Editing Dancehall (section)

=== 1980s–1990s (The Naming) ===
If you read the archives of the Jamaica Gleaner Newspaper you will begin to realize the context written; there was a venue like the lawns where music was played and a style on the rhythms but it was different from what was being "projected" as Reggae and had no name until Michael Tomlinson head of InnerCity Promotion and Lois Grant(Partners at the time) staged an event that changed the culture titled "DanceHall" one word... Before this event Dance And Hall (two words) were used in Jamaican lingo; but it did not represent the music of the culture but rather the venue where music was played. Their promotion company through a series of concerts led to the then emerging music which they labelled, "DanceHall" with the year of its staging, creating a platform for artists to be seen and heard. From 1982 The team started a series called "Saturday Nite Live" at Harbour View Drive-In. Promoting one of Jamaica's finest acts alongside a US soul group. That year '83 it was Gladys Knight & the Pips that headlined the initial concert and the showcase also featured boxing presentations from Muhammad Ali. The tested events were so successful that the next step was to officially launch the name of the series "DanceHall."InnerCity Promotions was responsible for establishing and promoting numerous events which was significant because it marked the beginnings of the music's recognition as the "DanceHall" genre. Mr. Tomlinson triumph is one to share for generations as he opened the door for a new art in a sense to emerge from it beginnings. The journey began with massive opposition received from those who wanted to control the space of entertainment to journalist, radio and TV managers, some who refused to run the commercials or play the music to promote the DanceHall series. The series continued into the early 1990s, the team Michael "Savage" Tomlinson and Lois Grant played an important role in nurturing and promoting the young talents of the inner city and sound system culture. Through their DanceHall live concerts, many performers found a place to use their voice and make a mark due to the opportunities afforded by InnerCity Promotions.[26] This is from the International Reggae Awards special awarded honors(irawma awards).[26]

Sound systems such as Killimanjaro, [[Black Scorpio]], Silver Hawk, Gemini Disco, Virgo Hi-Fi, Volcano Hi-Power and Aces International soon capitalized on the new sound and introduced a new wave of [[Toasting (Jamaican music)|deejays]].<ref name="Barrow" /> The older toasters were overtaken by new stars such as [[Captain Sinbad]], [[Ranking Joe]], [[Clint Eastwood (musician)|Clint Eastwood]], [[Lone Ranger (musician)|Lone Ranger]], [[Josey Wales (singer)|Josey Wales]], [[Charlie Chaplin (singer)|Charlie Chaplin]], [[General Echo]] and [[Yellowman]] — a change reflected by the 1981 Junjo Lawes-produced album ''A Whole New Generation of DJs'', although many went back to [[U-Roy]] for inspiration.<ref name="Barrow" /><ref name="Thompson" /> He utilized talking over or under a "[[riddim]]" which is now known as the deejay's seductive chant, part talking and part singing.<ref name="britannica.com">{{Cite web |title=Dancehall music {{!}} Reggae, Jamaica, Culture {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/dancehall-music |access-date=2023-12-09 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Deejay records became, for the first time, more important than records featuring singers.<ref name="Barrow" /> Another trend was [[sound clash]] albums, featuring rival deejays or sound systems competing head-to-head for the appreciation of a live audience, with underground sound clash cassettes often documenting the violence that came with such rivalries.<ref name="Thompson" />
[[File:Yellowman backed by Sagittarius Band, Bersenbrueck 2007 -1 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Yellowman backed by Sagittarius Band, Bersenbrueck 2007]]
Yellowman, one of the most successful early dancehall artists, became the first Jamaican deejay to be signed to a major American record label, and for a time enjoyed a level of popularity in Jamaica to rival [[Bob Marley]]'s peak.<ref name="Barrow" /><ref name="Thompson" /> Yellowman often incorporated sexually explicit lyrics into his songs, which became known as "slackness." He did this to address his radical opinions on society through sex and politics due to the failed Jamaican experiment of socialism while under Prime Minister Michael Manley.<ref name="britannica.com"/>

The early 1980s also saw the emergence of female deejays in dancehall music, such as [[Lady G]], [[Lady Saw]], and [[Sister Nancy]]. Other female dancehall stars include artistes like [[Diana King]] and in the late 1990s to the 2000s [[Ce'cile]], [[Spice (musician)|Spice]], [[Macka Diamond]] and more.
<ref name="Thompson" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Oumano |first=Elena |date=September 1993 |title=Daughters of the Dance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IigEAAAAMBAJ&q=Sister+Charmaine+lady+g&pg=PT86 |url-status=live |journal=Vibe |pages=83–87 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008195005/https://books.google.com/books?id=IigEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT86&dq=Sister+Charmaine+lady+g&cd=1 |archive-date=2020-10-08 |access-date=2020-08-29}}</ref> [[Beenie Man]], [[Bounty Killer]], [[Mad Cobra]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Mad Cobra |url=https://www.slacker.com/artist/mad-cobra |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416081023/https://www.slacker.com/artist/mad-cobra |archive-date=16 April 2019 |access-date=19 March 2019 |website=Slacker Radio}}</ref> [[Ninjaman]], [[Buju Banton]], and [[Super Cat]] becoming major DJs in Jamaica.

With a little help from deejay sound, "sweet sing" (falsetto voice) singers such as [[Pinchers]], [[Cocoa Tea]], [[Sanchez (singer)|Sanchez]], [[Admiral Tibet]], Frankie Paul, Half Pint, Courtney Melody, and [[Barrington Levy]] were popular in Jamaica.

Nearing the end of the 1980s, Jamaican Dancehall artists gained a lot of appeal through their no-nonsense music. This expanded the genre's reach beyond the [[Jamaica|Land of Wood and Water]]'s borders. The main appeal of Dancehall was the music, and so it gained a lot of popularity overtime. Back in Jamaica hand-made posters were used not just to pull in would-be attendees to parties and dances.<ref name=":12"/> This process of making vibrant and colorful posters soon became an icon of the genre. It had helped in providing visual aesthetic of how Dancehalls had taken up the space and grown in the country.

[[King Jammy]]'s 1985 hit, "[[Sleng Teng|(Under Me) Sleng Teng]]" by [[Wayne Smith (musician)|Wayne Smith]], with an entirely-digital rhythm hook took the dancehall reggae world by storm. Many credit this song as being the first digital rhythm in reggae, featuring a rhythm from a digital keyboard. However, The "Sleng Teng" rhythm was used in over 200 subsequent recordings. This deejay-led, largely synthesized chanting with musical accompaniment departed from traditional conceptions of Jamaican popular musical entertainment.

[[Dub poetry|Dub poet]] [[Mutabaruka]] said, "if 1970s reggae was red, green and gold, then in the next decade it was gold chains". It was far removed from reggae's gentle roots and culture, and there was much debate among purists as to whether it should be considered an extension of reggae.

This shift in style again saw the emergence of a new generation of artists, such as [[Sean Paul]], [[Capleton]], Beenie Man and [[Shabba Ranks]], who became famous [[ragga]] stars. A new set of producers also came to prominence: [[Philip "Fatis" Burrell]], [[Dave Kelly (producer)|Dave "Rude Boy" Kelly]], [[George Phang]], Hugh "Redman" James, [[Donovan Germain]], [[Robert Dixon (musician)|Bobby Digital]], Wycliffe "Steely" Johnson and Cleveland "Clevie" Brown (aka [[Steely & Clevie]]) rose to challenge [[Sly & Robbie]]'s position as Jamaica's leading rhythm section.

The faster tempo and simpler electronic beat of late-1980s and early-1990s dancehall greatly influenced the development of [[Reggae en Español]].