Dancehall In Japan

Japanese Dancehall Queens

In the late 1990s to early 2000s, many of Jamaica's Reggae toured Japan as they were in very high demand as the Reggae fever spread like wildfire across the country.

Since then the tables have turned to where homegrown stars now outshine their Jamaican peers.

Dancehall in Japan is not only about the music per say, as they have also adopted the Sound System Culture along with the very popular Dancehall Queen competition.

One of the top sound system presently (2018) clashing is Mighty Crown which is from Japan.   There is also the  FUJIYAMA SOUND SYSTEM  which was founded in the country of Aichi, Japan by Aki, Uru, and Ruff in 1994.

Japanese dancehall dancer Junko Kudo was the first non-Jamaican to win the coveted dancehall queen title in Montego Bay, Jamaica 2002. Since then dancers from Japan are regularly entered into the competition.

One of the world's most successful festival is the annual Reggae Japansplash which was started in 1985. The festival which caters to only dancehall and Reggae music was was Japan’s longest-running non-jazz summer music festival until 2002. Two of the biggest headliners to ever performed on the festival are sister Marcia Griffiths and the late cool ruler Gregory Issacs.  One of Jamaica's fastest Reggae Band Live Wire and Junior Kelly has also graced the stages at Reggae Japansplash.

Some of the most successful and popular dancehall artist from Jamaica in Japan are Baby Cham, Sean Paul, Elephant Man, Beenie Man and Chino & Stephen McGregor.

There are a number of homegrown Dancehall stars like female artist Pushim, that sell hundreds of thousands of records worldwide.

List of Top Japanese Dancehall artists

• Bamiuda
• Rudebwoy Face
• Manji Line
• Corn Head
• Mighty Jam Rock
• Rankin Taxi
• Bigga Raiji
• Nahki
• Pang
• Hibikilla
• Metis
• Megaryu
• Junior Dee
• Moomin
• Papa B
• Miss Monday
• Pushim
• Minm
• Lecca
• Ng Head
• Nanjaman
• Munehiro
• Ryo The Skywalker
  

For more information please also see Japanese dancehall Jamaican's Music in the East".