August Reggae/Dancehall Fresh Picks of the Month: Ayetian, Lila Iké, Skillibeng, DJ Khaled & More

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: