Dancehall

Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that developed from reggae at the end of the 1970s and takes its name from the dance halls and sound system sessions where it is performed. It is built around the riddim: a single instrumental backing track, first recycled from classic reggae recordings and after 1985 usually synthesized, over which deejays deliver rhythmic, rhymed vocals known as toasting. Lyrics address dancing, sexuality, social conditions, and boasts, in a direct vernacular register. From its Kingston base the style became Jamaica's dominant popular form and a lasting influence on hip hop and global pop.