Women in dancehall are showing a united front amidst a history of rifts and contention in the genre.
While dancehall is famous for its rhythmic insatiability and influential sounds, it is also a community that has sadly come to be associated with a lot of infighting. Whether it be among male or female artists, there always seems to be some beef happening at any given time. Following an unfortunate history of people being pit against each other, some of the women in the dancehall community have come together to show that it’s possible for female artists to be great friends after all.
Love and Hip Hop Atlanta star Spice is still looked at as one of the top female dancehall stars internationally, and while she has stepped into different roles as a reality TV star and a host for her very own talk show, she never neglected the genre. It is because of this why the fan-proclaimed Queen of dancehall is still regarded so highly in the dancehall arena and why her undeniable influence still reigns supreme.
They say a picture says a thousand words, and with her latest Instagram post, Spice made quite a statement. The “Frenz” deejay shared an Instagram post of herself in the company of dancehall divas Jada Kingdom and Shaneil Muir. The three ladies came together at Gal Farm, The Houston Edition, an event in Houston, Texas, last night where Spice delivered a riveting performance that proved that she is still “Queen of the stage.”
In the photo reel that the dancehall star posted, the women who are seated on a bench appear to be commemorating a great night and an even better performance with a photo-op, looking radiant in their fashionable ensembles. In the caption that accompanied the post that has garnered over 100K likes in less than 24 hours, Spice playfully wrote, “Listen every one a the picture dem blurry cause dem 2 big woman yah couldn’t stay still. I never laugh so yet @jadakingdom @shaneilmuir unu nuh have no behavior #WomanPower #dancehallmusic.”
Jada Kingdom returned an equally playful comment, writing, “Dwl a who dem ppl yah???” she wrote. “Si how mi tell yuh sen mi di rawse pic dem an allllll noooowww!!!” the “Banana” hitmaker said in a separate comment with a series of laughing emojis. “So yuh really mean fi tell me say a really two good pic we get,” Shaneil Muir also commented, “love the vibes #WomanPower.”
Fans by the thousands took to the comments to show some love to the dancehall stars dropping off flames and red hearts in support of the ladies. “Love to see it!!!!” several fans commented. “My girls,” one fan wrote, tagging all three women, “love still a keep.” While a majority of the photos were unclear, like Spice said, it was still indicative of one hell of a night. One fan acknowledged this in the comments writing, “This giving me ‘hangover’ girls trip vibes,” she wrote, “the morning after.”
In a heartfelt dedication, one comment lauded Spice, Jada, and Shaneil for their hard work and talent. “Y’all represented Jamaica well. We are indeed proud. Three beautiful, hardworking and dedicated ladies. Please continue make us proud and never lose hope doesn’t matter how hard things might get. Keep pressing with God all things are possible. Talent over hype right desso,” the fan wrote.
It’s rare that we get to see women in dancehall showing some public love and support, and fans are hoping that Spice’s post will incite a trend. What has already ensued is the call for a music collaboration among the three ladies. While it would have been nice to see Shenseea, a part of the gang, her absence did not deter from the promise of unity.
As Sean Paul recently set out to show, dancehall should consider “collaboration over confrontation,” and the concept has become more and more prevalent. Perhaps Spice was the catalyst needed to break that stigma for the women. One thing is for sure, and that is we have a consensus – dancehall fans definitely want to see more of this unity in 2021.
