dancehall Patois words
20 entries
- Bad man A tough, fearless man — depending on tone, either a genuine gangster figure or, in the fli…
- Big up To praise, celebrate or publicly give respect to someone. Used as a verb (to big up a pers…
- Bruk out To let go and dance freely and wildly, holding nothing back; also, more broadly, to break …
- Buss a wine To break into a hip-rolling dance — literally to 'burst' a whine. It is an invitation or a…
- Clash A musical battle between two or more sound systems, or between deejays, where each side tr…
- Deejay In Jamaica, the performer who chats or toasts rhythmically over a riddim — closer to what …
- Dubplate An exclusive, custom recording made for one sound system, in which an artist re-sings a hi…
- Lyrics Beyond song words, in Jamaican slang 'lyrics' means smooth talk or a chat-up line — the ch…
- Mash up di place To give a thrilling performance that sends the crowd into a frenzy — to 'tear up' the venu…
- Nice up di dance To liven up the party and make the vibe sweet — to bring good energy so everyone enjoys th…
- Pull up To stop a song abruptly and restart it, at the crowd's demand, because a track is hitting …
- Riddim The instrumental backing track of a reggae or dancehall song — the bass, drums and melody …
- Selector The person on a sound system who chooses and plays the records — the equivalent of what mu…
- Session A dancehall event or party where a sound system plays through the night. A session is the …
- Skank To dance to ska, reggae or dancehall with a loose, bent-forward, arm-swinging step; also t…
- Sound system A mobile setup of powerful speakers, amplifiers, selectors and deejays that brings recorde…
- Toasting Chatting or half-singing rhythmically over a riddim — the Jamaican vocal style, dating fro…
- Tun up Lively, hyped and full of energy — used for a party, a tune or a person that is at full ex…
- Wheel up To rewind and replay a song from the start because the crowd loves it. In dancehall a whee…
- Whine To dance by rolling and gyrating the hips and waist in slow circles — the signature moveme…