The best of times and the worst of times for lovers of Reggae Music
For the second year in a row Billboard asked Rob Kenner, founder of Boomshots Media, to pick the 10 Best Reggae Albums of the year. The assignment was particularly significant in this year where Jamaican sounds were all over the airwaves, the pop charts and the Grammy nominations, except that most of the records were not done by Jamaican artists. You could hardly turn on the radio without hearing a half-hour block of dancehall-style tracks, all too often classified under misbegotten names like “tropical house” and “Caribbean bass.” With both Justin Bieber and Rihanna briefly sporting dreadlocks and Drake publicly referring to himself as “the don,” it would be difficult for longtime fans of the music not to catch feelings this year….Consider this list a crib sheet to catch you up on everything you missed while tropical house flooded the airwaves. Full List After The Jump…
10. Rebelution Falling Into Place
9. Beenie Man Unstoppable
8. Mr. Vegas This Is Dancehall
7. Stephen “Ragga” Marley Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life
6. J Boog Wash House Ting
5. Raging Fyah Everlasting
4. Various Artists We Remember Dennis Brown
3. Alkaline New Level Unlocked
2. Jah9 9
1. Vybz Kartel King of the Dancehall
Honorable Mentions:
Kabaka Pyramid Accurate mixtape
Tippa Lee Cultural Ambassador / Dub Them With Reality
Ky-Mani Marley & Gentleman Conversations
Read Rob Kenner’s thoughts on each album on Billboard.com
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