Ninja Man, whose 'Protection' was one of Kilamanjaro's few production efforts. - Andrew Smith

For many, next week Thursday's Dancehall Night at Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest 2007, billed as the 'Xplosion', is another edition of the roughest, toughest night of the annual festival.

For me, though, it takes on added significance as this year marks a blend of generations that has not happened in many, many years. And this is because, finally, there has been a significant crop of younger deejays who have made enough of an impact to get prime-time billing.

It has been long in coming; on the heels of the Shabba era came Buju Banton, then Cobra, Spragga Benz, Merciless, Buccaneer, Lady Saw, Bounty Killer and Beenie Man. In the early 1990s, outstanding deejays were few and far between, certainly not enough to indicate a wave of change.

Sizzla sprang up in the mid- to late 1990s, Baby Cham started coming into his own at about that time, then past coming into the 2000s Elephant Man made his dancing mark and then Vybz Kartel waved lyrical.

On the line-up for next Thursday is that lyrical generation, for which Kartel and Assassin, who are on the Xplosion, are the blueprint. Munga Honourable, Mavado, Busy Signal and Aidonia are all there, along with Beenie, Bounty, Cham, Elephant Man and Lady Saw, with the Don Gorgon Ninja Man the sole holdover from the 1980s.

And, considering that he does not have a hit song (and, of course, he does not need one and has not had one of his own in some time), Ninja Man is presenting the lyrical and showmanship format that held sway before the demand was to repeat what is on the record.

It is, for dancehall, a landmark, maybe even defining moment. How the fascinating lyricism of the most recent crop of deejays to 'buss' will fare alongside the less complicated songs of earlier times is up to those who turn out at the Catherine Hall main venue next Thursday. I am willing to bet, though, that it will not be a competition so much as a display of how dancehall has developed since the early 1990s.

Because when Beenie and Bounty were feuding, some of those who will perform with them would have to have been in primary school.