Dancehall music was born and bred in Kingston, Jamaica. Sadly, there have been many comments in recent years that foreign influences such as hip hop and soca have taken root and may actually be on the verge of replacing dancehall.
The blame for this occurrence has been thrown around to multiple parties. However, it seems one person is finally tired of the complaints and is willing to do something about it. The original Dancehall Queen Carlene is looking to celebrate dancehall in a big way, and what better way to do it than with a huge road march.
The launch for the march took place last Thursday at 6 Cargrill Ave, House of Dancehall. Some very prominent names in the dancehall space were on hand for the launch, and all were dressed in their authentic ‘dancehall’ attire. The likes of Marving the Beast, Nikki Chromaz, DHQ Sher, and Shelly Belly were just a few of the big names from the dancing community. The event also boasted modeling from many persons such as Carlene’s very own daughter and juggling from some of Jamaica’s best sound systems. The event also proved the best place to get a first-hand view of the outfits available for the road march.
The original Dancehall Queen also spoke to Zip103 FM, where she mentioned that even though the format will take the shape of a road march, it has nothing to do with the Carnival version that takes place every year. She further mentioned that her idea is a way to celebrate the unique culture of dancehall and to give the music more room to grow by providing another platform for persons to express themselves.
Dancehall Queen Carlene is the original icon of the dancehall. During the 90s, she toured with her husband at the time Beenie Man, representing Jamaica and the vibrant culture of dancehall. During her heyday, Carlene helped to pioneer a lot of the outlandishly beautiful dancehall getups that are now celebrated as true dancehall fashion.
The movement has been getting a lot of positive reviews, but a few are curious to know how corporate Jamaica will react to the march. “Mek we see weh corporate Jamaica ago say bout this,” commented one Instagram user.
