10..Tommy Lee Sparta
Leroy “Junior” Russell (born 4 November 1987), better known by his stage names Tommy Lee and more recently Tommy Lee Sparta, is a dancehall artist from Montego Bay, Jamaica. Tommy Lee Sparta gained popularity as a member of Adidjahiem Records and the associated Portmore Empire crew under the leadership of Vybz Kartel. He has been a controversial figure in dancehall due to his self-described “Gothic Dancehall” style, which often features dark and Satanist-inspired subject matter. As of now he has left the Portmore Empire.
KNOWN FOR : 2012: Psycho (Tad’s Record Inc): 2012: Some Bwoy (Young Vibez Production)
9..Alkaline
DANCEHALL has been known worldwide for providing “interesting” individuals . Deejay Alkaline [Earlan Bartley] explains that he is mindful that being extreme comes with the Alkaline dancehall scene. As with other Jamaican youths, Alkaline finds himself interested in tattoos, however; instead of wearing them on his skin he wears them on his pupils. Alkaline stated “I’m enigmatic, I don’t want to be a normal artiste. This is dancehall, you want to make people act and react.” He further stated “you must make a difference.
KNOWN FOR :2013 “Things Mi Love” 2014 : Gyal Bruk Out
8..Munga Honorable
Eloquent, street smart and infectious, dancehall deejay Munga Honorable introduced himself to the dancehall with an explosion of hardcore rhymes.
Born Damian Rhoden from Islington, St. Mary, Munga joined the music scene at the tender age of 18 when he entered the Red Label Wine Superstar Competition with the original song Who Drink Out the Red Label Wine?
A past student of St Mary High and Tarrant Comprehensive, Munga hustled on the streets doing odd jobs before setting his mind on becoming an entertainer. Since then, he has never turned back. Munga developed his versatile style as a prodigy of the ‘fireman’ Capleton before grabbing the attention of the nation as a solo act.
KNOWN FOR : 2006: Bad From Wi Born , Earthquake, wine pan it
7..Konshens
Garfield Delano Spence, stage name Konshens, was born on January 11, 1985.
His 2005 single “Pon Di Corner” was a major hit in Japan, and led to a month-long tour of the country and a Japan-only album release.
He made a guest appearance on Tarrus Riley’s Contagious album, deejaying on “Good Girl Gone Bad”, which was also released as a single.
He has a large fanbase in Guyana and Europe, where his “Gal Dem Talk” single was a major hit, and he performed at Guyana’s National Stadium in May 2011.
His album, Real Talk, was released by Japanese label Koyashi in 2010.[4] A second album was also announced to be released in Jamaica on Tad Dawkins’ Tad’s International label. Konshens also launched his own Subkonshus label in 2010, working with new acts including his brother Delus.
In May 2011, he was one of several high-profile Jamaican celebrities to take part in a march in Torrington Park calling for an end to political rivalry in the area, commemorating a fire in May 1980 at the Eventide Home which killed over 150 elderly women, for which politically motivated arson was suspected.
In March 2014, he became an official brand ambassador for Pepsi.
His hits have included “Winner”, “Rasta Impostor”, “This Means Money”, “Good Girl Gone Bad”, “Gal Dem A Talk”, “Realest Song”, “Represent”, “Do Sumn” and “Forward”, “Gal a bubble”.
6..Demarco
Born in Portmore, St. Catherine Parish, Edwards gained his early experience performing at the Cactus nightclub at the age of 15, and was a selector for the Future Disco sound system. At the age of 16 he relocated to the US where he worked to fund his interest in music production, and began creating tracks for hip hop and dancehall artists.
He is best known for his hit singles “Duppy Know Ah Who Fi Frighten”, featuring on the Shoot Out Riddim, “Fallen Soldiers”, “True Friend” and “Show It (So Sexy)”. He also produced the Top Speed Riddim where he recorded the song “Gal Dem Want” with the Alliance leader Bounty Killer. In 2008 Demarco produced the Big League Riddim and recorded “Broomie” with Elephant Man and his own song “Spend Pon Dem”. One Year later he produced a hit Riddim called Stress Free which had many hit songs like “Jump and Wine” by Tony Matterhorn, “Hammering” by Singing Craig, “Work Mi Ah Work” by Mister G and his own “She Can’t Wait”. He recorded a remix to Rihanna’s Billboard #1 hit “Rude Boy”.
Demarco with his hit single Good book has been nominated male deejay of the year in Britain.[citation needed] Demarco has toured extensively, including multiple visits to Africa, performing in Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Guinea.
He was nominated for an Urban Music Award for ‘Best Reggae Act’ in 2013, and again in 2014,In December 2013 he was reportedly recording his debut album.Demarco, who is founder of True Gift Entertainment produces their own music videos and reality TV series, Demarco recently signed his first artist to his label by the name of Raytid
5..Aidonia
Aidonia (born Sheldon Lawrence, 6 April 1981) is a Jamaican musician and head of the musical partnership “J.O.P.”, which has a contract under The Alliance (dancehall). He became active in early 2004, and has released albums on the record labels, VP Records and Jag One Productions.
Aidonia has also released in the mixtape “Bolt Action”, in collaboration with Federation Sound, Equiknoxx Music/Gerusalem Music and Business Class. The mixtape utilizes classic hip-hop instrumentals with Aidonia’s lyrical melodies overlaying and features artistes Chino, Lil Joe and fellow JOP label-mate, Deablo
In the latter part of 2004, Aidonia was approached by Cordell “Skatta”‘ Burrell who invited him to record at his studio. Two months later, Aidonia had his first hit, the song “Lolly” which was done on Skatta’s Irish Dance riddim. In October 2005 “Lolly” was included on VP Records’ annual Strictly The Best (Volume 33) compilation.
In 2011 Artiste Aidonia has recently started pushing forward his J.o.P members Deablo, Shokryme, Jayds, Tanso, Size 10 . The group has had a few hit collabs such as “All 14”, and “Run Road.
In 2013 Aidonia welcomed a baby boy from fiance Kimberly Megan. In addition, Aidonia continues to work hard in the music industry and is leaving an indelible mark.
KNOWN FOR : 2009 flying daggering ,2013 Fi di jockey ,2013 Bruki,2012 Run Road, 2012 Kush inna mi brain
4..Busy Signal
Busy Signal has been a large part of the scene since 2003. His first hit single, “Step Out”, was one of the most popular dancehall songs in 2005. A music video for “Step Out” was released shortly afterwards.
He was nicknamed Busy Signal by his friends because of the fact that he is constantly busy. His hit tracks for 2007/2008 were “Nah Go A Jail Again”, “Smoke Some High Grade”, “Tic Toc” and the track entitled “Unknown Number” has made tremendous airplay and dancehall reviews especially in the Caribbean and the US. He has released a hit dancehall album entitled Step Out.
On 22 September 2008, Busy Signal released his second studio album titled Loaded, a 15 track compilation on VP Records of well known dancehall hits such as “Jail”, “Whine Pon Di Edge”, “These Are the Days”, among others, as well as never-heard-before exclusive tracks such as “People So Evil” and “Hustle Hard”.
The artist announced the introduction of a self-styled clothing line in 2011.
On 21 May 2012, Gordon was arrested at the Norman Manley International Airport in Jamaica due to an extradition warrant from the United States. He was extradited to the US on 19 June where he faced cocaine-related charges. In September 2012 he received a six-month prison sentence. He was released in November, and promptly released the single “Come Shock Out” BBC Music ranked Reggae Music Again No. 7 on their Top 25 Albums of 2012 listing.
KNOWN FOR : 2005: “Step Out” 2010: “One More Night/Night Shift” “Nah Go A Jail Again”
3..I-Octane
Byiome Muir (born 29 April 1984), better known by his stage name I-Octane, is a reggae and dancehall artist from Clarendon Parish, Jamaica. He is known for integrating positive and socially conscious subject matter into his music, drawing inspiration from personal experiences and Rastafarian teachings.
When I-Octane left Arrows over financial disputes, the artist came under the guidance of Robert Livingston, a veteran producer who had been responsible for the success of such artists as Super Cat and Shaggy. I-Octane gained further traction in 2010 with a string of hits produced by Cashflow Records, including “No Love Inna Dem” and the cannabis anthem “Puff It,” which was named as one of NPR’s Top 5 Dancehall Tracks of 2011. He also topped the charts once again with the contemplative “My Life” produced by DJ Frass, and was featured in the April-May issue of the hip hop magazine Vibe.The same year, he also signed on as Brand Ambassador for the telecommunications firm Digicel, and as of 2013 he remains employed as a representative of the company.
In 2011, I-Octane announced he would be starting his own record label, Conquer The Globe Productions, which would serve to produce instrumentals for him and promote him as an artist. He also said the label’s first release would be an extended play in December of that year to be followed by an album in early 2012. The six-song EP, “Straight From The Heart,” was released on 7 December as a primarily digital release, with distribution by TuneCore. The EP was marketed towards a global audience and three of its songs were recorded in the U.S., a first for the artist. The EP’s lead single “Burn Dem Bridge,” produced by Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor, topped several charts in Jamaica and received significant radio airplay, including on international stations such as New York’s Hot 97.
KNOWN FOR: 2011 Lose A Friend, 2011: My Life, 2012: Nuh Love Nuh Inna Dem , 2013: GAL A GIMMI BUN, 2011 Nuh Ramp With we, 2011: Poverty ,2013: smoke, 2011: puff it, 2013: We Love di Vibes
2..Popcaan
Andre Jay Sutherland (born 15 July 1988), better known by his stagename Popcaan, is a Jamaican dancehall artist currently signed to Mixpak Records.
Sutherland grew up in Portmore, Jamaica. As young as seven years old, Andrae trained himself as a vocalist and performer and Popcaan continued to follow his musical calling.
In 2007, Popcaan approached Vybz Kartel at a local jam called ‘My Scheme’ where Kartel recruited the young deejay to his Portmore Empire, becoming both a producer and mentor. Besides showing Popcaan the ropes of the music game, Kartel took him on major shows like Sting and Reggae Sumfest.
Popcaan began making music for Adidjaheim Productions with then in-house producer NotNice, the first person to voice him professionally. He got off to a strong start with “Gal Wine” on the Gal Farm riddim, following up with hits including “It Nuh Work So,” “Jah Jah Protect Me,” “Gangsta City,” “Dream,” “Gangsta City Part Second,” and “Hot Grabba.”
Popcaan was also featured in The New York Times speaking on the growing impact of “Only Man She Want.”
At the Youth View Awards, Popcaan stepped away with three awards: ‘Favourite Summer Song’ and ‘Local Chart topping song of the year’ for “Ravin”, and of course, ‘Young, Hot and Hype Male
Popcaan has been touring extensively since, in Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean and South American region. While in Canada, Popcaan connected with Canadian rapper Drake, who has publicly expressed his admiration. In 2013, Popcaan released the video for “Unruly Rave,” which was shot in Toronto and directed by October’s Very Own label head Niko.
In 2014, Popcaan signed to Mixpak Records for a multi-album deal. His debut album, Where We Come From, was released on Mixpak on 10 June 2014. The project was executive-produced by Dre Skull. The first single from the album, “Everything Nice”, was produced by Dubbel Dutch and released on 1 October 2013.[9][10] It entered the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart at number 2, and the video crossed 5 million views on YouTube.
In June 2014, Popcaan first appeared on the cover of The Fader in its 92nd issue.[11] He featured on Melissa Steel’s “Kisses for Breakfast” single, which was a top ten hit in the UK in August 2014.
KNOWN FOR: 2010 :”Clarks” , 2010:”Only Man She Want”,2014 “Everything Nice” 2012: party shot 2012: when wi party “Ravin”
1..Mavado
David Constantine Brooks was raised in Kingston, Jamaica’s Cassava Piece community. His grandmother gave him his first musical experience at a young age, bringing him to church to sing.
He cites the music of Bounty Killer as an early influence.The boyhood idol became his mentor when at the age of 15, Bounty took him under his wing to show him the ropes of the music industry and introduced him to his manager, dancehall music business legend Julian Jones-Griffith, who would go on to manage Mavado’s illustrious career. He decided to name himself “Mavado” after the Swiss watch company Movado, with his manager altering the spelling.
His debut single, “Real McKoy” on the Anger Management riddim in 2004, provided him instant success.He further established himself with the follow-up record “Weh Dem a Do”, on the Red Bull & Guinness riddim, that had the distinction of hitting Billboard. After a string of hits in 2005 and 2006, Mavado released the album Gangsta for Life: The Symphony of David Brooks 10 July 2007 on VP Records. “Weh Dem A Do” and “Dying”, two singles from the album, were featured heavily on R&B/hip-hop radio in the US and around the world.
That same year brought Mavado off-stage controversy, as he was unlawfully detained by Jamaican police. While in police custody, the singer claims he was thrown through a glass window, slicing three fingers in the process, which were sewn up at a local hospital. Police claimed Mavado escaped from custody, even though they let him walk out of the police station and go to the hospital with his manager. He was later arrested and charged with shooting with intent and illegal possession of firearm in relation to an event occurring 27 July 2007. He was later freed of all charges.
In March 2008, Mavado was featured performing a rendition of his song “Real McKoy” for Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer #4 “Everyone’s a Rat”. “Real McKoy”, along with “Last Night” (both from the album Gangsta for Life), were also featured in the game on the radio station “Massive B Radio”.
Mavado was also featured on the G-Unit track ‘Let It Go’ along with Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks for the album: T.O.S: Terminate on Sight in 2008. He was the only non G-Unit feature on the album.
In 2008 Mavado was given the prestigious UK MOBO Award for Best Reggae Act.
In April 2010, Mavado starred as a gangster in Drake’s song Find Your Love for Drake’s album Thank Me Later
He has also collaborated with many of the world’s top urban acts including Busta Rhymes, Wyclef, Ludacris, Birdman, Fabolous, Ace Hood, Akon, Snoop Dogg and JAY Z. Jay Z remixed Mavado’s smash hit On The Rock, that went on to also see Billboard success.
Mavado formed his own label, Mansion Records, in 2011, which debuted with the single “Delilah” that was given mainstream US radio rotation. Along with Bounty Killer, he has cited 2Pac as a childhood idol, comparing the late rapper’s life to his own.
In 2011, Mavado recorded with U.K. grime artist Chipmunk on the track “Every Gyal”.
On 1 September 2011, Mavado appeared on the Angie Martinez show on New York’s Hot 97 radio station to announce that he had signed a deal with DJ Khaled’s record label We the Best Music Group. Mavado released three singles “Emergency” featuring Ace Hood, Soulja girl and “Survivor” featuring Akon on We the Best Music Group. Mavado has confirmed the first song on his next album. It is called “Rise” Featuring DJ Khaled, Rick Ross and Akon.
KNOWN FOR: “My League” (2015) “Million Dollar Man”(2013) Give It All To Me” ft” Nicki Minaj (2013) “Ain’t Going Back Broke” ft Future and Ace Hood(2015) “Settle Down ” (2011) “So Special” (2009)
“weh dem a do” (2007) ” last night” “Delilah” “On the Rock” “Stulla” “Star Bwoy” “Real McKoy”
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