/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC: Label Link Gives Dancehall Reggae New Life in U.S.

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Howard Campbell

KINGSTON, Aug 19 2003 (IPS) - In 1991, dancehall reggae cracked North American charts in a way Bob Marley could only dream of during his heyday in the 1970s. But after two years, U.S. music fans tired of the latest overseas novelty and it would be a decade before the Jamaican beat would make an impact in the United States.

Now, thanks to acts like Shaggy, Sean Paul and Wayne Wonder, dancehall has ridden the U.S. pop charts the past two years.

Fuelling that ride is a collaboration between Jamaican-owned label VP Records and U.S. giant Atlantic Records.

"We’re thrilled with the deal (with VP). We’ve had success with Sean and Wayne and every song we’ve taken to radio so far has been a hit. I just want to keep our batting average as high as we can keep it," said Atlantic’s Craig Kallman recently.

Kallman, 38, is a vice-president at Atlantic, a heavyweight in the music business since the 1950s. In 2002, he initiated a new deal for Atlantic to promote albums from VP, whose artists include Paul and Wonder.

Paul’s ‘Dutty Rock’ album has sold over two million copies since it was released in early 2002, and produced three hit singles including the catchy "Gimme The Light" and "Like Glue".

Wonder’s ‘No Letting Go’ album, also released last year, has been certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies.

Ten years ago, dancehall acts like Shabba Ranks, Cobra and Patra had similar success in the United States, but once their popularity waned they were dropped unceremoniously by major U.S. companies like Epic and Columbia Records.

Interestingly, Kallman was head of his own company, Big Beat Records, at the time. That label was also affiliated with Atlantic and home to Inner Circle and other reggae artists such as singer Dawn Penn.

Kallman says with VP’s strength in the U.S. West Indian market and Atlantic providing major promotional push, dancehall is much better served than 12 years ago.

"What you had was a bunch of individuals like Super Cat and Shabba Ranks, who had single success stories but there was no consistency to their albums; they didn’t have the kind of hits that Sean Paul has created."

Atlantic’s muscle in the marketplace has paid dividends for the Queens, New York-based VP. The collaboration funded videos for "Gimme The Light", "Like Glue" and "No Letting Go", the hit single from Wonder’s album.

The visuals were hits on Black Entertainment Television (BET) and MTV and opened the door for other VP acts, especially Elephant Man, whose soon-to-be-released "Good To Go" set is already creating a stir on hip-hop radio.

Unlike the early 1990s, when Epic and Columbia added a hip-hop flavour to Shabba Ranks and Cobra’s songs to make them appealing to U.S. audiences, Sean Paul and Wayne Wonder have invaded the Billboard charts with raw dancehall.

"When we went out with ‘Gimme The Light’ it was really new to pop radio and we didn’t try and remix it and it took off. But if we’re gonna continue to come with hit records, the hooks need to be there and they need to be brilliantly written," said Kallman. "If they aren’t, then pop radio will shut down on us."

Kallman has been hooked on Jamaican music since the 1980s, when he spun the hit songs from Jamaica’s dancehall in clubs throughout his hometown of New York City.

After stints at Billboard and Sony International Records, Kallman started Big Beat, which had a million-selling album with Inner Circle’s ‘Bad Boys’ and a minor hit with Penn’s song, "No, No, No".

"I understand what keeps these artists vibrant and alive," he says. "It’s about continuing to record on the hottest rhythms. If they’re not winning in Jamaica, it’s going to be very hard to have them win internationally."