Copyright billboard
Skip to main content Trending on Billboard Not much rocked the Caribbean in October like Hurricane Melissa. The historic storm made landfall in Jamaica (Oct. 28) and Cuba (Oct. 29), wrecked parts of Haiti, and caused heavy rain that resulted in fatal flooding across New York City. With a death toll of 75, as of Tuesday (Nov. 4), the devastation of Hurricane Melissa has spurred immediate action and support from some of Jamrock’s biggest stars. Shenseea, Beenie Man, Sean Paul and Spice have all documented their respective relief efforts via their respective social media channels, and, on Monday, Shaggy spoke with Billboard about what he saw on the ground in the immediate aftermath of the storm. “We got [to Jamaica] early enough to reach the people, because it took me around six hours to get from Kingston to St. Elizabeth in Black River, which is normally a two-and-a-half-hour drive at most,” the reggae icon told Billboard. “We had to chop [tree] limbs down, move things out the way, and drive through high puddles of [runoff], so we got there in the middle of the night. At that point, all we could do was pass water out, so we had to regroup and drive six hours back to Kingston. The next day, we went to the Junction side of St. Elizabeth, which took us four hours. The square itself was shut down. It was ground zero because it wasn’t livable anymore. Nobody could stay there.” In addition to Shaggy’s efforts alongside the Global Empowerment Mission, verified aid channels include World Food Programme, Project HOPE, GiveDirectly, American Friends of Jamaica, Food for the Poor and Friends of Caritas Cuba. In lighter news, Trinidadian soca star Mical Teja made headlines after he shared a picture with his locs cut off, A$AP Rocky once again stoked marriage rumors by referring to himself as Rihanna’s “loving husband,” and Chronixx returned with Exile, his first new album in eight years. Naturally, Billboard’s monthly Reggae/Dancehall Fresh Picks column will not cover every last track, but our Spotify playlist — which is linked below — will expand on the 10 highlighted songs. So, without any further ado: Trilla-G & V’ghn, “Take Me as I Am” Trending on Billboard if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { settings: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, playerId: '4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed', playlistId: 'b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); “Doh try to fix me, I not a house/ You want to trap me? I not a mouse/ Making noise, want to eat me; I’m not a souse/ You even want to beat me? What that about!” Really, Dominican superstar Trilla-G said it all in the first four lines of his “Take Me As I Am” remix with Grenadian singer V’ghn. The bustling bouyon track is an immediate standout from Trilla’s new album of the same name, which arrived on Oct. 22, and the remix finds V’ghn offering a smooth, melodic counterpart to the frenetic energy of Trilla’s verses. With production as groovy as this, courtesy of producers Fr3EzE and Dernz, “Take Me as I Am” is the perfect song to kiss off 2025. Chronixx, “Hurricane” Trending on Billboard if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { settings: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, playerId: '4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed', playlistId: 'b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); “In the eye of the hurricane/ I heard you whispered and called my name/ I am a witness of your quickness to rescue me, well,” croons Chronixx at the close of “Hurricane,” a standout track from Exile, his enrapturing sophomore studio album — and first in eight years. Chronixx likely couldn’t have predicted a storm as destructive as Melissa would strike Jamrock mere weeks after Exile arrived on Oct. 10. Still, the raw production and simple storytelling of “Hurricane” were borne out of a mind that has processed myriad forms of destruction throughout its lifetime. And that’s why “Hurricane,” and the rest of Exile, work so magnificently — Chronixx mines the past for parallels and connections, not merely inspiration. Lady Lava, “No Horn” Trending on Billboard if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { settings: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, playerId: '4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed', playlistId: 'b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); After ruling the year with hits like “Ring Finger” and “Bob the Builder,” Lady Lava is back with a new track destined to dominate the forthcoming Carnival season. Although it’s titled “No Horn,” Lava’s new wine-inducing banger sources its energy from the punchy brass and rapid-fire drums of its jab riddim. “I know how to mek di gyals a dem wine,” she proclaims at the beginning of Boogy Rankss’ infectious production, which is all but guaranteed to be a problem at Road March competitions next year. Pablo YG, “Fight and Lose” Trending on Billboard if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { settings: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, playerId: '4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed', playlistId: 'b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); For the third single from Key to the Century, his forthcoming debut album, Pablo YG took a microscope to Jamaican society. Produced by Yo Jani and Tevin Richards, “Fight and Lose” earnestly addresses corruption, violence, and the unfair blame lobbed at the youth for simply making do with the unsavory cards they were dealt. “Di youth dem so bad, get worse by the hour/ But people been a bad since Noah,” he reflects over a delicate trap-dancehall beat that begs for quieter moments of introspection. Romain Virgo, “Finally” Trending on Billboard if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { settings: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, playerId: '4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed', playlistId: 'b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); Hopping on Protoje’s “Feel It” riddim, Romain Virgo has dropped his latest in a string of standalone singles this year: “Finally.” Virgo’s signature smooth tone is the perfect complement for Winta James’ delicate riddim, and the breezy lovers rock-steeped production is the prime soundscape for reggae’s resident loverman to show out. “41 days, 42 nights/ 43 denies, 44 tries/ I must say it felt a kinda way/ But it was only you in my eyes,” he lovingly coos. KA$E & Hector Roots Lewis, “Hunting Season” Trending on Billboard if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { settings: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, playerId: '4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed', playlistId: 'b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); After joining forces on “Battle Cry” earlier this year, rising Jamaican reggae artist KA$E and Bob Marley: One Love star Hector Roots Lewis have reunited for their new “Hunting Season” single. “When I look inna the mirror/ All I see is a winner/ Through the cold cold time wi nuh shiver/ Jah send the message, we a deliver, the tribe a deliver,” Lewis sings over the heavy-hitting drums in the song’s second half, channeling the faith-based perseverance that courses through the genre’s most inspirational offerings. Bayka & Cjthechemist, “Baddie” Trending on Billboard if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { settings: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, playerId: '4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed', playlistId: 'b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); Cjthechemist’s “NY Girls” riddim is showing no signs of slowing down, with a slew of new remixes still in the tuck. For his latest reimagining of the hit riddim, Cj recruits Bayka, who decides to deliver an ode to the one “Baddie” he can’t get out of his head. “I mek yuh pull up at mi place fast/ I mek wi distrub di neighbors,” he promises in his trademark tone that sits somewhere between haunting and seductive. The slinky “NY Girls” riddim is infectious, but every new remix must meet a higher bar than the last to avoid oversaturation — and Bayka absolutely rose to the occasion. Mortimer, “Flowers & Flames” Trending on Billboard if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { settings: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, playerId: '4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed', playlistId: 'b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); For his take on Protoje’s “Feel It” riddim, Mortimer balances the instrumentation’s simultaneous fire and tenderness. “Baby, I’m here, even through your fire,” he croons, throwing in melismatic runs and ascending riffs throughout his lovestruck verses. For as deceptively simple as his vocal arrangements are on “Flowers & Flames,” Mortimer executes them with almost startling ease, making his voice the most interesting instrument in the entire mix. Umpa, “Plishay” Trending on Billboard if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { settings: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, playerId: '4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed', playlistId: 'b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); When Umpa steps onto a hot riddim, you must stop everything and listen. “Plishay,” the Lucian artist’s offering on the “Bwa” riddim, finds him channeling the hollowness of the DJ Lucianboy-helmed riddim’s hypnotic drums into a percussive chant that focuses more on keeping time for the dancefloor and then flaunting slick wordplay. As one of Dennery segment’s leading voices, Umpa is always good for churning out a fire new chune every few months. 1Ski OG, “RATATATA” Trending on Billboard if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { settings: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, playerId: '4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed', playlistId: 'b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); After reemerging with a new name at the top of the year, 1Ski OG has kept the party going. His newest single, the Dxntemadeit-produced “Ratatata,” finds him blending distinct dancehall cadences with a trap-infused beat that’s not too far removed from the glitchy sounds dominating the Stateside underground rap scene, making for a notably unique listening experience. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about? Get in the know on Visit Billboard Pro for music business news Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Powered by WordPress.com VIP optional screen reader Manage Account Billboard Hot 100™ Billboard 200™ Hits Of The World™ Songs Of The Summer Year-End Charts Decade-End Charts R&B/Hip-Hop Business News Record Labels View All Pro Songwriters & Producers Artist Index Royalty Calculator Market Watch Industry Events Calendar Billboard Español Cultura y Entretenimiento Crossword Puzzle GET ACCESS TODAY
