2004 – A Year in Review

Article by Lady English © 2005

2004 was a major year for natural disasters worldwide, and I would first like to take time out to pause for those who lost friends, family and homes during those troubling times. We pray that this year, God will give us all a break from the waters, winds and eruptions of his wrath – and send us sunshine, peace and love!

It was a year that saw Mr. Vegas score his third Billboard hit with "Pull Up", from the popular Coolie Dance riddim, Richie D's Tiajuana riddim stormed in and is still making waves with Lady Saw and the track "I've Got Your Man;" and VP Records forged an alliance with Puma, the sports wear company, who will work closely with the label's top acts to promote its products. Women came out on top as Lady Saw, Sasha and Ce’Cile were featured in an article titled 'Bare Naked Ladies' in Vibe Magazine's March edition, an article that highlighted how hard women in the Dancehall industry had to work in order to get fame and recognition. Then later in the year, Sasha took the solo cover of The Beat magazine’s 2004 Dancehall issue.

In New York, WLIB-AM, a 30-year Caribbean-themed radio station, stopped broadcasting on March 31 after new owners purchased it. WLIB was one of a few limited broadcast sources that provided news, music, and information specifically for Caribbean nationals living in the New York-Connecticut-New Jersey metropolitan area. Rapper Mase, formerly of P Diddy's Bad Boy label, made a comeback, and Britney Spears got married twice and divorced once – okay, annulled once! Ziggy Marley lent his voice to a fish called Ernie in the animated film Shark Tale, which opened in October and Miss Thing celebrated her "Dude" chart success with a bouncing baby boy named Andre Green in November - the first child for the 18 year-old, whose album "Miss Jamaica" was released by Sequence Records in the summer.

The more than a decade-old 'bad blood' between Beenie Man and Bounty Killer came to an end last year. The two declared a permanent end to all hostilities and are now working to set a positive example for Jamaica. Beenie Man was then reported as the first Dancehall deejay to apologize for violent lyrics against mankind, courtesy of Virgin Record’s website in August. Sticking with Virgin records, and with sales of her latest album "Damita Jo" not doing as well as expected, Janet Jackson decided to spice thing up in her bid to capture the urban market. The result was a remix of "All Night," done in tandem with Elephant Man. The Energy God then performed alongside Janet at the BET Awards in California, months later, a confused Janet publicly apologized for recording a song with the so-called ‘homophobic’ Beenie Man all those years ago, stating that she would never have worked with him had she known his views on that subject! Hmm, I guess no one told her about Ele either huh? Locally, Bicentennial Park witnessed disappointing numbers at the 7^th Annual Caribbean Reggae Fest. The inflated record crowds from last year were repeated this time round, and at the time of press, the promoters say there will not be an eighth staging of the event. Sadly, the real force behind this top show was not available this time for the November event, and it was painstakingly obvious that he was missed.

There are some things that certain individuals would rather forget from last year – among them is the assault charge that deejay Adidja 'Vybz Kartel' Palmer picked up days after the 2003 STING concert, which earned him at least three nights in the Central Police lock-ups. He was detained for questioning in relation to two murders in Portmore, St. Catherine, and then released on $100,000 bail. He faced the courts in January to answer charges of assault, disorderly conduct and illegal possession of ammunition. Back to Janet Jackson, who is no doubt still trying to forget her wardrobe malfunction at the half-time show during the Superbowl? She was subsequently pulled out of the Grammy Awards shortly after, but her co-conspirator was not. Popular sound system selector Supa Twitch was detained for questioning, and then released after being involved in a shooting incident in April. Reports are that a loaded firearm went off accidentally and a young woman was hit by one of the bullets, and taken to hospital. The charge against him was eventually dropped and Twitch was able to continue with his life.

Several more close calls shook the music industry in 2004, beginning with Beenie Man when early in the year his Hummer H2 vehicle overturned, leaving him in a serious but stable condition. He spent almost two weeks in hospital with a collapsed lung, but made a speedy recovery. The non-medical Doctor brought a new Hummer 1 to replace his Hummer 2, which was written off in the accident, two and a half months later. Three days after Beenie Man wrote off his Hummer, Elephant Man met in an accident himself. Ele's 1999 BMW convertible collided with another vehicle in Kingston and his mother, who was a passenger at the time, and he, sustained minor injuries. And not to be left out, Deejay Desmond 'Ninja Man' Ballentine was injured and hospitalized in the second week of February when he was involved in an accident in St. Andrew. The 'Don Gorgon's' vehicle was partially plunged into a gully when he swerved to avoid hitting another vehicle. Chuck Fenda also suffered bruises and abrasions, after being involved in a four-vehicle crash later in the year.

Others that were not so lucky, and were bid farewell in 2004 included Roman Stewart, aged 44 - the brother of famed international Jamaican reggae singer Tinga Stewart, who died of a heart attack in January. 1980’s Reggae singer Trevor Sparks died from a stroke in March in Chicago - he was known for his covers of "Bye Bye Love," and "On The Wings Of Love." Then songstress Phyllis Dillon, best known for hits including "Don't Touch Mi Tomato" and "Perfidia," left us in April, followed by Sir Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd, one of the visionary forefathers of Reggae music, who unexpectantly passed away on May 4, 2004. As the legendary producer and founder of one of Jamaica’s most famous recording studios, Studio One, Sir Coxsone had been in Kingston at his studio for the renaming of the street from Brentford Road to Studio One Boulevard the week before. Early 1990s deejay Simpleton of the Coca Cola Bottle Shape fame, suffered a heart attack and died at a very young 33 years old, and Jamaican studio engineer and music producer, Errol "ET" Thompson, died in November. He was just 55 years.

Ray Charles moved on, but remains immortalized in his film biography,"Ray." His last album "Genius Loves Company," was certified platinum just months after his death, a feat he never achieved during his lifetime. Rick "Super Freak" James was found dead in his home in August, and the man we all grew up to know as "Superman," Christopher Reeve, died in October at 52 years old, after going into cardiac arrest. Closer to home, Clint O'Neil – "The Godfather of Reggae" – and the host of WLRN’s popular Public Radio Overnight and Sounds of the Caribbean, ended his musical journey on October 10, 2004 after battling cancer and a brain tumor. Clint O'Neil was a stalwart reggae radio host who was on the air more than any other radio personality in South Florida - six hours per night, six nights per week. They all entertained us one way or another, and they will all be missed.

On a brighter note, many nominations and awards were handed out during the year, beginning with Sean Paul’s "Best Reggae Album" at the 46th Grammy Awards in February. Nominations were given to Elephant Man "Pon De River, Pon De Bank" and Best Choreography in a video for Sean Paul's "Like Glue" at the MTV2 Awards, and the nominees in the 2004 MOBO Awards, the Music of Black Origin, were announced in August. The nominations in the Best Reggae Act category were between Sean Paul, Toots and the Maytals, Vybz Kartel and Elephant Man. However, one week later, nominations were withdrawn from Ele and Kartel after pressure from the ‘you know who’ activist groups. Anyway, not to despair, they grabbed nominations from the Source Hip Hop Awards, held in Miami, as did Beenie, who was not even considered for a MOBO Award this year, and Sizzla, and T.O.K. Spragga Benz was another surprising contender at the Source Awards, and more surprisingly, a winner in the category "Best Acting in a Movie by a Rapper" for his role in the independent film Shottas. He proudly took this award home to Jamaica, while Elephant Man took the honors for the 'Dancehall/Reggae Artist of the Year'.

Vibe magazine gave Spragga Benz and Kevin Lyttle the 'Boomshot' Award for their hit tune "Turn Me On," at the second annual Vibe Awards, and Papa San's won the Rap/Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year Award in the 2004 Stellar Gospel Music Awards, which is gospel's answer to the Grammy’s, that took place in Houston, Texas. He was the first Caribbean artiste to ever achieve this distinction, after being nominated along popular American acts. VP Records was nominated at the third annual Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Awards for the "Top Independent Label" award. After celebrating their 25th year in business, VP Records has grown to become the top Reggae and Caribbean music distributor worldwide. And finally for awards, the United Nations bestowed its "Woman of Great Esteem Award" on Marcia Griffiths, at a special ceremony in New York City in March. Griffiths was awarded for what the world body says is her outstanding contribution to mankind. 2004 also marked her 40-year anniversary in the music business.

One of the year's hottest early breakthrough artists – Predator, of the "Mad, Sick, Head No Good" catchphrase – put an end to the bidding war and put his signature to a deal with UK-based Greensleeves Records. A revitalized Macka Diamond joined him at the end of the year, becoming the first Jamaican-born female artiste to be signed to this record label, which calls for three albums and a five-year publishing deal. And if that wasn’t enough for the sparkling one, Wray and Nephew's Rum Cream brand signed the Dancehall deejay to an extensive advertising deal just before the year closed out! Atlantic Records signed a two-album deal in late January with the option to renegotiate afterwards with dancehall deejay Baby Cham. Mad House Records, operated by producer Dave Kelly, also secured a label deal (distribution) with the record label. In the U.K., Maxi Priest re-signed with his one-time label, Virgin Records, after being dropped by them in early 2000. He rekindled his 15-year relationship with them and became a Virgin once more! As for VP Records, they signed Ricardo 'Rik Rok' Ducent, Morgan Heritage and I-Wayne to the label.

Staying with VP Records for a moment longer, May 2004 saw the staging of their huge 25th Anniversary celebrations with shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York and the Bay Front Park in Miami. Both shows saw excellent performances from Beres Hammond, Marcia Griffiths, Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Lady Saw, Elephant Man, Sanchez, Tanto Metro & Devonte, TOK, Shaggy, Rik Rok, Rayvon, Sasha and many more. Some of these same artists; however, have been struggling to make their mark with albums last year. Sasha’s upcoming album never saw the light of day, even though it was vetted for an early 2004 release; neither did Dancehall quartet TOK’s planned release of their "Unknown Language" album. Sisters, Brick and Lace almost hit the big time with a signing to Jive Records; nonetheless, two months later, they were unceremoniously dropped by them.

Singles that made an impact last year included 18 year-old identical twin sisters Natalie and Nicole Albino, who comprised the female duo Nina Sky. Their smash single "Move Your Body," from the coolie dance rhythm, charged its way up the charts, putting Dancehall producer Cordell 'Scatta' Burrell on the Billboard Hot 100. Macka Diamond removed the fireman Capleton from Jamaica’s number one spot in June with her "Done Already" – the new women’s anthem! The song marked the first time that a solo female artiste reached number one in Jamaica since Ce'Cile took "Changes" to number one in 2000. "Weh Di Time," recorded by Voise Mail and Delly Ranks, spent seven weeks at number one on the Mega Jamz Top 20 Dancehall tally, and emerged as the number one Dancehall song of 2004 in Jamaica. Richie Spice's "Marijuana" saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and took the number one spot on the New York Reggae Chart, becoming Spice’s second number one hit on that chart for him, after "Earth A Run Red" spent four weeks on top earlier in the year. Coincidently, "Earth A Run Red" was first recorded and released several years ago and emerged as the top-selling reggae single in Jamaica for 2004. Marvia Providence's "Hear My Cry Oh Lord," peaked on reggae charts worldwide in August, and became the number one song on the New York Reggae Chart for the entire year.

Kevin Lyttle put Soca on the map and International charts again last year when "Turn Me On," became the first big release from his new album, and Barbados' Rupee also helped to keep it there after making his debut on the Billboard charts with his two year-old hit "Tempted To Touch." Newcomer, I-Wayne’s "Can't Satisfy Her" kicked butt last year, thrusting the pint-sized entertainer into the Reggae spotlight and charts, and TOK's "Gal Yuh A Lead," was named among one of the best songs of 2004 by US based Blender Magazine!

Tanya Stephens released her hot album for 2004, "Gangsta Blues" (VP Records) featuring the songs "Its A Pity", "Little White Lie", "Can’t Breathe," and much more! With her thought provoking lyrics that are often just as spicy as they are witty, this is easily my number two album for the year gone by, and one destined to captivate all listeners. From the boys, "Reign Of Fire" courtesy of Capleton, was the better male solo album release for the year, and squeezed in at number three on my solo album hit list.

VP Records released several classic collections during the year, including Jackie Mittoo - "Interpretations & Improvisations," which is a tribute to reggae's keyboard king, the former member of the Studio One house band, and founder of the world famous Skattlites. This was followed by the "Channel One Anthology", a discography of the legendary Kingston recording studio featuring essential hits produced by Joseph Hoo-Kim, and a wonderful collection of memories. 2004 marked the 10-year anniversary since of the death of Garnett Silk. His music continues to live on, and as proof of that, his best-known recordings were released on a double disc Anthology also via VP Records' entitled "Reggae Anthology Garnet Silk – Music Is The Rod" to close out the year. June saw the release of Reggae Gold 2004, one of VP’s annual compilation albums. This year's compilation featured a few key tracks and a barrage of remixes, as did their end of year "Strictly the Best 32" compilation – which certainly was not a representation of the Best of 2004!

"Back to Basics," from Beenie Man, debuted at the end of July at number 51 on the Billboard 200 Pop Album Chart, but to the top of their Reggae album chart, with 22,000 copies sold in the first week. It was low-key release from Virgin records – probably due to the negative publicity that has been following the Doctor, as well as our other beloved Dancehall deejays from the gay activists all year. On the other side, Atlantic Records showed them how things are really done with the release of Kevin Lyttle's self-titled debut album, which sold over 84,000 copies in its first week of release, and debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 album chart! Kevin made history, becoming the first soca artiste to reach the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart.

Elephant Man went gold in Japan, with his "Good to Go" album, selling 100,000 records - an uncommon occurrence for a recording artiste in the Far East country. Meanwhile, Vybz Kartel's Greensleeves debut opus "Up 2 Di Time" was re-released with five chart hits from last year! The album was first released in October 2003, but this time around included the number one hit "Tek," "Picture This," "Breast Specialist," "Buss It Off" and "Real Bad Man." Not sure what Greensleeves was thinking there? Recycle? Fifth Element member Richie Spice released his golden album Spice In You Life, in November. Recorded exclusively in Jamaica, the album was produced by a number of different industry people and is by far the Number One Reggae Album of the Year for 2004. If you don’t have a copy of this album – make sure you make your New Year resolution to get one – and not a bootleg copy either!

That just about sums it up for 2004, and we hope that 2005 will be a successful and prosperous year for all of our favorite entertainers, as well as our friends, family and ourselves! Peace.

LadyEnglish1@Hotmail.com
"Keeping the Vibe Alive"