Ras Emmanuel makes strides with ‘Dancehall Forever’

As is said in Jamaican parlance, “big thing a gwaan (big things are going on)” for New Jersey-based reggae artiste Ras Emmanuel, who is creating waves with the release of his hot new single, “Dancehall Forever,” featuring DJ Lushy Banton.

The single, which is the lead song from his recently released album of the same name blends elements of old ’90s dancehall with the sounds of fresh, contemporary beats.

“The song is a strong endorsement of dancehall music, saying it is alive, healthy and doing well in opposition to a few reggae artists who were suggesting dancehall is dead,” Jamaican-born entertainment publicist Anthony Turner told Caribbean Life on Monday.

“Dancehall music lives forever, it doesn’t die because of these new genres of beats,” Ras Emmanuel also told Caribbean Life.

“It waa (was) Shaggy who recently made a statement about the original dancehall, saying it is no more; 99 percent of the people don’t agree with the statement,” he added.

Ras Emmanuel said his new single is doing extremely well in the marketplace, gaining radio, club and street momentum in multiple reggae markets.

He said it has become a favorite among radio listeners, especially on Jamaica’s #1 station IRIE FM.

“We are getting excellent feedback in Jamaica since the song was released this summer,” Ras Emmanuel said. “’Dancehall Forever’ has taken flight. It is now a viral song.”

“One of the feedback I got came from popular Irie FM Radio host GT Taylor from Jamaica who told me the song is bringing back the real, authentic dancehall vibes,” he added. “Popular MC Nuffy has endorsed the song, so too has social media influencers Special K and Mouta Massi.”

Ras Emmanuel said other stations playing the track include Rupie T and Richie B from RoadBlock Radio in the Tri-State Area; Bobby Konders on Hot 97; Silk Radio in the UK; Reggae Pulse Radio in Africa and other stations in Europe, the UK and the Caribbean.

Several prominent reggae/dancehall acts including Louie Culture, General B, Tifa, Terry Ganzie, Penny Irie, Lushy Banton, Determine and Jigsy King are featured on the Dancehall Forever album, which is distributed by VPAL/VP Records.

Emmanuel said that some of the songs from Dancehall Forever were recorded in Kingston, Jamaica and at Imark Productions in Maplewood, NJ, where Nigy Boy also records. The album was produced by Nasir Gowdie, Lawrence Gowdie and Mark Walcott.

Speaking about live performances, the St. Catherine, Jamaican-born singer has toured Australia, the UK, Africa, South America and the US.

He has a large fan base in parts of Africa, and has his eyes set on Europe and Africa for promoting his new release. He is booked to perform in Brooklyn on Nov. 23, 2024.