Bieber’s massive hit “Sorry,” drew heavily from Caribbean-influenced Dancehall sounds that were dominating pop music during that era.
Years later, during an appearance on DJ Khaled’s The First One podcast on Amazon Music, Bieber had an opportunity to acknowledge Jamaica and Dancehall’s influence on those records. Instead, he largely glossed over Dancehall’s contribution, loosely describing the sound behind “What Do You Mean?” as “island music.”
“Sorry,” released on Bieber’s fourth studio album Purpose, was particularly steeped in Dancehall, from its distinct drum patterns to an accompanying music video that incorporated fashion, choreography and dance moves associated with Jamaican Dancehall culture.
The song’s success also reignited a longstanding debate among Dancehall artists and fans about international pop stars adopting Jamaican sounds while the culture and creators behind those sounds receive comparatively little recognition.
During his interview with Bieber, Khaled explicitly acknowledged Dancehall’s role in his own career before asking the Canadian singer about his influences.
“The record ‘Sorry’ has that Dancehall feel,” Khaled said. “I love Jamaica, I love Reggae, I love Dancehall music. There wouldn’t be no DJ Khaled if Khaled didn’t break out of Dancehall. It’s part of my story and who I am.”
He then asked Bieber directly: “What inspired you to make that record? Are you inspired by Reggae music, Dancehall music?”
Bieber replied: “So the answer is yes, I am inspired by really all music, but in particular I love island music. I love the feel of just the percussion. I am a drummer, and that percussion, it moves me and it makes me want to dance.”
“I want to make music for the world,” he continued. “I don’t want to get caught up being too isolated. I want to make music that impacts all cultures and all ethnicities.”
Despite being asked specifically about Reggae and Dancehall, Bieber did not name Jamaica or directly elaborate on Dancehall’s influence, opting instead for the broader “island music” description.
Sean Paul Called Out Bieber And Drake
The issue had already attracted criticism from one of Dancehall’s biggest international stars.
In 2016, Grammy Award winner Sean Paul called out Bieber and Drake while discussing international artists making Dancehall-influenced music without adequately acknowledging its Jamaican roots.
“It is a sore point when people like Drake or Bieber or other artists come and do Dancehall-orientated music but don’t credit where Dancehall came from and they don’t necessarily understand it,” Paul told The Guardian.
“A lot of people get upset and sour,” he continued, adding that he knew Jamaican artists who held similar concerns about Major Lazer.
Paul has, by contrast, praised Rihanna for the way she has incorporated and represented Dancehall in her music.
When Dancehall Became ‘Tropical’
The criticism was not directed solely at artists.
As Dancehall sounds increasingly permeated international pop music in the mid-2010s, major publications frequently used terms such as “tropical house,” “Caribbean-flavored” and “island” to describe records with recognizable Dancehall characteristics.
Rolling Stone initially described Rihanna’s “Work” as a “tropical house-flavored” track featuring Drake, while The Wall Street Journal positioned Bieber’s “What Do You Mean?” within the “Caribbean, beach-party vibe” of tropical house.
Vulture described “Sorry” as having a “Caribbean-flavored house beat,” while the Los Angeles Times called the record an “airy tropical-house banger.”
For critics of that terminology, the concern was that Dancehall’s Jamaican origins were being blurred just as its musical characteristics were becoming increasingly valuable in mainstream pop.
Writer Rasheena Fountain addressed the broader issue in her HuffPost essay Enjoy Dancehall Sounds, But Don’t Let Enjoyment Be Erasure, warning about what can happen when a Black musical tradition reaches mainstream audiences without its cultural origins receiving equivalent recognition.
“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,” she wrote.
Dancehall In The ‘Sorry’ Video
The music video for “Sorry” became another flashpoint.
Bieber himself did not appear in the visual. Instead, New Zealand choreographer Parris Goebel and dancers including members of ReQuest Dance Crew performed the now-famous routine.
Jamaicans quickly recognized established Dancehall moves throughout the choreography, including Gully Creepa, Muscle Wine and Cow Foot.
However, when discussing the choreography with Cosmopolitan, Goebel characterized its creation as spontaneous.
“The word that comes to mind is ‘spontaneous,’” she said. “Nothing was planned too much, not even the dancing. It was more like, ‘How do we feel on the spot?’”
After facing criticism from Jamaicans over the lack of acknowledgment, Goebel said she had “huge respect and passion” for Dancehall.
“I also didn’t expect us to also be judged of the colour of our skin, because to my understanding, dance is one love and I believe it is what brings us together,” she said in a Facebook post quoted by New Zealand publication Stuff.
‘Sorry’ Became One Of Bieber’s Biggest Hits
Released by Def Jam and produced by Skrillex and BloodPop, “Sorry” went on to become one of 2015’s biggest singles, eventually spending three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Its streaming success was similarly enormous. The song became the first to reach 100 million streams in the United Kingdom, while Bieber also became the first artist to simultaneously occupy the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 positions on the UK Official Singles Chart.
The era coincided with Dancehall’s renewed visibility across international pop, with hits including Rihanna’s “Work,” Drake’s “Controlla,” Tory Lanez’s “LUV” and Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” incorporating varying degrees of Jamaican and Caribbean musical influence.
Dancehall artists Vybz Kartel, Konshens, Busy Signal, Mr. Vegas and Kranium also recorded their own versions over the Skrillex and BloodPop-produced “Sorry” instrumental.
Bieber, for his part, told Khaled that his attraction to the music came from the way it made him feel.
“When you put on that type of music, if you are sad it uplifts your spirit and makes you feel good,” he said.
“I want to make music for the world, and for all ethnicities,” Bieber added. “Music that uplifts your spirit and makes you feel good.”
