Heavy D’s top seven male and female Jamaican acts
Published:Friday | January 7, 2022 | 12:08 AMSade Gardner/Staff Reporter
With more than 40 years in the Jamaican music industry, Junior ‘Heavy D’ Fraser has witnessed the rise and growth of superstars and falling stars alike, even working with most as an event organiser, artiste manager and music industry insider.
Considering global and local impact, currency, commercial success and tenure, Fraser ranks his top seven male and female Jamaican artistes to date.
Men
7. Vybz Kartel
6. Sean Paul
5. Shaggy
4. Beres Hammond
3. Dennis Brown
2. Jimmy Cliff
1. Bob Marley
Fraser’s rationale: “When you talk about mega sellers and people carrying the music from then till now, Bob is number one. Jimmy still a carry it from then till now and him still a sell. You have so many who have died who carry the music but Dennis, to me, is the one who still a get replayed now in every type of music. Beres carry the music from then till now with power. Shaggy has been carrying it for a while, too. Sean tek it to the extreme for our music, and Kartel a the last one who would look supreme to me.
“You have Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear, Toots and so much names that could be called. But when you talk about the familiar names in Jamaica and the world, anywhere you call dem set a names deh, you would know them. Burning Spear would be huge in the world but him nah go huge so in Jamaica like the other names. Even Sean Paul nuh get all the credit he should get in Jamaica but him a still one of our best superstars because him have the most number ones to me across the world weh work and still come back to Jamaica one way or another and still current after 20 years.”
Women
7. Lady Saw
6. Etana
5. Tanya Stephens
4. Diana King
3. Patra
2. Rita Marley
1. Marcia Griffiths
Fraser’s rationale: “Marcia has stayed current all the way through. Rita always haffi talk ‘bout because of Bob Marley and she do her music, too, so we can look back at it. Patra mek such a huge impact pon our music in the world and her music still stands out and ah craft round to other people so dem always haffi talk bout her. She carried the female music to a real high level. Diana King do her work inna dah sense deh, Tanya too. Etana a the first woman inna our music fi have two Grammy nominations. Lady Saw (now Minister Marion Hall) gone for a couple years but she’s still a legend because she stands predominant out of the ‘90s and come right up, and all of her songs still a play just like Bob Marley dem. She’s one of our real female stars and will always be one of our real female stars.
“There are other people like Spice who have a power and yuh have couple people weh do dem work like Queen Ifrica and the younger ones now, but fi go world stage, mi cya qualify dem yet … Shenseea dem a come now and a whole lot of other girls but dem haffi do dem work and spend the time because mi cya qualify you without the time. You haffi at least do 10 consistent years so mi can seh you do something inna di music…”
General comment about his lists: “Mi know all of these people inna dem time and talk to them. Mi know Bob Marley good, too, so mi been here for a while and think dem people yah work and carry and keep our music at the level where it is today.”