Glossary
The language of dancehall
A growing reference of Jamaican Patois and dancehall terminology — sound system and music vocabulary, dance moves, fashion and style, and everyday speech. This is a living document; the archive will keep expanding it.
Bashment
Sound & Music
A dancehall party or event — also used more broadly to describe the dancehall scene itself.
Big Up
Everyday Patois
To show respect or give a shout-out to someone — often said live on the mic by a deejay or selector.
Bogle (dance)
Dance
A family of dance moves originated by dancer Gerald "Bogle" Levy, one of dancehall's most influential choreographers.
Bredrin / Sistren
Everyday Patois
Brother/close friend and sister/close friend — terms of community closeness with roots in Rastafarian language.
Browning
Fashion & Style
A term — with a complicated and sometimes contested history around colorism — referring to a light-skinned Black woman; referenced in several well-known dancehall songs.
Bruk Out
Dance
To dance freely and with full energy — literally, to "break out" of restraint.
Clash
Sound & Music
A competitive showdown between two sound systems (or two artists), judged on tune selection, exclusives, and crowd reaction.
Dancehall Queen
Fashion & Style
A woman recognized for her dancing skill and personal style at dances, sometimes formalized through dedicated dancehall queen competitions.
Dubplate
Sound & Music
A one-of-a-kind recording made exclusively for a specific sound system — often a custom version of a popular song with lyrics shouting out that sound by name.
Dutty Wine
Dance
A head-and-neck-centered dance move popularized by Tony Matterhorn's 2005 song of the same name.
Ediat
Everyday Patois
"Idiot" — a common, casual insult.
Everliving
Everyday Patois
A Rastafarian-influenced term emphasizing continuity and life, often substituted for words implying finality or death.
Forward / Pull Up
Sound & Music
When a selector stops a record early because the crowd's reaction demands it be replayed from the top — a mark of a tune's power. Also called a "wheel up."
Gyal / Bwoy
Everyday Patois
Girl / boy.
Ital
Everyday Patois
A Rastafarian-influenced term referring to natural, unprocessed food or living — by extension, something pure or done "as it should be."
Juggling
Sound & Music
A style of playing where a selector mixes multiple different songs built on the same riddim back-to-back.
Killer Tune
Sound & Music
A song that gets an overwhelming, unmistakable crowd reaction — often the tune of the night at a dance.
Log On
Dance
A dance move that spread widely in the mid-2000s, part of a wave of internet-and-technology-referencing dancehall dances of that era.
Nuff Respect
Everyday Patois
A strong expression of respect or approval — "nuff" meaning "a lot of."
Riddim
Sound & Music
The instrumental backing track. In Jamaican music, a single riddim is often "voiced" — recorded over — by dozens of different artists, each producing their own song on the same beat.
Seen / Zeen
Everyday Patois
"Understood" or "I agree" — a common verbal affirmation.
Selector
Sound & Music
The person who chooses and plays records at a sound system session — distinct from the deejay, who performs vocally over the music.
Skankin'
Dance
An upbeat, bouncing dance style associated with ska and early reggae, still referenced and performed within dancehall culture.
Sound System
Sound & Music
A mobile audio setup — speaker stacks, amplifiers, and crew — built to host dances; also refers to the crew or brand itself (e.g. Stone Love, King Tubby's Home Town Hi-Fi).
Swagger / Swag
Fashion & Style
Confident, stylish self-presentation — central to dancehall's culture of bold personal style.
Toasting
Sound & Music
Rhythmic talking or chanting over a riddim — the foundational vocal style that predates and underlies modern dancehall deejaying.
Unnu / Unu
Everyday Patois
"You all" / "y'all" — the second-person plural in Jamaican Patois.
Voicing
Sound & Music
Recording vocals over a riddim in the studio.
Wagwan / Wha Gwaan
Everyday Patois
"What's going on?" — one of the most common Jamaican Patois greetings.
Walk Good
Everyday Patois
A farewell meaning roughly "travel safely" or "take care."
Wheel Up
Sound & Music
Same as "forward" or "pull up" — signaling the selector to rewind and replay a tune from the start.
Whine / Wine
Dance
A rolling, circular hip movement central to much of Caribbean dance, including dancehall.
Yaad
Everyday Patois
"Yard" — Jamaica itself, or one's home community. "Yardie" refers to a Jamaican person, especially used within the diaspora.