http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Reggae_Summary.html en-us http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7582.html Tue, 11 Apr 2006 09:14:29 CST
Jimmy Cliff is considered to be one of the best, well-known musicians within the genre of reggae.  Jimmy Cliff, whose real name is James Chambers, was born in Jamaica on April 1, 1948.  When he was just a child, his talent began showing… However, their career also started by those times and began appearing at parish fairs and local shows.  When he was 14 years old, he moved to Kingston and decided to use the surname “Cliff” as an allusion to the place he wanted to reach with his success.  At this point, Jimmy Cliff wrote two not very successful singles that went unnoticed.  Nevertheless, the producer Leslie Kong, one of the most recognized producers ever, was the one that made Jimmy’s first single successful.

Around 1964, Jimmy Cliff had got to be so famed that he was selected to be a Jamaican representative at the World’s Fair.  In this moment, Jimmy moved to Britain after signing to Island Records.  There, his international debut Hard Road to Travel was carried out.  Some time after he released some albums, Jimmy Cliff traveled to Africa, the place where he became Muslim.  In 1985, his album Cliff Hanger won a Grammy, and in 1993, he returned to the U.S., after selling mainly in Jamaica, with a complete success called “I Can See Clearly Now”, which is the soundtrack of Cool Runnings.

Jimmy Cliff is a key figure when talking about Reggae in general.  He relies on a really extensive list of albums, among which it is possible to find Another Cycle, Unlimited, House of Exile, Give Thanx, Give the People What They Want, The Power and the Glory, Save Our Planet Earth, Fantastic Plastic People, and his last one so far, Black Magic, which was released in 2004.  Besides, some of his songs have been covered due to their high-quality.  Hence, Jimmy Cliff is one of the best examples of reggae that, of course, will never be forgotten! http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7571.html Mon, 10 Apr 2006 02:47:00 CST
Today, Don Omar is one of the greatest Latin American examples of this great music genre called reggaeton.  Don Omar, whose real name is William Omar Landrón, was born on February 10, 1978, in Villa Palmeras, Puerto Rico.  He is different from the rest of the reggaeton singers since he usually sings in English due to his crossover success in the United States.  In fact, Don Omar is not only a singer, but also a songwriter that started being interested about composing when he was only twelve years old.  Thus, his talent was cultivated firstly in Church since he used to perform in many religious musical celebrations.  Nevertheless, according to his own narration, he left his church because he was sentimentally disillusioned.

After leaving church, he began looking for something else, and finally, he found reggaeton without knowing that it was going to be his place.  Hence, Hector El Bambino, member of the duet called Hector y Tito, gave Don Omar the chance to produce for him after hearing what he could do.  Thus, Don Omar started producing for other artists, including Las 9 Plagas and collaborating in great hits such as MVP Grayskull (Te estas calentando), Da’Flex and the Godfather (Dejala).  This is just one reason why Don Omar is rising in a very impressive and successful way and, actually, MTV has recognized his talent several times.

His first album was called The Last Don and was released in 2003.  One year later, Don Omar released another album which was called The Last Don LIVE, but, that very same year, he released his The Last Don Live (DVD version).  In 2005, Don Omar produced a various-artist album under his record label, which is called All-Star Enterprises.  This CD was called Los Bandoleros.  In addition, he released his last album called Da Hit Man Presents Reggaeton Latino, which is a CD encompassing many guest stars.  Therefore, Don Omar’s fans may expect lots of success since this famed artist is doing better everyday! http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7537.html Mon, 10 Apr 2006 02:44:52 CST
Ivy Queen is, without a doubt and as her name implies, the queen of this today famous genre called reggaeton.  In spite of the fact that the field in which she is immersed is absolutely dominated by men, she has got to be where some other men have dreamed.  This is why that it can be said that she is the most well-known female figure in this industry.  Ivy Queen, whose real name is Martha Ivelisse Pesanta, was born in Añasco, Puerto Rico in 1972.  Nonetheless, she was raised in New York, the place where she and her parents moved when she was young.  Then, when she was a teenager, she moved back to Puerto Rico, and until at the age of 18, she moved to San Juan in search for her artistic career.

There, Ivy Queen met DJ Negro, the one who helped her polish their voice and enter a group called “Noise”.  At this point, she performed the song that she wrote, which was called “Somos Raperos Pero No Delincuentes”.  However, DJ Negro was sure about the great success she was soon to have.  For this matter, Ivy Queen was convinced to start her “solo” career.  Hence, in 1997, he debuted with the album she named “En mi Imperio” under the Sony International Records label.  With this album, Ivy Queen sold more than 100,000 copies.  Due to the great representations she made in Dominican Republic, she was named “Rap Singer of the Year” and later awarded the “Artista 97” award.  In addition, the Artista magazine named her “The People’s Favorite Rap Singer."

One year later, Ivy Queen’s second album that was titled Original Rude Girl was recorded.  This album was much more successful than her first one.  In 2003, Ivy Queen released her third album called Diva.  For this album, she wrote every single song and many other artists were very interested to participate on it.  In general, Ivy Queen is very well-known to the fact that she focuses on including positive messages in her songs so that she can make a difference among the rest of the reggaeton singers.  In fact, she always speaks Puerto Rico and how abused women suffer. Thus, she is unique!!!