Best known for his award-winning, chart-topping work with Jamaican star Shaggy and once dubbed by the legendary James Brown as the reggae Usher Barbados born/Brooklyn raised Rayvon who gave us memorable hooks on hit songs Angel and In theSummertime has released his self-titled solo album Rayvon featuring production from Jah Snowcone, Ali Cat & Carl Beaver Henderson who is credited with the blazing new single Back It Up which was recently performed (March 8th) at a live taping on The Mo’Nique Show and airdate TBA.
Most artists dream of a career that spans over a decade boasting international accolades, chart-topping hits, and underground classics. Rayvon h.as garnered this success and more while affectionately being dubbed the ambassador of hip-hop reggae. Having shared the stage with monolithic icons The Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson his pop-infused Caribbean flavor has paved the way for the next generation of Barbadian recording artists such as Rihanna, Shontelle, and Jaicko. Rayvons eponymous third album. Rayvon features track work from heavyweights such as Jah Snowcone (Sean Paul, Vybz Kartel) as well as the production prowess of Danny Champagne, Ali Cat, and Carl Beaver Henderson. The first single Back it Up is a hard-edged pulsating groove that will have guys jumping and ladies gyrating. From Hustle and Flow to the pop reggae lilt of Wedding Song, the album result is an explosive collection of sonic heavy hitters (Riding Skill), Euro dance (Private Dancer), and his patented brand of hip-hop reggae (Get Money, Bang Bang). To date, Back It Up has garnered Rayvon an International Association of Independent Recording Artists (IAIRA) award and ranked in at No. 1 on Indie-Music.coms top 25 for 2011. The second single One N Only is swiftly giving chase at No. 2.
Rayvon is probably best known for his work with multi-platinum selling vocalist Shaggy. The two began collaborating on a string of tunes in the 90s which culminated in the Sting International produced regional hit Big Up. Rayvon says, We both got our break with that record. It put us in the reggae/dancehall spotlight. I had a smooth-edged style of singing and he had that rough DJ style. The chemistry was amazing. Rayvon was also featured covering The Melodians’ classic Rivers of Babylon on the B-side of Shaggys 1993 hit Oh Carolina
The following year Rayvons solo star began to brighten with the release of his hip-hop reggae classic No Guns, No Murder (produced by Funkmaster Flex) on the venerable VP Records. The track hit a trifecta on Billboard, ranking in simultaneously on the Hot 100, Rap Singles, and R&B/ Hip-Hop Songs charts. VP issued the follow up Pretty (Before I go To Bed), which quickly impacted the Billboards Rap Singles chart. Rayvons career trajectory accelerated in 1995 when he recorded the island-tinged duet In The Summertime from Shaggys platinum, Grammy award-winning album Boombastic. The song was a cover of Mungo Jerrys 1970 hit and following in its original success Shaggys version with the help of Rayvon reached No. 3 on Billboards Hot 100 and No. 5 in the UK while also featured in various major motion pictures and television series.
Rayvon spent the next few years diligently releasing underground singles including Bashment Party, which positioned itself on Billboards Rap Singles chart. In 2001 he lent his vocals to yet another smash Shaggy duet, Angel, from the 6x Platinum seller Hotshot. This time, the duo topped Billboards Hot 100 and took home an American Music Award for the wildly successful tune. Rayvon appeared with Shaggy in the national spotlight on shows like Live w/ Regis & Kelly, Saturday Night Live, Jay Leno, David Letterman and All My Children. The song has since clocked in at 18 million views on YouTube and has been certified gold and platinum around the world. Rayvon says, People have grown up with the classic songs Ive done over the years. People want to hear Reggae because it’s feel good music. Feel good music will never die.
Rayvon previously released two solo albums including Hear My Cry (Virgin Records 1997) and My Bad (Big Yard Music/MCA Records 2002). Though hopes were high for his impressive debut album, it largely hovered under the radar in a whirlpool of label politics. I came out in a year where it was like a small dog among big dog. Virgin released albums by UB40, Janet Jackson, Rolling Stones, and the Spice Girls that same year. I was caught in that whole whirlwind. The release of 2-Way off the sophomore effort reached No. 10 on BETs 106 & Park countdown and chimed in on Billboards R&B/ Hip-Hop Songs chart. The title track My Bad stands at 84 thousand views on YouTube, featured a cameo from cohort Shaggy and boasted No. 1 at Top 40 Radio for four weeks. (Back It Up Video) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXqx8RoDOl0&hd=1
