9. Runtown
Of the many dancehall-inspired singles out of West Africa in the last few years, “Bend Down Pause” by Nigeria’s Runtown has been one of the most widely embraced on this side of the world. The single, recently remixed for Trinidad Carnival by Walshy Fire and KickRaux with a feature from Machel Montano, makes a seamless addition to dancehall and soca sets with its instructional lyrics and general Caribbean-style flow. The video for the song, which was shot in L.A., even features Caribbean dancers like Belize’s Betty Rox and Jamaica’s Crazy Hype. Runtown previously collaborated with Laza Morgan on 2012’s “High On You” however, Caribbean sounds are just one part of his repertoire, as his hip-hop and R&B-indebted Ghetto University album attests.