5. Nesbeth “Ole Gangalee”
Nesbeth is not a new artist by any means, but 2014 was a breakthrough year for the singjay from Kingston. Invoking dancehall artist Louie Culture’s 1992 classic “Gangalee,” he fashioned a “cultural” rudebwoy anthem that’s been getting non-stop forwards since it dropped in the spring. It might not have crossed over internationally as much as some of the other songs on this list but, few records elicited a bigger response from the core reggae crowd in Jamaica this year. —Jesse Serwer