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July Reggae/Dancehall Fresh Picks of the Month: Royal Blu, Cham, Shemmy J, Teejay & More

Listen to 10 new must-hear reggae, dancehall and soca songs by Jimmy October, Elephant Man and DMP.

Last month marked one year since Vybz Kartel‘s release from prison after serving 13 years of a now-overturned life sentence for the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. In his first full year of post-incarceration freedom, Kartel earned his first Grammy nomination, covered Billboard, and mounted the biggest concert to grace Jamaica in the past 50 years. His whirlwind 2025 culminated in July’s Reggae Sumfest, where the dancehall giant was formally coronated as the reigning King of Dancehall. He received the honor from longtime friend and collaborator Spice, who was crowned the reigning Queen of Dancehall at Sumfest in 2022.

A few days later, Dezral made Lucian Carnival history with an unprecedented triple victory. “The Car,” his Jardel-assisted breakout Carnival anthem, took home Road March honors, adding to his Power Soca Monarch (“The Car”) and Calypso Monarch (“The Kaiso Goat”) triumphs. Notably, Dezral has won the Calypso Monarch title two years in a row. Ricky T and Hollywood HP’s “Freakout” placed second for Road March, while Calto’s “I Cry” claimed third.

July also featured the 15th annual John John Day (July 13) — a celebration of Trinbagonian music and culture in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Complete with a Sound of Music theme, this year’s John John Day featured a steel pan performance from Philadelphia Pan Stars and a tribute to Tokyo Steel Orchestra.

Naturally, Billboard’s monthly Reggae/Dancehall Fresh Picks column will not cover every last track, but our Spotify playlist — which is linked below — will expand on the 10 highlighted songs. So, without any further ado:

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