High School Freestyles: The Unsung Institution of Dancehall Culture - World Music Views

High School Freestyles: The Unsung Institution of Dancehall Culture - World Music Views

Imagine a group of teenagers huddled around school desks or a tree, tapping and banging out beats with the rhythm of their hands. This isn’t just noise; it’s the heartbeat of Dancehall culture, without amplifiers and in its rawest form. Dancehall originated in Kingston’s inner-city communities, where sound systems and freestyles were born in the late 50s. Just like track and field have championships, in high schools across Jamaica, desks became …