Spotlight Artist: Spice

Spice, the Queen of Dancehall

Spice (née Grace Latoya Hamilton) is one of the most popular dancehall artists in the industry today (dubbed “Queen of Dancehall”). Originally from Portmore, Jamaica, she sang regularly with her church choir as a child. She originally sought to become an accountant but later decided to pursue a career in music. She began gaining popularity in her community through local DJ gigs, and made her official debut at Sting, a popular dancehall festival, where she impressed the crowd with her performing abilities. 

Spice truly gained attention with her collar with Vybz Kartel (fellow dancehall artist) on the song “Romping Shop”—the song gained controversy due to the explicit nature of the lyrics and was even banned from playing on the radio. Following this, she continued to gain a steady following and released several hits, even collaborating with popular American hip hop artists such as Jeremih and Kid Ink. 

Spice is one of the biggest musicians from the Caribbean to gain such worldwide recognition in recent years—her bold, vibrant videos and often sexually charged songs accumulating millions of views. However, behind the bold, daring persona, is a confident trailblazing woman, determined to pave a path for other people of colour and women. Becoming such a recognizable female artist in a male-dominated genre is no easy feat, and she knows it— stating in an interview “I applaud myself for the amount of females in the business right now. I (…) gave them confidence to step out.” Perhaps her most important moment came with her single “Black Hypocrisy”, which carries the message “to represent people with dark skin, and tell women they (are) beautiful.”

A confident, talented icon who knows she’s worked hard for her success and stands up for  her roots and minorities? We couldn’t be crushing harder! Plus, you just can’t help but “buss a whine” if any of her infectiously upbeat songs come on!

“Queen of Dancehall”, a title well-earned indeed!

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Source https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/music/spice-interview-dancehall-notting-hill-carnival-a4220071.html