SOUTH FLORIDA – When Mr. Vegas hit charts in 1998 with Heads High, music fans in Jamaica were still buying compact discs, stonewash jeans were cool and the cell phone was a novelty.
In late August, the 50 year-old toaster released Ghetto Reggae, his latest album, which pays homage to the 1990s and 1980s, which greatly influenced him.
In an interview with South Florida Caribbean News, Mr. Vegas said the 14-song set revisits one of the most enjoyable periods of his life.
“Ghetto Reggae tells the story of the music that shaped my musical career. That story has never been told via my musical work,” he explained.
“Ghetto Reggae tells the story of the music that shaped my musical career. That story has never been told via my musical work,” he explained.Typical of his previous albums, he goes for diversity on Ghetto Reggae. Call Tyrone, one of its songs, is a collaboration with U Roy. U Roy is the pioneer deejay who died four years ago.
In the past, Mr. Vegas has worked with old school deejays like Josey Wales. Their song, Sweet Jamaica, was a big hit with Shaggy in 2011.
He also recorded a dancehall version of Eric Donaldson’s song, “Land of My Birth.” This song is Jamaica’s unofficial national anthem. It won the Festival Song Contest in 1978.
Since his big success with Heads High, Mr. Vegas has tried different music styles. He has done lovers rock with “Do You Know Me,” revival with “I Am Blessed,” and pop-dancehall with “Tek Weh Yuhself.”
Most importantly, he said his songs retain a timelessness not usually associated with dancehall music.
“I believe that an artist will always be current if he/she has carved out a great body of work. The records will show that I have put forward a great body of work that has kept me relevant over the years,” Mr. Vegas noted. “For example, I Am Blessed and Heads High are still very popular.”
Ghetto Reggae is released by his MV Music label.
