Mr Vegas's Double Disc Album Sweet Jamaica Surges

From the charts to the streets, Mr Vegas’s new album Sweet Jamaica surges right out of the blocks with events in Jamaica, Miami and New York City and an acoustic performance on Sirius XM radio. Just in time for the 50th anniversary of Jamaican independence, international recording artiste Mr Vegas released his debut album Sweet Jamaica May 29th on his very own imprint, MV Music.

An unprecedented double disc LP, “Sweet Jamaica” features Shaggy, Luciano, Jovi Rockwell, Nadine Sutherland, Josey Wales, Patrice Roberts and backed by crucial production from Mikey Bennett, Sly & Robbie and Steelie & Clevie. Since before the album release, Mr Vegas has been spreading the message from Jamaica to Canada, the United States and throughout the Caribbean.

The hard work is paying off as Sweet Jamaica is now featured on Reggae iTunes landing page and charting at the top of the Reggae chart while AOL Music, Google Plays, RCRD LBL, LargeUp/OkayPlayer, Mixed & Mastered, MTV IGGY and more have all showed Sweet Jamaica special consideration (see the reviews below).

Mr Vegas showcased the record in Jamaica Sunday May 27th on the popular Television Jamaica (TVJ) series, Layers of Soul. The live performance included guest appearances by Luciano, Nadine Sutherland, Natel and Dance Xpressionz. Abroad, Miami and New York City joined Kinston, Jamaica among the cities worldwide that hosted record launch events.

VP Records held a CD-signing with Mr Vegas at its retail store in South Florida, while ‘Saturday Vbyz’ DJ Bigga Boss broadcasted a live remote on WAVS 1170 over the Memorial Day weekend. Vegas’s Sweet Jamaica meet-and-greet hosted by Boomshots’ Rob Kenner at Miss Lilly’s in New York City last week was blessed with Max Glazer and Spliffington on the decks while surrounded by more friends and fans on release day. And he didn’t leave the city before recording an acoustic showcase for Pat McKay and SiriusXM’s The Joint.

Listen to Vegas’s exclusive acoustic performance on The Joint (Sirius XM Channel 42) Tuesday June 5 at 11 AM EST. If you missed it, the rebroadcast is Friday June 8 @ 10 PM ET. “It’s always a surprise with ‘Sweet Jamaica’, isn’t it,” laughs Mr Vegas. “And more is on the way. More great music, more wicked videos and more fun. That’s what I would expect from my Sweet Jamaica.”

Soon to take the airwaves by storm is a soca remix of “Bruk it Down” featuring Caribbean Queen, Alison Hinds. Reggae and world music fans can also expect more live appearances from Mr Vegas as he takes the message straight to the massive. In just the past couple of weeks Mr Vegas has led shows from Trinidad to Toronto, New York to Miami and St Maarten. In addition to headlining the Shine soca fete in Brooklyn, Vegas closed out Best of the Best in Miami. Up next, a meet-and-greet at VP Records retail store in Queens, NY and Massive B’s Anniversary Party on June 9th then off to Belize, Antigua, Honduras and Europe.

For those who have to wait longer than they wish to see him, Mr Vegas is proud to share his new iPad app for GrooveBug where fans and music lovers can interact with the artist in multitudes of ways. Underneath the retro-themed cover art, the double reggae and dancehall discs on ‘Sweet Jamaica’ is an unprecedented effort to satisfy the most discerning tastes of Caribbean and world music fans everywhere. Here, Vegas serves up 31 songs in all: 15 tracks of foundation style reggae & 16 tracks of electrifying dancehall. Including the #1 dancehall hit “Bruk It Down” which is now on top of the charts world wide and ramming sessions everywhere, Sweet Jamaica remains grounded in the foundation of the music.

Check out the praise for Sweet Jamiaca coming in from around the globe:
“The right time for a celebration of great Jamaican music. Sweet Jamaica … in reggae and dancehall for one and all. Barry G wanting you to know–this is a classic collection.”
- Barry G/Mello FM, Jamaica

“One of the best reggae albums in years” ~ Miami NewTimes

“‘Sweet Jamaica’ reminds us why we love reggae so much… From the cover art to the content to the production, ‘Sweet Jamaica’ truly represents the best of Jamaican music and the best of Mr Vegas. ~ MixedandMastered.com

Sweet Jamaica “showcases a vast genre and a gifted and versatile artist” - Erik Magni/unitedreggae.com

“If tracks like these will become part of his stage shows as well, Mr Vegas will have no trouble at all to win over the audience.” ~ Katrien Van der Aa/Reggae.be
“A great album. It’s going to cement [Mr Vegas's] place as one of Jamaica’s great artists” - Jesse Serwer, ~ New-Times X LargeUp

"At the heart of it all is Vegas' voice... hitting the uptempo numbers and taking ownership of the old standards.” - Angus Taylor, Reggaeville

L3 Magazine Presents: The Freshman Class of 2012

Featuring:

Khalilah Rose / Exco Levi / Tidal / Shara / Them Island Boyz / Imran Nerdy / Indrani / Patexx / Fuze / EDUBB / John Michael and More!

As countries around the world collectively gear up for festival season which showcases the best and brightest talents in our industry, the team at L3 Magazine, Canada’s #1 Caribbean-Urban publication, decided to take a look at the best and brightest talents entering the entertainment arena for 2012.

Some of the artists featured have been in the business and are now receiving their shine, others are brand new and a force to be reckoned with. Not only do we look at and profile artists who perform with a microphone in hand, we also look at producers from the Caribbean to Canada to the US.

Hands down, and by popular vote, the most impactful Freshman is Khalilah Rose who covers the June edition. Holding true to her Rastafarian faith, Khalilah’s voice is amplified with singles such as “Hail H.I.M.” as well as collaborations with veteran Turbulence and more. When we spoke to the young artist, she was not afraid to speak on the lack of Unity in the industry as well as the pressures (if any) to be a beacon of hope for younger generation Rastas who sometimes face discrimination

Tricia ‘ZJ Sparks’ Spence sits down with Ninja Kid who is very candid when he talks about his mature fans, and performing for younger fans who are learning about him for the first time, though he’s been in the business for more than 20 years.

Exco Levi, Canada’s Juno Award winner for Best Reggae Recording opens up about ‘making it,’ as well as his plans to release an album under the Penthouse Records label. We have labeled Exco as the ‘lyricist’ as his songwriting skills are above and beyond many in his class!

Natasha ‘Independent Tash’ Thomas keeps us up to date with the musical pulse across the Caribbean with Charts including the Top Break Out Artists.

Our centerfold Editor, Jerome Dupont from Neu Era Photography makes sure Class is in session with the beautiful Sierra who rocks a beautiful ‘nerdy’ look!

Rounding out the magazine is Rico Vibes Top 10 Video Countdown which has several new entries, remembering Donna Summers, Bratz Dolls go bald for Cancer, the rise of Jamaican Boxing, top startup businesses for 2012, the technology ticket, and, our favourite, travel guide for Saint Martin Island.