| Among the first such artists to benefit from the deal was Sean Paul
His "Dutty Rock" album, released last year, sold more than 2 Other artists, like Wonder and Elephant Man, have also benefited from the deal, with Atlantic's marketing muscle giving acts wider exposure "
On Saturday, this mainstream power will be evident â€â€? VP's 25th anniversary celebration will be held at Radio City Music Hall
And Assassin says with the help of VP, reggae has the chance to become just as popular as rap or R&B
"The major labels tried to morph them into this quote unquote crossover act, and they didn't really stay true to their own music," says Chin "
Even Beenie Man, who still maintains a relationship with VP and the Chins, seems to rue the departure The Chin's first retail store was in Kingston, Jamaica The family's relationship with reggae runs deep â€â€? father Vincent got into it more than 40 years ago while fixing jukeboxes on the island "That (the decision) was not mine, that was management
Today, that same record store remains The company is also branching out into fashion, with Patricia Chin overseeing a clothing line (Father Vincent died in 2003; he and Patricia provided the V and P in the company's name) "
To help prevent future poaching â€â€? and to broaden its own reach â€â€? VP linked up with Atlantic Records help market and distribute certain acts
Chin says not only is reggae, dancehall and soca gaining acceptance among other audiences, the music is finding its way into other genres; he cites rap and R&B songs that use dancehall beats "
Yet with a few exceptions â€â€? Maxi Priest and Shaggy, to name a very few â€â€? reggae has produced few international stars since Marley's death, and there has not been sustained interest as the genre progressed from Marley's positive singing into dancehall's rapid rapping "A platinum CD doesn't seem like a surprise any longer
Dancehall artists like Shabba Ranks and Patra gained a foothold on the American R&B scene in the late 80s and early 90s, but their popularity faded
Atlantic Records Co-Chairman and COO Craig Kallman, who calls VP "the ultimate destination if you're into reggae," says the deal benefits both companies They make you feel appreciated," he says
"VP, they put out an entire effort
But he found it difficult as a small label to translate the success of their artists to a wider market Wyclef Jean will be the evening's host, and Shaggy, Rick Rok, Elephant Man and Beenie Man will be among the stars performing (another concert is planned for Miami, where VP has an office, on May 30)
"It was a difficult thing for us, because you had an artist who me personally, and a lot of the guys here, you develop a personal relationship with," Chin said VP Records Celebrates 25th Anniversary
May 6, 3:35 PM EST
When the Chin family opened VP Records here 25 years ago, it was simply a record store designed to bring the reggae music of their native Jamaica to the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens It's dancehall now, it's DJs, it's the whole different vibe altogether, so our challenge through the years as company is really to educate the buyers that this is another form of music "This was his first big crossover record, this was certainly our first big attempt at doing a crossover record, so as you can imagine, there was bonding going on and we felt like we really did something Virgin lured away Beenie Man from VP's roster (though VP maintained involvement) That changed in 1998 with Beenie Man's hit "Who Am I?," which crossed over to the R&B market
"This is not your dad's reggae "Our job is, once the core is built, is to bring it to the mainstream An international icon, the late singer was reggae's ambassador to the world in the 1970s, and even after his death, people still associate the music with his dreadlocked image
Of course, reggae music reached an international community decades ago, primarily due to Bob Marley, the genre's patron saint
"They were a catalyst, basically, to get me heard to the international community," says Sean Paul, the label's most successful artist
"VP is probably the best middle person between reggae artists and the wider audience, because they are in this part of the market, they have know-how on how to get the material out to the audience," says VP artist Assassin, who signed with the company this year
"Everyday, it's (reggae) getting up to a level of acceptance and a level of recognition like the major genres of music," he adds Bob Marley was an icon but the music itself, it's gone beyond Bob Marley
"Some of the R 3 million copies and established him as one of music's hottest stars They show appreciation to your work, just how you would appreciate your job "
VP Records, whose acts range from traditional reggae groups like Morgan Heritage to slicker artists like Wayne Wonder, had never had a problem with core audiences
"Bob Marley is probably the best thing and the worst thing that happened to reggae because he is such an omnipresent entity out there," says Randy Chin, VP's CEO and one of four siblings who run the company, along with other relatives and their mother, Patricia It's different now If it was me I would still be at VP
"They do a powerful job in covering the entire country with respect with all the first people who are fans of reggae and dancehall," he says But VP grew from a hit-seller into a one of reggae's premier hit-makers years ago, making mainstream stars out of Sean Paul, Beenie Man and others More hits followed So it was disappointing
Major record companies started taking a closer look at VP â€â€? and its artists "That kind of bled through in terms how the core marketplace responded to them, and that ultimately led to them not really getting the acceptance Kelly beats, if you listen to them, they definitely have a reggae ring to them," he says Chin says they were signed by major record labels who didn't understand the music "
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