Although summer technically lasts until mid-September, the Caribbean’s biggest stars came out to play throughout August, maintaining the momentum the region has accrued this year.
In addition to new albums from major reggae and dancehall players like Vybz Kartel (Heart & Soul), Mr. Vegas (Ghetto Reggae), Lila Iké (Treasure Self Love) and Jesse Royal (No Place Like Home), the soca scene got an eye-popping double co-sign for Full Blown’s globe-conquering Big Links riddim. On Aug. 15, Grammy-nominated R&B star Chlöe and “Shake It to the Max” singer Moliy remixed Yung Bredda’s breakthrough crossover hit “The Greatest Bend Over,” complete with a Carnival-set music video.
Less than two weeks later, the Caribbean’s biggest and buzziest artists hit Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre for the third annual Caribbean Music Awards, hosted by Majah Hype. Featuring performances by Iké, Elephant Man, Lady Lava, Full Blown, Maureen, the Caribbean Music Awards will air on Sept. 12 on BET. Additional appearances included lifetime achievement honoree Bounty Killer, elite icon honoree Busta Rhymes, humanitarian award honoree Sizzla, Spice, Shenseea, Serani, Mýa, Armanii, Buju Banton, Dexta Daps, DJ Khaled, Romain Virgo, Problem Child and Swizz Beatz.
Of course, the glory of August seeped into the beginning of September with Brooklyn’s West Indian Day Parade (Sept. 1). The Eastern Parkway-set celebration featured appearances from Moliy, Tina (Hoodcelebrityy), and even New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
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:
Freshest Find: Lila Iké, “Scatter”
To open her debut studio album, Lila Iké looked to reggae luminaries Peter Tosh and Garnett Silk. “Scatter,” a plaintive, Protoje-produced track that opens with crackling vinyl and Spanish guitar, is an incredibly immersive opener, thanks to Iké’s sample of Tosh’s 1976 song, “Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised)” and her incorporation of lyrics from Silk’s 1994 hit “Complaint.” In the chorus, she sings, “May all my enemies scatter before me/ Many try but fail if they come in my way,” a simple prayer that simultaneously grounds the album’s narrative of self-healing and consciously places Iké in the lineage of reggae’s foundational giants.
Mortimer & Zion I Kings, “Round & Round”
Jamaican contemporary reggae star Mortimer has one of the most enrapturing tones in the genre, and he puts it to great use on “Round & Round,” which features soulful roots reggae collective Zion I Kings. “No church can keep me out of heaven/ Pastor’s a sinner just like me/ Ten queens would be too much to manage/ One’s good enough, or maybe three, see what I mean?” Mortimer croons across a soulful mélange of bass, pick guitar, trumpet, trombone, flute and synths. With a message detailing the humanity that unites us all, even in the face of things like religion that try to draw false separations, “Round & Round” is a refreshingly honest ode to the human condition.
Ayetian, Govana & Nvtzz, “Wah Yo Deh Pan”
One of the biggest breakout stars in dancehall this year, Ayetian still has gas left in the tank. He could’ve layed low and let “Tip” continue conquering each island, but why do that when you can call up Govana and Nvtzz for a follow-up hit. Released at the top of August, “Wah Yo Deh Pan” has quickly cemented itself as Ayetian’s latest smash, thanks to both his infectious flow and USOJ, BlacksTheMan and Nathaneal Brown’s hypnotic production. “Ram putu nuh nyam putu/ She f—k Guzu, she f—k mi too/ She waa be wife, she not putus/ She ugly like a jankunu,” he spits in slightly staccato delivery before delving into the hook’s trademark “big batty gyal, wah yo deh pan” chant.
Hollie Cook, “Frontline”
“There’s a war in my mind/ I’ve been feeling a long time/ I’ve been losing di fight/ But my heart is on di frontline,” English reggae singer Hollie Cook coos on her new Ben McKone-produced single. Cook, the daughter of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook, sounds gorgeous here, her breathy falsetto playing nicely against the punky guitars and rollicking reggae groove. “I wrote this one about digging deep for self-love,” she wrote on social media. “And where one reaches to emotionally and spiritually for strength in times of need and sorrow.”
Mr. Vegas feat. Daddy U-Roy, “Call Tyrone”
Mr. Vegas, the voice behind timeless hits such as “Heads High,” is back with his new Ghetto Reggae album, and “Call Tyrone” perfectly encapsulates the gritty honesty the LP’s title suggests. Assisted by Jamaican singer and toasting pioneer U-Roy, Mr. Vegas builds on the uniquely comedic approach to Caribbean social commentary that he’s honed for the past three decades. “Mek him guh call Tyrone/ Leave di wukless bwoy alone/ Yuh want a real man not a clown/ A bad selecta pon yuh sound,” he rhymes over easy-rocking, brass-infused classic reggae production.
DJ Khaled, Vybz Kartel, Buju Banton & Mavado feat. Bounty Killer, Rorystonelove & Kaylan Arnold, “You Remind Me”
A longtime supporter of Caribbean music, DJ Khaled united some of reggae and dancehall’s biggest names — including Kartel, Buju, Bounty Killer and Mavado — as well as rising Belizean-Hatian talent Kaylan Arnold, to help jumpstart his latest album campaign. Built around a skeletal sample of Gyptian’s classic “Hold Yuh,” Khaled corrals his Caribbean posse for a nearly endless stream of verses that praise their respective special ladies. Titled, “You Remind Me,” the track’s instrumental leans a bit more pop than some might expect, but each artist delivers a different shade of reggae-rap delivery, from effortlessly flowing and toasting to harmonizing and crooning across the sun-streaked soundscape. If this super-collaboration doesn’t bring forth Aalam of God, I don’t know what will!
V’ghn, “POV”
V’ghn closed out August with the release of his POV EP — and the title track happens to be one of the project’s strongest offerings. “Me see the old, see the new/ Heard the lies, heard the truth/ Inna life ah nuh know nutting new/ Ah just the point of view,” he croons in the intro across laid-back guitars courtesy of Jay Weathers and Ruuben. Calmer than his road-ruling anthems like “Jab Decisions,” and less racy than the Tano-assisted “Bacchanal Lady,” “POV” finds V’ghn taking stock of his life journey so far, before delving into the Afrobeats, R&B and reggae that individualize his approach to Grenadian soca.
Skillibeng feat. Moliy, “Too Hot”
Skillibeng blessed Moliy with a remix that helped her score her biggest hit yet, so it was only right that the two reunited for another banger. “Too Hot,” a cut from Skilli’s nine-track International EP, finds the two artists delving into a sultrier, more R&B-informed sonic space. Skilli handles the first half of the Jack Hudson-produced song by himself, but once Moliy’s sultry, borderline breathless falsetto ushers in the second verse, it’s clear “Too Hot” is a very different intersection of the two talents from “Shake It to the Max.” Here, they trade the literal dancehall for the bedroom, and their chemistry pulls the whole thing together.
Jesse Royal & Melanie Fiona, “Too Late”
Grammy-nominated Jamaican reggae star Jesse Royal aimed high with his new No Place Like Home album — and that included a collaboration with two-time Grammy-winning R&B star Melanie Fiona. “Too Late” finds Royal and Fiona, whose parents hail from Guyana, connecting on a doo-wop-inflected track produced by Jatail Bellanton, Lord Quest, and Sean Alaric. Though it’s a duet, Royal and Fiona represent two different halves of a broken relationship, both perfectly content with this being the end of the road for their love. “You’re the reason why the love’s gone/ ‘Cause you deh pon the road, can’t pick up the phone/ I’m too bad to be left all alone,” Fiona sings in her rebuttal to Royal’s verse, her crisp riffs playing well against the deceptively bouncy production and Royal’s rougher tone.
Skip Marley, “In Our Sight”
The Marley legacy is alive and well in 2025 — and Skip, son of Cedella Marley, is certainly pulling his weight. For “In Our Sight,” the 29-year-old singer-songwriter aimed to deliver a message of perseverance to complement the Supa Dups-helmed classic reggae production, which features a familiar guitar intro sourced from Al Green’s “Love and Happiness.” “Side by side, victory’s in our sight/ We gotta keep on believing/ Don’t stop striving while our hearts still beating,” he declares with impassioned delivery.
