by Howard Campbell
LAUDERHILL – At the September 15 launch of his latest album, Ism, Mr. Vegas took humorous jabs at the audience inside Fort Lauderdale’s Krave Lounge. His snide comments on backsliding Christians and overweight men had the full house cracking up.
But Ism is serious business for the 43-year-old deejay who celebrates his 20th year as a dancehall heavyweight this year. The 12-song set, he points out, is testament to his staying power.
“This album is like a historical piece, something wha’ people can listen for years an’ years,” he boasted.
Wake Up is the lead song from Ism which Vegas is currently pushing. He also has big plans for Mamma Africa, Colorism and Black Princess which he says reflect his growing sense of African pride.
During the launch, Vegas performed many of the songs that have made him a dancehall force, including Heads High, the quirky dance number that topped dancehall charts in the United States in 1998. Heads High was also a strong seller in the United Kingdom and entered Billboard Magazine’s R&B/Hip Hop chart.
Along the way, Vegas has experimented with gospel on songs like I Am Blessed, one of his biggest hits. Though considered a singjay, his singing was sharp enough to make hits out of lovers rock ballads, Someone to Love and A Little Love.
Over the years, several of the artists who emerged alongside him in the late 1990s and early 2000s have fallen by the wayside. His penchant for reinvention, he stressed, is one of the secrets to his success.
“It can’t be di same thing all di time. People will get tired of seeing yuh. One thing yuh mus’ never do is take yuh audience for granted,” he said.
Mr. Vegas co-produced Ism with Errol Thompson Jnr., known in dancehall circles as The Kemist. It was officially released in July by his MV music label.
As much as he is satisfied with the variety on Ism, Vegas does not think it is his best work.
“Heads High is my best, ‘cause is it get mi off di ground,” he said.
