Dancehall - Beth Lesser

Dancehall is at the centre of Jamaican musical and cultural life. From its roots in Kingston in the 1950s to its heyday in the 1980s, Dancehall has conquered the globe, spreading to the USA, the UK, Canada, Japan and beyond. This is its definitive story. The book features hundreds of exclusive photographs and accompanying text that capture a previously unseen era of musical culture, fashion and lifestyle. Dancehall is a culture that encompasses music, fashion, drugs, guns, art, community, technology and more. Born in the 1950s out of the neighbourhood jams of Kingston, Dancehall grew to its height in the 1980s before a massive influx of drugs and guns made the scene too dangerous for many. Beth Lesser's book tells this story from its roots to its heights. Living in Jamaica in the late 1970s/early 1980s, she photographed and documented a cultural explosion as producers, singers, DJs and soundmen made a living out of the slums of Kingston. In the early 1980s, as Jamaica was in the throes of political and gang violence, Beth Lesser ventured where few others dared and this book is a never-before-seen record of the exciting, dangerous and vibrant world of Dancehall.