After decades of being unable to physically connect with their fan base in the United States due to visa revocations, several of dancehall’s pioneers have once again been given the green light to travel the 50 states.

Buju Banton, Sizzla Kalonji, Beenie Man, Vybz Kartel, and Bounty Killer have all had their US visas reinstated recently.

With the US market undoubtedly being one of the biggest and most lucrative for many of Jamaica’s artistes, the news has sparked excitement among fans and high expectations for the genre.

According to several industry insiders, this recent accessibility to travelling opportunities across the US will boost the industry as it fuels an inevitable increase in dancehall’s global consumption.

For his part, internationally renowned producer Cordell “Skatta” Burrell said: “We have to give it up to the US immigration authorities, because no one would ever think that under the Government of [Donald] Trump we would be seeing so many visas being [re-]issued to our artistes. Whatever the reasons for them being revoked, it impacted the careers of these artistes. This now is a step in the right direction in ensuring that these stalwarts get the opportunity to not only earn well-deserved income once more, but to ensure the message of dancehall and reggae is spread across the globe.”

Burrell, who has been travelling alongside Vybz Kartel since his US Visa was reinstated, said this trend could usher in a monumental shift in the industry as far as growth for the genre is concerned.

“People love to talk ill of dancehall and dancehall artistes, and so a move like this is a good look for the culture. We’re talking about pioneers of the genre getting the opportunity to once again connect with their US fan base for the first time in more than a decade. That is monumental,” he said. “The way persons on the international circuit reacted to the news of these acts getting the chance to travel again just goes to show what dancehall has been deprived of for the past few years.The fact that these artistes have been granted their ‘wings’ right now, the possibilities for growth in the industry are endless right now.”

Burrell shared that gone are the days when dancehall acts were only able to fill small nightclub spots and underground venues in certain states. The producer said dancehall acts are global phenoms capable of headlining their own shows and filling out international arenas.

“Today… promoters have been incorporating dancehall acts on major platforms like Rolling Loud or Coachella and it has proven that dancehall acts can hold their own on big stages. Then we see acts like Buju Banton headlining his own sold-out shows in huge arenas. Vybz Kartel is about to do the Barclays Centre two nights in a row and tickets were sold out in less than 24 hours. Barclays is a 15,000/16,000 venue. That is a huge accomplishment for any dancehall act, and this is what dancehall needs to move forward.”

Agreeing with Burrell, popular artiste manager and music industry executive Julian Jones-Griffith shared that, while many of dancehall’s top acts faced with travel restrictions sought to make the best of an unfortunate situation, the US market is their biggest money-maker and as such the visa revocations dealt huge blows to their careers. He said the reinstatements will mean a lot.

“[T]his is a game changer in terms of the chance to earn revenue from shows. The ‘return’ events also come with a bigger impact and a chance to command a higher fee, as demand will be very high for the first shows back in the US naturally,” he said, outlining that dancehall has a huge opportunity to not only re-emerge but to dominate the US market once more.

“You used to look at a list of options for promoters and stage shows and it was bleak, but this is great for everyone. A rising tide lifts all boats. It means stage shows will be able to flourish again where they were once starved of a diversity of artistes to choose from,” Jones-Griffith continued.

Like his colleagues, Raymond “Shadow” Small, director of communications for Prism Marketing Consultants, whose clientèle includes a number of top reggae and dancehall artistes, believes the US visa reinstatement will allow the genre to reach new heights.

“With the reinstatement of US visas for these legendary artistes, we’re witnessing a transformative moment for reggae and dancehall,” he said. “This not only opens doors for increased global exposure but also positions the genre to reach new heights, in terms of fan engagement, live performances and digital streams, ensuring that Jamaican music continues to grow its influence on the international stage,” said Small.