Bob still a Legend
The names of three Jamaicans rang loudly on the Billboard charts this year: Bob Marley, skip Marley and Popcaan.
Each entered multiple charts, with Bob (who died in 1981) making the biggest impression.
In early January, Billboard revised the rules for compilation of its weekly Reggae Albums Chart to include streaming. As a result, the weekly Nielsen Music/mrc Data-generated Reggae Albums Chart was renamed the US Current Reggae Albums Chart, solely based on sales (digital, CD, vinyl).
The US Current Reggae Albums Chart is only available via subscription, while the streaming-driven Billboard Reggae
Albums Chart is posted on Billboard’s website.
Since the revision, Bob Marley and The Wailers’ top-selling Legend has been number one.. It is currently spending a 50th week on top. Throughout the year, numerous titles by Marley and The Wailers revisited the chart including Gold, B is For Bob, Live! Uprising, Kaya, Exodus and Burnin’.
Interestingly, Legend has consistently charted on Billboard’s Top Current Album, Vinyl Album, Catalog Album, R&B Albums, the allgenre Billboard 200 Albums and the Top R&b/hip-hop Albums charts.
Skip Marley, Bob’s grandson, created history in May when he became the first Jamaican to top the Billboard Adult R&B Songs Chart. He achieved that feat with Slow Down featuring R&B singer HER, which also made the Top 10 on other Billboard charts including the Mainstream R&B/ Hip-hop, R&B Songs and R&b/hip-hop Airplay.
Skip’s debut EP, Higher Place, peaked at number two on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart in September. It earned a nomination for Best Reggae Album at next year’s Grammy Awards.
His follow-up single, Make Me Feel featuring Rick Ross and Ari Lennox, entered Billboard’s R&b/hip-hop Airplay and Adult R&B Songs charts.
Popcaan’s Fixtape became the first dancehall album in more than five years to grace the Top 100 of Billboard’s
200 Albums Chart. It did so in August, at number 94. The set debuted at number two on the Reggae Albums Chart and charted on the Canadian Albums Chart.
Twist and Turn, the lead single from Fixtape, made the Canadian Hot 100, Billboard R&b/hip-hop Airplay, Mainstream R&B/ Hip-hop and the British pop chart.
He earned another Billboard single with the collaboration Come Over featuring British singer Jorja Smith. It made the top 30 on the Adult R&B Songs Chart.
Conkarah and Shaggy had a surprise hit with Banana, thanks to a remix and exposure via social media site Tiktok. The song topped charts in New Zealand (where it was certified gold), Mexico Ingles and Mexico Airplay, Billboard 200
Global Excluding US chart, Argentina, Germany and Switzerland. It also charted in Canada.
In July, a remix of Shaggy’s 2000 release Hot Shot titled Hot Shot 2020 (Deluxe) was released and reached number four on the reggae table. Best Of Shaggy: The Boombastic Collection, which was released 12 years ago by Geffen, re-entered the Reggae Album Chart where it stayed at number two for most of 2020.
American group Stick Figure had a good year with his 2019 release, World on Fire and the 2015 album Set in Stone. Both were fixtures on the reggae table.
Sean Paul’s 2002 release, the multi-platinum and Grammy winning Dutty Rock and Dutty Classics Collection (released by Rhino in 2017) made frequent visits to the chart.
Released in August, Got to Be Tough by Toots and the Maytals rose to the top of the US Current Reggae
Albums chart. Shortly after the death of lead singer
Toots Hibbert in September from complications due to the coronavirus, the album debuted on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart at number nine. Simultaneously, The Very Best of Toots and the Maytals peaked at number four.
On June 26, Upside
Down 2020 by Buju Banton (his first album in more than ten years) and Of
Dons and Divas by Vybz Kartel were both released. Upside Down 2020 peaked at number two on the reggae albums chart while Of Dons and Divas reached number six.
Protoje’s much-touted In Search of Lost Time rose to six on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, while labelmate Lila Iké topped the US Current Reggae Albums Chart her first time out with The Experience.