Ever since Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter‘ album dropped earlier this year, black musicians have been bravely revisiting their country roots. Not to be outdone, dancehall sensation Spice has announced her third studio album, “Mirror 25,” set to release on August 9, 2024 with the Country aesthetics including leather vest, hats and horse.
Alongside news of the album, she has released a second single and music video from the album, a country-inspired track titled “Round and Round,” featuring Busta Rhymes.
In an Instagram Live session promoting “Round and Round,” Spice proudly stated that she is the first dancehall artist to infuse the genre with country music. “You have never heard a real hardcore dancehall mix with country and mix with hip hop,” she declared.
Despite her claim, dancehall music and culture have a long-standing relationship with country music, dating back to the rude boy era. Many artists adopted monikers and themes from Country and Western movies, continuing into the digital era.
While none person could be credited for bringing countering music into dancehall, names like Josey Wales came from the iconic Clint Eastwood character from the film “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” Trinity got his inspired by the Spaghetti Western character Terence Hill played in “They Call Me Trinity.” Cowboy – A direct nod to the Western genre. Bounty Killer – Reflecting the tough, bounty hunter persona common in Westerns. Lone Ranger – Named after the famous fictional cowboy. Big Youth – While not directly a cowboy name, his music often referenced Western themes. Clint Eastwood – Named after the legendary Western film actor. Sherriff John Brown mentioned by Bob Marley was Inspired by the sheriff archetype in Western films.
Trinity, Cowboy, Josey Wales, and even Bounty Hunter and Bounty Killer reflect Jamaica’s deep affinity for country music and Western culture. Spice’s innovative blend of genres is a nod to this rich history while pushing the boundaries of contemporary dancehall music.
In 2021 Legendary Hip Hop superstar and film producer Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter acknowledged this connected and the influence of cowboy culture on Jamaican music, which motivated him to include Jamaican music in his film “The Harder They Fall” Soundtrack.
“When Westerns were super popular and the only thing on TV, they influenced the world. You had people in Jamaica dressing up as cowboys,” Jay-Z stated.
While not part of the film’s original soundtrack, Jay-Z noted that he possesses dubplates of country music from Jamaican artists. “These are the images they saw on TV. There are actual dubplates over Western music, and we have a few of those,” he said.
“The Harder They Fall” soundtrack features Jamaican Grammy-Award-winning artist Koffee, who performed the title track, and Barrington Levy. The film, stars Idris Elba, Regina King, and Jonathan Majors. It tells the story of an outlaw who, upon learning his enemy is being released from prison, reunites his gang to seek revenge.
Among the popular Country infused dancehall songs are Beenie Man’s “Ain’t Gonna Figure It Yet,” Josey Wales’ The Colonel and Red Rat’s Round and Round.
Red Rat was keen to state his Country contributions, stating that he did a similar song first, 15 years ago. Elephant Man’s 2004 song Jook Gyal remix featuring feat. Twista, Young Bloodz & Kiprich from his “Good To Go” album also had a Country concept for its music video. The song produced by Cordell “Skatta” Burrell on the Cooli Dance Riddim also has a version featuring Lil Jon and Bone Crusher.
The 1972 Jamaican cult classic film “The Harder They Come,” starring reggae legend Jimmy Cliff also embraced cowboy concept. As seen in Cliff’s character, Ivan Martin, adopts a cowboy persona during the movie’s climax.
Going even further back way before digital dancehall in the 1960s, music from Nashville’s country music scene reaching Jamaica from Tennessee radio stations WSM and WLAC, influencing the Island’s musical landscape for decades according to a music fan letter to Billboard in 1964. Several classic reggae singers have built their careers singing the covers of country songs like “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by Toots and the Maytals released in 1974. It is a John Denver classic and Toots also transforms “Jamaican Farewell,” a soulful reimagining of West Virginia as West Jamaica.
“Jambalaya (On the Bayou)” by Pluto Shervington blends Cajun country with reggae and calypso, offering a vibrant and fun take on Hank Williams’ tune.
“He Stopped Loving Her Today” by Beres Hammond sees Hammond’s country-soul vocals and bass-heavy instrumentation come close to matching George Jones’ mastery and “Is It Really Over” by Max Romeo (1972) has Romeo’s silky smooth vocals and walking bassline highlight his lovely rendition of Jim Reeves’ weeper.
“King of the Road” by Freddie McGregor is a modern take on Roger Miller’s hit features mandolin and fiddle.
