Meaning
An early-1980s dancehall style in which a singer and a deejay trade back and forth over a warm, rootsy riddim, sharing the mic in easy call-and-response. 'Rub-a-dub style' also names the smooth, close, slow-winding dance done to it, partners rocking gently together. A bridge between the roots era and the harder digital dancehall that followed, rub-a-dub is remembered fondly as a mellow, sweet, communal sound, and the phrase carries the whole feeling of that gentler golden age of the dance.
Examples
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Di sound a play rub-a-dub all night.
The sound system played rub-a-dub all night.
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Singer an deejay a trade inna rub-a-dub style.
Singer and deejay trade off in rub-a-dub style.
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Come wind slow inna a rub-a-dub.
Come and slow-dance in a rub-a-dub.
Origin
An echoing, playful name for the style's warm, rocking feel, from the old rhyme 'rub-a-dub-dub'.
How it’s used
The bridge from roots reggae to modern dancehall, prized for its live, warm sound and its intimate slow-dance.