7 Wizkid Songs with Dancehall Influence You Should Know

Wizkid’s music carries strong Dancehall influences, from rhythmic delivery to collaborations with Caribbean artists. Songs like Slow Down (with R2Bees), Ghetto Love, and Joro reflect the fusion of Afrobeats and Dancehall in his global sound.

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Introduction

When discussing the globalization of Afrobeats, Wizkid (Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun) is often one of the first names mentioned. As one of Nigeria’s leading musical exports, his career embodies the fusion of African rhythms with global genres. While Wizkid is firmly rooted in Afrobeats, his style is shaped by Dancehall, reggae, and Caribbean sonic culture.

Dancehall’s influence on Wizkid’s music is evident not only in rhythm and production but also in vocal phrasing, thematic choices, and collaborations. His catalog reveals how Dancehall aesthetics help frame Afrobeats for an international audience while connecting contemporary African music to its diasporic relatives in Jamaica and beyond.

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Which Wizkid songs have Dancehall influence?

Several of Wizkid’s songs demonstrate clear Dancehall influence, both in structure and delivery.

1. Slow Down (R2Bees ft. Wizkid, 2013)

This collaboration with Ghanaian duo R2Bees has one of the most distinct Dancehall cadences in Wizkid’s catalog. The off-beat rhythm, melodic phrasing, and use of patois-like slang echo Jamaican vocal styling. Wizkid’s verse blends seamlessly into a riddim-inspired instrumental.

2. Wine to the Top (Vybz Kartel ft. Wizkid, 2017)

This direct collaboration with Vybz Kartel, one of Dancehall’s most influential modern artists, confirms Wizkid’s embrace of Jamaican sound. The song merges Afrobeats melodies with authentic Dancehall riddim production, creating a hybrid that appeals to both African and Caribbean audiences.

3. Ghetto Love (2019)

Though framed as Afropop, Ghetto Love is infused with Dancehall rhythm and phrasing. The song’s beat pattern recalls Dancehall drum sequences, and Wizkid’s vocal style carries echoes of toasting with its melodic-spoken interplay.

4. Joro (2019)

Joro demonstrates Dancehall’s subtle influence on Wizkid’s modern Afrobeats. Its hypnotic, percussive rhythm and laid-back lyrical delivery are reminiscent of contemporary Dancehall ballads, blending sensuality with dance-ready beats.

5. Mood (with Buju/BNXN, 2021)

While primarily Afrobeats, the track borrows from Dancehall’s groove-oriented, spacey riddim patterns. Wizkid’s phrasing channels Caribbean melodic inflection, while Buju’s verse leans into a reggae-inspired croon.

6. Naughty Ride (ft. Major Lazer, 2017)

A collaboration with Major Lazer, known for their Dancehall-driven productions, this track is explicitly designed around Dancehall riddim structures. The result is an Afrobeats-Dancehall hybrid with global EDM appeal.

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The Role of Dancehall in Wizkid’s Style

Rhythmic Delivery

Wizkid often employs a half-sung, half-spoken delivery style reminiscent of Dancehall’s “singjay” tradition, popularized by artists like Beenie Man and Busy Signal. This allows him to shift fluidly between melody and rhythm, a hallmark of his international appeal.

Patois and Linguistic Influence

Wizkid frequently incorporates Jamaican patois into his lyrics. Words like “gyal,” “wine,” and “tings” mark his tracks with unmistakable Caribbean resonance, signaling an intentional blending of linguistic codes.

Production Choices

Collaborations with producers influenced by Dancehall (such as Sarz and Major Lazer) have allowed Wizkid to embed riddim-like drum patterns into Afrobeats frameworks. This makes his music both familiar to Afrobeats fans and resonant with Dancehall audiences.

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Beyond the Songs: Wizkid and Global Sound Fusion

The Dancehall influence on Wizkid should not be seen as superficial. It is part of a larger cultural dialogue between Africa and the Caribbean, rooted in shared histories of displacement, survival, and creativity. Wizkid’s adoption of Dancehall aesthetics is not imitation but reconnection — a recognition of diasporic kinship.

This cross-pollination has also boosted Afrobeats on global platforms. By incorporating Dancehall elements, Wizkid made his sound accessible to international audiences already familiar with Jamaican music. In the UK, where Afro-Caribbean diasporas intersect, Wizkid’s Dancehall-inflected tracks dominate charts and club spaces.

Furthermore, his collaborations with Caribbean artists (Popcaan, Vybz Kartel) position him as a cultural mediator, embodying the transatlantic synergy that defines contemporary Black music.

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Conclusion

Several of Wizkid’s songs — including Slow Down, Wine to the Top, Ghetto Love, Joro, Mood, and Naughty Ride — highlight Dancehall’s influence on his artistry. These tracks demonstrate how he uses Dancehall rhythms, phrasing, and patois to infuse Afrobeats with Caribbean resonance.

For Wizkid, Dancehall is not simply a borrowed aesthetic; it is a partner tradition, part of a diasporic conversation that reconnects Nigeria with Jamaica and positions Afrobeats within a global Black soundscape. His Dancehall-inflected songs testify to the ongoing exchange between Africa and the Caribbean — an exchange that continues to reshape world music.

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