By Courtney McIntosh
Best Beach Party held on the North Coast – ‘Soak’ Promoters: Streets Entertainment
Best All White Party held on the North Coast – ‘Pandemonium’ Promoters: Soulsville Entertainment
Best Stage Show/ Event – ‘Cream Of The Crop’ – Promoters: Purple Skunk Entertainment
Best break Through Dancehall Artiste (female) for 2014 — Ishawna
Best break Through Dancehall Artiste (male) for 2014- Kranium
Best Dancehall Riddim for 2014 – Promiscuous Riddim /Good book riddim
Best break Through Dancehall Riddim for 2014 – Wul Dem Again
Best Reggae Riddim For 2014 – Rising Sun Riddim
Best Male Dancehall Artiste for 2014 – Vybz kartel
Best Male Reggae Artiste for 2014 – Chronixx
Best Female Dancehall Artiste for 2014 – Lady Saw
Best New artiste 2014 – Kalado
Song of The year Reggae- Chronixx – Capture Land
Song of The year Dancehall – Vybz Kartel – Miami Vice/Demarco -Good Book
Female artiste of the year– Lady Saw
Male Artiste of the year– Vybz Kartel
Best Dancehall Collaboration – Beenie Man & Bounty Killer – Legendary
More than twenty albums dropped
Record breaking number of albums dropped in 2014, four received Grammy nominations, six hit Billboard Reggae Albums Chart while three out of the six topped Billboard.
Some of the album released include:
Shaggy – ‘Out of Many One Music’, Grammy nominated; Tarrus Riley – ‘Love Situation’ peaked at #1 on Billboard Reggae Albums Chart; Ziggy Marley – ‘Fly Rasta’ Grammy nominated; Tessanne Chin – ‘Count On My Love’; Sly and Robbie – ‘The Reggae Power’ Grammy nominated , Popcaan – ‘Where We Come From’ peaked at #2 on Billboard; Etana – ‘I Rise’ went #1 on Billboard Reggae Albums Chart, Sean Paul – ‘Full Frequency’ Grammy nominated plus peaked at #1 on Billboard Reggae; Cecile – ‘Still Running’, Steven Marley – ‘Revelation’ Part 2;Tanya Stephens – ‘Guilty’; Bugle – ‘Anointed’; Vybz Kartel – ‘Reggae Love Songs and Other Things’; D’major – ‘It’s Major’; Wayne Marshall – ‘Tru Colors’; Chronixx – ‘Dread & Terrible Project’ hit #1 on reggae Billboard; I-Octane – ‘My Journey’; Mr. Vegas – ‘Euphoria’; Duane Stephenson – ‘Dangerously Roots’
2014 Major Accomplishments
Major label, deals and endorsements:
While some released albums others signed major deals, 17-year-old Samantha J best known for her hit single ‘Tight Up Skirt’ inked a major record deal with label giants Columbia Records. Shaggy also signed off on a major deal with Sony while Omi inked a major deal with Ultra Music via Sony Music Entertainment.
Historic achievement and personal milestones:
Etana ‘The Strong One’ became the first Jamaican female artiste in 20 years to hit #1 on Billboard Charts since Diana King and Patra. Her ‘I RISE’ album produced by the accomplished music producer Clive Hunt, instrumentalist, composer and arranger went number one on Billboard Reggae Chart.
Bounty Killer/Beenie Man historic ‘Legendary’ Collaboration is a musical unification between the Dancehall icons and a move the industry needed. We also consider this collaboration as a milestone not only for the two artistes but for Dancehall at a time many probably taught could never happen. Bounty Killer and Beenie ‘Legendary’ single is produced by Starstruck label.
Chronixx created ground breaking opportunities for himself in 2014 and quietly increased the size of his audience from small venues to arenas and mini stadiums in places unlikely for current Jamaican artiste, as in the case of the massive crowd turnout to see Chronixx in New Zealand.
Other artistes to have crossed borders and experience a swell in the size audience they perform for or break new grounds are, Kabaka Pyramid who was also nominated for a Juno Award in Canada; Demarco who was nominated for an award in Australia for a song he did with popular African Reggae artiste Samini and Popcaan who drew over 40k strong in Kenya.
Among the spectacular moments Tessanne Chin experience in 2014 is a performance at the for US President Barrack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House.
The Caribbean was well represented when Tessanne Chin and Machel Montano made favourable impressions at the Soul Train Awards. Machel Montano won the Award for Best International Performance while Tessanne made a cameo appearance during the highlight of the Soul Train live show, Legendary Award presentation to Kool And The Gang.
Both Tessanne Chin and Machel Montano also made presentations.
We’ll continue our review next week but can’t end this week without paying respects: RIP To Reggae Legends John Holt – 1967 – 2014 & Bunny Rugs -1949 – 2014
