Bad Like Brooklyn Dancehall

Logline
A celebration of the Jamaican dancehall music scene that reverberated across Brooklyn in the 90s and its ever-present influence on a younger generation. Executive produced by Shaggy.

Synopsis
An entrancing cast of Jamaican and New York luminaries share their community story of building a cultural bridge between Jamaica and New York through dancehall. From the early pioneers to present day megastars Shaggy and Sean Paul, BAD LIKE BROOKLYN DANCEHALL creates a coherent account of dancehall as a New York immigrant evolution of shared Jamaican identity and cultural pride.

Director’s Statement
BAD LIKE BROOKLYN DANCEHALL started out as an interest in documenting Brooklyn’s present day dancehall scene and an exploration into how New York was once affectionately called Jamaica’s “15th Parish” for its high population of Jamaican immigrants. The idea came about through ongoing conversations between myself and longtime collaborator and friend Dutty Vannier, serving as co-director on this project, who has been photographing the local Brooklyn dancehall scene for over a decade.

When we began our research we found there was an opportunity and responsibility to bring attention to the layered stories we uncovered. There was an entire history and legacy that had been built and cared for by a group of Jamaican immigrants, and it had a visible, lasting impact on pop culture as we know it today. It was an underdog story, but we couldn’t understand why, given how influential dancehall culture has been to other celebrated genres, especially hip hop.

My ambition with this film has been to carefully mediate an untold story that illuminates a misunderstood Jamaican music genre, rising in popularity with younger people, so that all future generations will fully understand New York’s role in dancehall evolution. Many, like Shaggy, have been longing to see a film made that speaks to what dancehall has meant and still means for a New York Jamaican immigrant community and beyond. I wanted to create a rich multilayered story that draws on some astonishing veteran voices, before it is too late. One of the film’s key themes is exploring the meaning of cultural roots and how to keep them alive as an immigrant through participation in and production of dancehall music. As an immigrant myself, I relate deeply to this theme. I am fascinated by the role of music and dance in keeping culture alive.

Artistically I wanted to achieve a warm, relaxed, insider story that feels well signposted and clear yet also poetic, lyrical and moving. I use a mix of formal sit down interviews as well as verité moments and sumptuously interwoven rare archival assets. The tone is personal and informative. Everyone’s story contributes to the chapters of a larger extended visual and aural essay. The film doesn’t shy away from intricate specifics but it seeks to shape a tangible larger chronological historical sweep stretching from the 1950s, while reiterating emotive themes surrounding identity. Shaggy as our executive producer brings his own experience of living as a minority in the U.S.–shared with so many in the film–having immigrated to Brooklyn from Jamaica as a teenager.

Jay Will is a Jamaican director who often serves as a producer to international productions working in Jamaica. Through Shaggy and Jay Will’s involvement we were able to open the story up to include an aging generation of dancehall legends who played a significant role in New York dancehall evolution. This was critical to creating the cross-generational immigrant story I sought to portray.

Through music and archival footage is closely tied in time to each story told in order to heighten the sensory experience of the words spoken so that an audience unfamiliar with dancehall will start to grasp and even appreciate it. Another aspect of making this film is that it can act as a call to preserve culture, memory and physical archival assets surrounding this New York City based chapter of dancehall music history. This is a central prong of our outreach. Another ambition is to elevate Jamaican cultural heritage and pride. The film will become an enjoyable and rich teaching tool for a variety of groups interested in West Indian cultural heritage worldwide. But it can also function within the musicological and educational sphere as an introduction to immigrant music history in New York.

I feel very honored to have been a part of highlighting an undocumented cultural legacy deserving of widespread acknowledgement and celebration. My hope is that this film will help to crack open the door for other Caribbean stories to reach audiences globally.

About the Crew
BEN DIGIACOMO - DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, CINEMATOGRAPHER, EDITOR (A9NY Studio) Ben is a former Parisian and forever New Yorker whose passion for documentary filmmaking stems from a deep desire to visually explore complex identities within the constructs of nationality and culture. His lived experience as an immigrant to the United States has compelled his interest in the commonalities between all immigrant stories, as well as the more overlooked parts which are often present in the themes across his work.

His first feature length documentary BAD LIKE BROOKLYN DANCEHALL (Tribeca 2023) is the first recipient of The Gotham Documentary Award from the Decentralized Pictures Foundation, co-founded by Roman Coppola, Leo Matchett, and Mike Musante. The project was also awarded the Hyphen Grant for highlighting the cultural richness, complexity and quirks of the Caribbean-American experience, and received funding from The Better Angels Society through the Lavine Fellowship.

Ben’s early career has been defined by his quality work in commercial post-production and trust garnered from the leading advertising agencies. He founded the post-production studio ASSEMBLY9 in 2012, and established its premium nonfiction production arm A9NY Studio in 2018.


DUTTY VANNIER - CO-DIRECTOR
Dutty is a French photographer known for his electric images of dancehall culture across New York City spanning nearly a decade and candids of acclaimed artists such as J Balvin, Spice, Konshens, John Legend and Seth Gueko. He also works in the commercial photography space for brands and in video post production as an editor and colorist. He lives in Brooklyn with his dog Maya.


AMY DIGIACOMO - PRODUCER, WRITER (A9NY Studio)
Amy is a producer, writer and co-founder of A9NY Studio where she develops premium nonfiction works. She earned her chops as a field researcher in Kosovo where she co-authored a published collection of local stories about the landmark U.N. Resolution on Women, Peace and Security. She is the recipient of the 2023 Better Angels Society Lavine Fellowship, a component of The Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, for recognition in documenting America’s diverse stories. Having built a foundation in commercial production but following a passion for nonfiction, Amy now enjoys doing a deep dive into the stories that intrigue and delight her.


JAY WILL - PRODUCER
Jay is a highly sought after Caribbean director, with his signature “Game Over” stamped on over 200 music videos, known for his trademark energy and intuitiveness. He is a driving force in his native Jamaica, hailing from Spanish Town in the parish of St. Catherine, where he is credited with the wide scale enhancement of the quality of local production, and on a global stage as he works to support international productions in depicting true Caribbean lifestyles and culture.

End Credits

DIRECTED BY
BEN DIGIACOMO

CO-DIRECTOR
DUTTY VANNIER

PRODUCED BY
AMY DIGIACOMO
JAY WILL

PRODUCERS
AJ LEON
RAMFIS MYRTHIL

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
MICHAEL MUSANTE
LEO MATCHETT

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
JAMES COLE, JR.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
SHAGGY

WRITER
AMY DIGIACOMO

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
BEN DIGIACOMO

CAMERA OPERATORS
DUTTY VANNIER
YASSER SOUISRI
ARMEN DJERRAHIAN

EDITOR
BEN DIGIACOMO
POST PRODUCTION STUDIO
ASSEMBLY9

ADDITIONAL EDITOR
DUTTY VANNIER

ASSISTANT EDITOR
MATTHIEU LAMOUCHE

MUSIC CLEARANCES
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING, INC.

MUSIC SUPERVISOR
JUSTIN FELDMAN

MUSIC COORDINATORS
BEN CHERILL
CHAYA ZABLUDOFF

SUPERVISING SOUND EDITOR & RE-RECORDING MIXER
TRISTAN BAYLIS

SOUND EFFECTS EDITOR
JULIE HU
AI MIYATAKE
PETER RUSSELL

POST AUDIO PRODUCER
KEVIN WILSON

ARCHIVAL PRODUCER
AMY DIGIACOMO

ARCHIVAL COORDINATOR
ASHA SMITH

FEATURING:
SHAGGY, SEAN PAUL, BLACKA DI DANCA, PATRICIA “MISS PAT” CHIN, CLEVELAND “CLEVIE” BROWNE, PAT MCKAY, LEE MAJOR DE BOSS, LLOYD “KING JAMMYS” JAMES, BOBBY “DIGITAL” DIXON, ROBERT LIVINGSTON, MAX GLAZER, RED FOX, SCREECHY DAN, BOBBY KONDERS, DJ KOOL HERC, DJ GRAVY, LIONFACE AKA BABYFACE, TANISHA SCOTT, DING DONG, RICKY BLAZE, KORIE GENIUS, COOKIIE MONSTER, TARA RENEE, PHOPHO THE DANCER, DHQ VELVET