You don’t have to be an avid listener of the enigmatic dancehall phenom to know that Alkaline has had a tremendous 2016. The famous “Two thousand and sixteen” phrase at the beginning of almost all of his breakout hits such as Move Mountains, Touch You and Things Take Time had not only his supporters, but everyone affiliated with the music industry wondering what this young, vibrant and daring individual had up his sleeves.

He had us gripped and in expectation, which many viewed as a clever marketing technique to keep his young career alive. He even had a countdown to 2016 on his website that did nothing but contribute more to everyone’s curiosity as to what we could expect from the 22-year-old in the year of 2016.Try Again. Apart from releasing smash hits like Formula, Block and Delete, Afterall and Extra Lesson, it is his ability to capture the attention of the Jamaican audience and his clever lyrical intellect that allowed his music to be the focus of almost every individual and every music station on the island.

The question is, has Alkaline’s year lived up to his hype?

It is quite evident that the answer to that question is yes. He has been arguably the best dancehall artiste in 2016, consistently remaining at the top of the charts ever since his first single of the year dropped in January,

We have not seen such a musical domination by one artiste in recent times, since Vybz Kartel was incarcerated back in 2011. The veteran deejay was indeed the last man to dominate the industry on such a large scale and this was perhaps Alkaline’s main goal in 2016: to claim the mantle as the best dancehall artiste and take charge of the industry.New Level Unlocked. It was an instant hit. His project debuted at Number One on the Billboard Reggae Album Chart, (the first artiste to do so since Shaggy in 2000). The album, which propelled him into top spot in the Dancehall arena, included notable songs such as Conquer the World, City, Champion Boy, One More Time and Side Chick.King of Dancehall, which failed to rival Alkaline’s New Level Unlocked in terms of recognition and success. Many critics proclaimed the younger artiste’s album one of the best albums to have been released this year.On Fleek,  which to date has over 30 million views on YouTube. The deejay also received a MOBO nomination for the best reggae act of 2016 and though he eventually lost out to fellow dancehall artiste Popcaan, who himself has had a fantastic year, Alkaline still continued to dominate both locally and internationally. This year, the artiste also performed in a wide range of countries which included Europe, Canada, Belize and most notably the African nation of Gambia, where fans screamed his name. Some were even reduced to tears at the sight of the dancehall superstar.Champion Boy for the start of the 2016/17 season. The arrangement of lyrics by Alkaline on the dancehall riddim Fire Starta resonated with listeners beyond Jamaica’s borders and this no doubt helped to propel the league higher and aided in its mission to reach out to a broader, younger audience.12pm (Living Good).

Alkaline was also able to release his first ever album, entitled

To further point to the fact that Alkaline has cemented his spot at the helm of the industry would be his album’s huge success in comparison to Vybz Kartel’s

Alkaline also received the award for the best dancehall song of the year at the 21st Hapilos award show which was held in September for his single

Alkaline also became the new face of the Red Stripe Premier League by remixing his single

In comparison to other dancehall artistes, no one has attained more musical success than Alkaline this year.  He seems to be a more mature artiste, being extremely competent in when and how he releases his music. He also seems to have developed a more unique way of bringing across his style and showing his versatility, which can be seen in another one of his hits this year,

What Alka has done in 2016 perhaps marks the beginning of a new era in dancehall, where the former Ardenne standout will continue his domination on the industry. However, as any Vybz Kartel fan will remind you, he has a long way to go if he wants to be remembered as one of the greats.