Music 'bible', Billboard, lists Sean Paul as the reggae artiste of the year and decade, whilst Shaggy's Hotshot was listed as the 15th most selling album of the 2000s.

Paul beat Matisyahu and Bob Marley & the Wailers for second and third respectively for 2009 artiste of the year based on just released chart data from Billboard, the US based music company.

For artiste of the decade the order of the runners-up was reversed with Marley taking second to Paul. In 2008, the late Bob Marley was the top act followed by Collie Buddz and Stephen Marley. Billboard stated that the top reggae artiste of the decade ranking was based on an artiste's chart performance. During the year Sean Paul hit number one on the charts and sold slightly more copies than Matisyahu, however neither artiste surpassed 80,000 units in the US market.

Billboards also ranked the top selling albums of the decade using sales data from Nielsen SoundScan. It called that chart the Best Billboard Reggae Albums of the 2000s which included:

*Sean Paul's Dutty Rock;

*Sean Paul's Trinity;

*Damian Jr Gong Marley's Welcome to Jamrock;

*Bob Marley's Chant Down Babylon;

*Matisyahu Live at Stubbs;

*Soundtrack for 50 First Dates;

*Matisyahu's Youth;

*Bob Marley and the Wailers' One Love;

*Beenie Man's Art and Life; and

*Kevin Lyttle's self-titled album

Shaggy's album Hotshots sold more than the above list combined, however it was not categorised as a reggae album. Hotshots was the 15th most selling album in North America in the 2000s selling more than albums released by popstars including Alicia Keys, 50 Cent and Linkin Park. Billboard did not disclose the actual sales but Hotshots is known to have sold upwards of six million copies in that market and more than 10 million worldwide.

N'Sync's No Strings Attached was the top selling album of the 2000s, followed by Usher's Confessions and Eminem's The Eminem Show. Interestingly, Eminem was artiste of the 2000s, he was the only artiste that had two entries in the top 10 for albums with most sales in the 2000s.

The Billboard's Best Reggae Albums of the 2000s complements a recent Observer compiled list which ranked reggae albums in terms of the number of weeks on the Billboard charts. Chart longevity indicated that the albums were not only popular but had that timeless quality as sales continued well beyond their release dates.

The Observer Top 10 reggae albums of 2000s were:

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 Bob Marley, Steve Smith, Chris Blackwell, Errol Brown, Ingmar Kiang, Lee Scratch Perry, Alex Sadkin, The Wailers, Trevor Wyatt; and

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

Source: jamaicaobserver.com

The Empress Of Soul, multiple Grammy award winning singer and former Motown icon, Gladys Knight, is set to return to Jamaica in January for the annual Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival from January 24-30, 2010 in Montego Bay.

This year, the festival presents the music of Gladys Knight again, whose hits like I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Friendship Train, If I Were Your Woman, I Don't Want To Do Wrong and the Grammy Award winning Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) has made her a household name to millions globally. Knight has won four Grammy Awards while 13 of her singles have topped the charts along with nine albums.

"Gladys Knight has a magic that has surrounded her since she was with the Pips from the days of Motown glory and the Jamaican audience knows and loves her music. We feel it is time she was brought back to the festival," said Walter Elmore, TurnKey Production President and festival producer.

Also set to perform are Billy Ocean, The Whispers, Maxi Priest, Machel Montano, Joe Roy Jackson, Joss Stone, Hall and Oats, Jon Secada, Marion Hall, Robin Banks, Monty Alexander, Roy Ayers, Third World and the Max Klezmer Band, a polish Jazz band.

Jamaica Jazz, since its introduction in 1996, was known as the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival. It has attracted thousands of patrons from the USA, Europe, the Caribbean and Jamaica. International artistes that have performed at the festival include Diana Ross, Alicia Keys, Kenny Rogers, Kool & the Gang, Brian McKnight, Erykah Badu and Michael Bolton among others.

Source: jamaicagleaner.com

Vibrant chanter, Determine, is on the up and up and feeling excited about his upcoming Sting performance.

"Dem put me pon Sting ... a wha' dis?" he said, drawing out his words and sounding elated.

For Determine, this move is a kind of vindication. He feels that his career was questionably derailed after the release of a track called Science, which he says was really a fun tune "but some deejay who name did call inna the song tek it serious".

According to Determine, he was actually in New York when he heard that he had been banned from radio in Jamaica. That took place in the latter half of last year, just about the time when Science -- on the Mud Up riddim (what else?) -- was taking off. Determine stated, however, that the radio ban was more directed at him rather than the song.

A very witty commentary -- the type one has come to expect from Twins of Twins -- the song explores the different types of 'sciance' used in the dancehall: "stage show sciance and dancehall sciance, dub plate sciance and 45 sciance, cyaan bus sciance and muss buss sciance..."

It also names out a long list of artistes who have either been victims of "sciance" or have dabbled in it in some way or other. And he doesn't ease up on himself either, "Dem seh a sciance mek me cyaan get a next number one," he proclaims in the song, but then goes on to refute it.

Interestingly, however, Science looked like the song that would have put the deejay back on the dancehall map, but as he himself confessed during the interview, "From me drop di big sciance tune, it come in like me get sciance."

But with Determine it's a case of 'name and nature' and the deejay refused to roll over and die.

"When me hear bout the ban me never curse anybody or gwaan bad; me just easy ... I tek it like a man," he declared. "And see, everything is now falling in place because them remove the ban and me and radio good again," he shouted. "And me manager, Annie Francisca-Wilson work hard and get me on Sting," he added.

But people are wondering what songs Determine has to merit a slot on the Sting line-up. His most popular song was Kette Drum, a combination single with Beenie Man that loudly announced his presence on the dancehall scene some 14 years ago. His career has see-sawed since then, and has seen him working with various producers, going on tours and establishing his own Zulu Productions.

He was quick to point out that he recently did a song/video with international act Savannah and he has been doing more shows overseas than on the local circuit. Come January 8, 2010, Determine will be off to Europe for three shows, after which he has a Trinidad engagement.

"But ... for those people who want to know what song Determine have to go on Sting ... them must remember that this is Determine, a we help build dancehall," he said. "Big up to Sting ... Heavy D and Laing ... for recognising that good talent never dies," the Rastafarian chanter declared.

Source: jamaicaobserver.com