Spice name-drops possible dancehall successors
Queen of Dancehall says current crop of female deejays doing 'extremely well'
KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a moment of honesty that many have since labelled as a sign of true maturity, Queen of Dancehall, Spice has name-dropped a few of her fellow female colleagues as possible successors to the dancehall throne.
With Jada Kingdom and Shenseea having made the Queen’s list of future heirs, Spice believes dancehall’s future is in good hands with the current crop of female artistes.
“Next in line after me? Yuh have a whole heap a people. That’s a great question because back inna di days, there wasn’t no one that I could mention but there are so many names that I could mention right now,” she shared in a recent local television interview.
“We affi big up the woman dem inna music because there are a lot of females that are doing extremely great. So if you want me to name names, yuh affi talk bout Jada Kingdom, Shenseea, Pamputtae, Shaniel Muir. Everybody is super talented and doing great.”
When pressed on whether she believed the artistes mentioned could achieve the same global impact as her, Spice indicated that the present crop of female entertainers have been steadily building their international brands. She says they have the ability to become global dancehall superstars.
“Internationally, there are a lot of females that’s doing great. Shenseea, Jada Kingdom are doing great things internationally. When you go overseas, dem deh all over the world. The music space has a lot of potential when it comes to females right now,” she said.
Spice, who in the past had earned a reputation for being combative against fellow female artistes, was praised for her growth. Several users under the post of the interview shared on her Instagram platform, said the entertainer has entered a new realm of maturity with this latest admission.
“One thing Spice ago do a big up the females them. Love that and we all know she nah leave out her Jada enu,” one user commented. “At least you are humble enough to acknowledge that there is a next. Love you Queen,” another shared.
Successors aside, Spice also shared that she’s in a great space in her career and is excited about achieving 25 years in a hard, male-dominated industry.
“Mi start long time and I’m celebrating 25 years and that’s what I’m focused on, celebrating that milestone because that is not a small thing. That’s a very big thing,” she said using the post to encourage female entertainers to keep pushing.
“Big up to all the women in the dancehall fraternity, even the names I didn’t mention. My love for females in the business goes far beyond who I think is next. I’ve walked it, I’ve been through it, since I was 14 or 15. I don’t remember, but I know it’s not easy. So just keep going, you got this.”
—