‘Dancehall Nice’ with Beres, Shaggy, Dexta Daps

Three generations of artistes - Dexta Daps, Shaggy, and Beres Hammond - on the same track repping dancehall is being dubbed "historic".

The song, which is a production of Shaggy's Ranch Entertainment and VP Records, is aptly titled Dancehall Nice and Jay Will captures the energy and essence of dancehall in the music video, which dropped on the weekend.

An enthusiastic Shaggy told THE STAR that a follow-up to his and Hammond's one-drop hit collab, Fight This Feeling, was always on the table, "except this time I wanted to do something no one would expect, to have Beres on a dancehall track".

"Most of the new generation know Beres from his extensive catalogue of reggae and lovers' rock hits, but not many know that Beres has long dominated dancehall charts with popular hits with Buju Banton and tracks of his own. I see this as a return to dancehall and with Dexta bringing that young youthful style to the track, this is indeed a masterpiece and I'm very proud to be a part of it," Shaggy said.

On Dancehall Nice, Hammond steps up front with the opening verse, but he's not singing, and Shaggy explained that this was strategic.

"Because we all know Beres as a crooner with one of the most recognisable voices, I wanted to create an element of surprise, so having him singjay on the track was deliberate."

For Dexta Daps, the singer who is known for his sensual, and oftentimes titillating bedroom lyrics, there is only one word to describe this collab, "greatness". He emphasised that the mission, the plan and the whole goal is to be great.

"We are talking about timeless artistes ... Shaggy and Beres. The music is timeless and their work is just unbelievable. I don't think there's any generation of fans that wouldn't relate to these artistes and the work that they put in. And to be a part of it does something for me personally and obviously it does greatness for my career ... and to be a part of greatness is something really, really important," he told THE STAR.

Dexta Daps said that while he always wanted a collab with Hammond and Shaggy, he never imagined that he would ever be favoured enough to be on a track with both simultaneously.

"That's history now, you know? It was never planned. It was never in my thought, but it was ... it is ... definitely well received. Yeah, man."

Dexta Daps said he is ready to pursue more collabs like these, and so too is Hammond, who told THE STAR that this project was "versatile and exciting".

"I am always looking forward for new opportunities and looking to see more exciting projects. This collaboration brings three generations of Jamaican music legends blending classic reggae with modern dancehall. This fusion is expected to resonate with a wide audience and potentially have a positive impact," he said.

In an era where dancehall is dominated with gun and sex lyrics, which require "clean versions" for radio play, Dancehall Nice is the clean version and falls into the category "for the entire family". Shaggy is oozing with confidence about it being embraced.

"We are here to create art! I'm no stranger to going against the grain, I'm also not one to cookie cut. The track speaks for itself, it's well produced and arranged with great performances from all three artistes, all the elements needed to garner a hit," he said.