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Top 25 Reggae albums of the decade

The top 25 reggae albums for this decade — which ends December — was dominated by Shaggy but other dancehall artistes ranked highly, according to a list compiled by Splash.

Topping the list was Shaggy’s 2000 release Hot Shots which sold over ten million copies and was amongst the most sucessful albums of the decade. Matisyahu was second, but he also made the top 25 three times. Shaggy, Sean Paul, Sizzla, Beenie Man, UB40 and Damian Marley each made the list twice.

Music rankings are always controversial but Splash arrived at the findings, not by public opinion, but by analysing Billboard Reggae Album charts between 2000 to 2009 and ranked albums in order of weeks charted. Chart longevity indicated that the albums were not only popular but had that timeless quality as sales continued well beyond their release dates.

One caveat was that Billboard did not reflect the Jamaican pop charts, as such some breakthrough albums did not make the cut, including Vybz Kartel’s Up 2 Di Time, Baby Cham’s Ghetto Story, Lee Scratch Perry’s 2002 Grammy winning album Jamaican ET, Richie Spice’s Spice in Your Life and I-Wayne’s Lava Ground. Also missing from the top 25 was Kevin Lyttle’s gold-selling, self-titled album and Elephant Man’s Good 2 Go which ranked 27 and 28, respectively. The charts still gave insight into top albums of the decade due to the size of the North American market and its influence on global sales.

Ranking includes:

1. Shaggy’s Hotshots (MCA) which completely transcended the reggae charts and charted 84 weeks on Billboard 200 and peaked at number 1. It was produced by Jimmy Jam, Tony Kelly, Terry Lewis, Robert Livingston, Shaggy, Christopher Birch, Gordon Dukes and Shaun “Sting Int’l” Pizzonia;

2. Matisyahu’s Live at Stubbs (Sony) which charted for 208 and 26 weeks on Reggae Albums and Billboard 200, respectively and was produced by Michael Caplan and Angelo Montrone;

3. Damian Marley’s Half Way Tree (Motown Records) which charted 158 weeks on Reggae Albums, produced by David Cole, Stephen Marley, Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley and Kid Nyce;

4. Mr Lover Lover: The Best of Shaggy, Part 1 (Virgin) which charted 130 weeks and was produced by Lynford ‘Fatta’ Marshall, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Robert Livingston, Collin ‘Bulbie’ York, Sting International and Shaun ‘Sting Int’l’ Pizzonia;

5. Sean Paul’s Dutty Rock (VP) which charted 105 and 85 weeks on the Reggae Albums and the Billboard 200 respectively;

6. Damian Marley’s Welcome to Jamrock (Tuff Gong) which charted for 105 and 34 weeks on the Reggae Albums and the Billboard 200 respectively, produced by Stephen Marley, Damian “Junior Gong” Marley;

7. Sean Paul’s The Trinity (Atlantic) which charted for 104 and 52 weeks on the Reggae Albums and the Billboard 200, respectively, and was produced by Steven ‘Lenky’ Marsden, Jeremy Harding, Marlon Cooke, Jason ‘Jigzagula Jason’ Henriques, Craig Parks, Donovan ‘Vendetta’ Bennett, Lionel Bermingham, Delano Thomas, Elijah Wells, Dwayne ‘Supa Dups”’ Chin Quee, Omari Stines, Michael ‘Factor’ Jarrett;

8. Scrolls of the Prophet: The Best of Peter Tosh, which charted for 104 weeks and was produced by Bruce Dickinson, Clement “Coxsone” Dodd, Peter Tosh, Robbie Shakespeare;

9. Bob Marley’s Gold which charted for 104 weeks it was produced by by Bob Marley, Steve Smith, Chris Blackwell, Errol Brown, Ingmar Kiang, Lee Scratch Perry, Alex Sadkin, The Wailers, Trevor Wyatt;

10. The Very Best of UB40 1980-2000, which charted for 103 weeks, produced by UB40, Ray Falconer, Howard Gray and Gerry Parchment;

11. Matisyahu’s Youth (Columbia), which charted 96 and 19 weeks on the Reggae Albums and the Billboard 200 respectively. It was produced by Bill Laswell and Jimmy Douglass;

12. Beenie Man’s Art and Life (Virgin), which charted for 84 and 20 weeks on the Reggae Albums and the Billboard 200, respectively, and was produced by Tony Kelly, Salaam Remi, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo.

13. Stephen Marley’s Mind Control (Tuff Gong), which charted for 78 and 6 weeks on the Reggae Albums and Billboard 200, and was produced by Paul Fakhourie, Stephen Marley, Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley and Julian Marley;

14. Collie Buddz self-titled album (Columbia) which charted for 78 and 3 weeks on the Reggae Albums and the Billboard 200, respectively, it was produced by Tony Kelly, Screwface, Stephen McGregor, Curtis Lynch, Jr, Dwayne “Supa Dups” Quee, Collie Buddz and M. “Khan” Chin;

15. Ky-Mani Marley’s Radio (AAO Music) which charted for 78 weeks. It was produced by Winston Thomas, Mark Sparks, Ky Miller, Danny Schofield ‘Styles’, Larry ‘Kalid’ Chu, Jason ‘J Vibe’ Farmer and Alex ‘Lex’ Francis;

16. The Journey: The Very Best of Sizzla (Greensleeves), which charted for 76 weeks on the Reggae Albums chart and was released in 2008;

17. Shaggy’s Lucky Day (MCA), which charted for 69 and 13 weeks on the Reggae Albums and Billboard 200;

18. Skindred’s Babylon (RCA), charted for 67 and 3 weeks on the Reggae Albums and the Billboard 200, respectively. It was produced by Howard Benson, Jason Bieler, Skindred.

19. UB40 Greatest Hits (Virgin) charted for 61 weeks and was produced by UB40, Charlie Skarbek, Dan Armstrong, Ray Falconer, Howard Gray, Gerry Parchment and Danny Canaan;

20. Matisyahu’s No Place to Be (Epic) charted for 59 weeks and was produced by Bill Laswell, Robbie and Sly;

21. Mavado’s Gangsta for Life (Hardwax) charted for 58 weeks and was produced by Johnny Wonder, Bobby ‘Digital’ Dixon, Dane “Fire Links” Johnson, Michael ‘ZJ Liquid’ Brissett, Delroy ‘Delly Ranx’ Foster;

22. Beenie Man’s Tropical Storm (Virgin) charted for 56 and 9 weeks on the Reggae Albums and Billboard 200, respectively. It was produced by Dave Kelly, Sly Dunbar, Anthony Kelly, Matt Serletic, Irv Gotti, Stargate, The Neptunes, AC Burrell and W Passley;

23. Ziggy Marley’s Dragonfly (RCA Victor), charted 55 and 8 weeks on Reggae and Billboard 200, respecitively. It was produced by Ross Hogarth, Scott Litt and Ziggy Marley;

24. Sizzla’s Da Real Thing (VP), which included Thank you Mama and other classics, charted for 51 weeks. It was produced by Bobby Digital and Bobby Dixon; and

25. Buju Banton’s Friends for Life (Atlantic/VP) charted for 50 and 11 weeks on the Reggae and R&B hip hop charts, produced by Dalton Browne, Clevie, Sly Dunbar, Donovan Germain, Mark Myrie, S Stewart, Steven ‘Lenky’ Marsden, Cleevie, Steelie, Jammy ‘Jam Two’ James, Cool & Dre.

Source - The Jamaica Observer

Sean Paul - Press it Up

Check out the new single from Sean Paul off his new Imperial Blaze Album

Sean Paul Debuts at # 1

Sean Paul might be in Switzerland, but that won't stop his fourth studio album, Imperial Blaze from continuing to blaze fire on the Billboard charts in the US. The album, his first in four years, has debuted at #1 on the Billboard Rap Album charts, toppling the likes of Eminem, Fabolous and Twista to top the charts.

Sean Paul is also sitting comfortably atop the Billboard Reggae Album Charts, ahead of a Bob Marley compilation, Ziggy Marley's Family Time, and VP Record's Reggae Gold.

This is his first time atop the rap album charts, and his second time on the Billboard Rap Album charts overall as his third studio album, The Trinity, peaked at #3 on the rap charts in 2005. It is also the first time a Jamaican artiste is topping that chart.

Imperial Blaze is heading for international success, debuting it debuted at #1 when it was released in the dancehall-hungry Asian nation of Japan last week, selling upwards of 50,000 copies in its first week. He topped the Oricon Weekly International Album Sales chart, the first time he has done so, and is holding his own on the Billboard Canadian Albums, France Albums, and European Albums with positions #5, #8, and #20 respectively. It is has also been certified Gold in France.

Aside from those charts, Imperial Blaze is also #3 on the R&B/Hip Hop Album Charts, #12 on the Billboard 200, and #9 on the Digital Downloads charts.

The platinum-selling dancehall superstar, hailed by Essence.com - the online outfit of the popular North American publication Essence Magazine - as the "dancehall king", is now celebrating his first time atop the competitive rap charts.

"Anytime a song or an album makes it on a chart I get excited, and now to be able to top the Billboard Top Rap Album charts is something that I'm especially excited about. Not because it's the Billboard charts, but because it's a dancehall album. It's made in Jamaica by Jamaicans. So I didn't top the Billboard Rap Album Charts, Jamaica did," said Sean Paul from Switzerland.

Source - Headline Entertainment

Imperial Blaze

After four years, Sean Paul is back. From the dapper black and white outfit on the album cover, to the more diverse lyrical content and flow, deejay Sean Paul has shown that he hasn't spent the last four years since the release of The Trinity in 2005 sitting around twiddling his thumbs. The artiste's fourth much-anticipated album, Imperial Blaze, showcases Sean's formula for cross-over success with catchy dance-oriented songs, but also his desire to expand his style.

Known for bridging the gap between dancehall and mainstream American pop, it is undeniable that Sean Paul has a heavy burden to bear. For any pop artiste, four years is a long time without an album, but unlike other artistes, Sean Paul doesn't pack the album with collaborations with big names to grab attention - he instead stands alone. Dancer-turned-deejay Chi Ching Ching opens the album with his usual slick rhymes with a heavy rock guitar strumming in the background. Chi Ching Ching hypes up the album boldly declaring, "Imperial bebble right now. Yuh know what bebble mean? It mean Sean Paul sharp. Yuh know what sharp mean? It mean Imperial is a razor. yuh know what razor mean? It mean Imperial is a good cut. Sean Paul suit cut ... . Imperial Blaze bad, eeh."

From the second track, Lace It, on talented young producer Stephen 'Di Genius' McGregor's 'Day Rave' rhythm, it is obvious that a lot of Imperial Blaze is all about the girls. A slew of club dance songs, but with a heavy dancehall influence, follows, including Don't Tease Me on the 'Work Out' rhythm , Daddy's Home and Birthday Suit, which both have a strong dancehall feel, as well as Running Out Of Time and Private Party for Don Corleone. The album's first single, So Fine, set the right pace for the album with a futuristic dance feel that keeps you moving, which will be followed by Press It Up.While The Trinity comprised mainly club pop-style songs, Sean Paul branches out across the 20-track album making Imperial Blaze his most diverse effort thus far. Pepperpot, which many might be familiar with, has a nice mellow feel that manages to be summery and Caribbean. Hold My Hand stands out as a love ballad from the deejay who showcases his singing talent in the song for producer Arif Cooper. The unrequited love in the lyrics is new ground for Sean Paul, a sign of diversity, which is seen in Straight From The Heart, a touching tribute to his mother.

On the production side of the album, Sean Paul utilises Jamaican talent with producers who are currently at the top of the their craft, including Don Corleone, who worked with the deejay on The Trinity, Craig 'Leftside' Parkes, Jeremy Harding, Arif Cooper, DJ Delano from Renaissance Disco and the deejay's brother, Jazon 'Jigzagula' Henriques of Coppershot Disco. Most of the production, however, goes to Stephen McGregor with him handling eleven songs. The beats throughout the album are without a doubt infectious, which will have countless persons wanting to bob their heads.

Imperial Blaze, as the name suggests, shows that Sean Paul is confident in his merit as an artiste and ability to blaze a trail in music. Overall, the album is well produced and shows the deejay's improvement in 'riding' a rhythm. Lyrically, the focus isn't as diverse as it could be, but works well for Sean Paul's target market, and has tracks that have the potential to hit international televisions and clubs.

Source - Jamaica Gleaner

Time to blaze, Imperially

Imperial Blaze, the latest album from international dancehall sensation Sean Paul hits stores across the world today. The long-awaited release from the platinum-selling superstar is his fourth studio album, and was recorded and produced in his homeland, Jamaica, and features 100% Jamaican production.

Producers on the 20-track set include Jeremy Harding, Stephen ‘Di Genius’ McGregor, Delano Thomas, Don Corleon, Craig ‘Leftside’ Parks, Arif Cooper, and Jason ‘Jigzagula’ Henriques.

The album is already available on major music websites, such as iTunes.com, and is also available for digital download from his own website – www.allseanpaul.com.

Sean Paul, who already has Grammy, Billboard, and American Music Award trophies in his cabinet, is the most commercially successful Jamaican artiste of all time – with several chart topping singles such as Temperature and Get Busy, an impressive catalogue of collaborations with artistes such as Beyoncé, Estelle and Blu Cantrell, and a slew of Top Ten hits including Gimme The Light and We Be Burnin’.

Imperial Blaze is expected to do well, continuing the trend of the singles released from the album so far. So Fine and Press It Up have been making chart movements around the world, with So Fine being the number one club song in Germany, and a radio favourite all over the Caribbean, US, and Europe. Press It Up is already finding its way to turntables in clubs and on radios around the world, although it only became available on iTunes last week.

The success of the singles and the expected success of Imperial Blaze are testament to the extensive promotional tour Sean Paul is on, with performances, radio promotions and television appearances.

“It’s been really hectic, but music is what we deal with, and music is what we love, so it has to be done,” SP said about the tour.

“I’m looking forward to today, and I'm really looking forward to a break in my schedule when I can go back to Jamaica and chill out for a few days, until I hit the road again. We blaze imperially!” he laughed.

Tonight, an album launch party takes place in New York City’s Highline Ballroom where Sean Paul will officially introduce his fourth album to the music world.

Source - Headline Entertainment

Check out the video from the lead single - So Fine below