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Jamaicans will slow wine to Michael Bolton, scream the words to Celine Dion, and two-step to old country ballads like it’s the most natural thing in the world. That “soulz” section in a dance is more than a playlist, it’s a cultural habit with rules, memories, and a sound that a lot of people outside the Caribbean still don’t understand.

We sit down with Jess, a Jamaican TV producer based in New York, to talk about her new film project, Roots Rock Reggae and Soulz. She shares the moment she realised the rest of the world doesn’t treat these songs the way we do, and why a Sunday-night party in Kingston made the idea feel urgent. From the way Jamaicans “pick their own singles” to the strange magic of hearing soft rock and R&B ballads played all night, we unpack what makes this tradition feel so specific to Jamaican life and diaspora parties.

We also get practical about filmmaking and cultural preservation: what pre-production really looks like, why Kickstarter crowdfunding matters when the industry is slow, and how a short campaign video can unlock a huge wave of community support. Along the way we talk Jamaican radio culture, Sunday programming, reggae covers, and the country-western outlaw thread that quietly connects to dancehall storytelling.

If you’ve ever had a favorite “soulz tune” that only Caribbean people seem to rate properly, you’ll feel seen here. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a friend who loves a good slow jam set, and leave us a review with the one song Jamaica claimed as its own.

Links:

• Kickstarter Campaign
• Roots Rock Reggae Souls Instagram
• Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell

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