Not so fast! Music expert weighs in on Kartel’s picks for dancehall’s next king

Vybz Kartel has already started naming potential heirs to dancehall’s throne, but one music expert says the crown is anything but ready to be handed over.

Kartel recently singled out Masicka, Alkaline and Malie Donn as possible contenders to succeed him, reigniting the perennial debate over who has what it takes to become dancehall’s next king.

However, Dr Dennis Howard, ethnomusicologist and creative industries consultant, is urging fans to pump the brakes.

While he sees promise in Masicka, Howard is less convinced that either he or Alkaline has done enough to claim the genre’s most coveted title.

“I don’t think Alkaline cares much about any coronation or title. He seems comfortable in his own lane doing his thing. Masicka has the potential, but I don’t know if he is there yet.”

Kartel weighed in during last Friday’s episode of Entertainment Report, where he was asked whether he considered Masicka a possible successor whenever his own reign eventually comes to an end.

“Of course, as a young artiste, lyrics, he [doesn’t] have a problem with lyrics. Clearly he’s brave. He can actually DJ, which is not actually a requirement because, like I said, music will always change, the paradigm will shift, and you will have singjays and something in a little grey area that we have not named; but for now, he is one of the good candidates,” Kartel said.

When pressed to name other possible successors, Kartel added Alkaline and Malie Donn to the list.

But according to Howard, wearing the crown requires far more than a few hit songs, a devoted following or a big personality.

“They have to be very influential in the dancehall arena, plus have a good catalogue of songs popular all over, not only in Jamaica and the diaspora, but globally,” he said. And longevity matters.

“You can’t just become king because of a couple songs. You have to have consistency over an extended period of time, too. Some people have hit songs, but they’re not really that great as a DJ or a singer. Another thing that factors into being a king is the right flow. They also have to have some kind of uniqueness and distinctiveness, where people can easily identify them when they hear them.”

By those standards, Howard said dancehall’s history is filled with artistes who earned their place among the genre’s royalty.

“So you have Shabba, Yellowman, Beenie Man, who all qualify for the throne. But if there is a king currently then it would have to be Kartel as, hands down, he is the most influential right now,” he said. Kartel was crowned king of dancehall at Reggae Sumfest in 2025.

But Howard believes the ultimate decision on who wears the crown should never come from the artiste himself – it must be earned in the court of public opinion.

And when it comes to the blueprint for dancehall royalty, Howard points to Yellowman.

“Certainly, Yellowman is the template. He started with early dancehall and was more impactful culturally, too, because he single-handedly changed the perception of albinos in this country. One time, if you were albino, people would scorn you. Now they walk proudly, and nobody will mess with them. So Yellowman has a very special place in the whole thing; although he developed his style from Major Worries, he came and dominated long after Worries gone,” said Howard.

On the female side, Howard sees Spice as the current standard-bearer, but said the competition for the crown has shifted over the years.

“Shenseea is a singer more than a deejay, but she does have the fan base, the look and the influence. Young girls love her, and men love seeing her,” he said.

Looking back at a previous era, Howard pointed to Lady Saw, whose long run at the top was built on the strength of her music and her ability to remain relevant.