Reggae/Dancehall artists living outside of Jamaica finding it difficult to penetrate the industry

With Jamaica being the home of Reggae/Dancehall music, one can’t help but wonder why would aspiring and established artists in that genre relocate to other countries. The belief is that when an already established artist leaves Jamaica to live elsewhere, his or her career moves at a slower pace.

Both Shabba Ranks and Wayne Wonder live overseas and though they may have songs that are getting good rotation now, and may be doing shows and tours, the thinking is that if they were based out of Jamaica they would be getting more rotation, more shows and more tours. The same goes for emerging artists. Their story is very scary because unlike established artists they have not yet made their mark in the industry so when they relocate it almost seems like that is the end of their career in any meaningful way.

There are hundreds of upcoming artists now living abroad who were on the verge of getting their break here in Jamaica, but the minute they move to another country it completely changed everything. One such artist is reggae singer Cool Daddy. The year he was slated to perform on Sting (which would be his first major performance), he was granted entrance into the United States and the momentum he was building quickly died once he left Jamaica. He explained that it has been a struggle staying focused on music as living overseas and working a regular 9 – 5 leaves little or no room for anything else. He believes that anyone living outside of Jamaica and doing Reggae/Dancehall has to be five times as persistent as an artist living in Jamaica and also twice as creative. Cool Daddy is trying to get his foot back in the door but he acknowledges that it is an uphill climb.

This has been a successful year for both Shabba Ranks and Wayne Wonder. Since Shabba voiced “none a dem” on the Pepper Riddim for Big Ship Records he has been in demand all over the world. As for Wayne Wonder, he has been on a very successful North American tour with Beres Hammond over the past few weeks.

Listen to Cool Daddy’s latest single: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIvNR1gJvbg

Download Cool Daddy’s latest single: http://www.mediafire.com/?mzkvb4ap6gsybog