Billboard magazine recently released its 21st-century rankings, and Shaggy, Sean Paul, and Bob Marley & the Wailers were among the three Jamaicans on the list.
On the Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century, Shaggy’s 2000 album Hot Shot comes in at number 61. Shaggy stated, “Everything about that album was magic. I was in a very good creative space, and I knew what I wanted to say. Hot Shot is my biggest album to date and the songs from it continue to be played on pop radio. I’m very proud of this body of work.”
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With over 6 million certified diamond units sold in the US and 9 million copies sold worldwide, Hot Shot was a commercial triumph. The tracks It Wasn’t Me, Angel, Hope, Dance and Shout, and Freaky Girl are among the album’s Billboard Hot 100 #1 hits. Shaggy went on, “Nothing could prepare us for that level of success. I knew the songs were good enough to compete with what was trending, but I think it’s fair to say this album has surpassed trends.”
Sean Paul’s 2003 #1 hit duet with Beyoncé, Baby Boy, achieved the #96 position on the Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century list, while he is ranked #88 on the Top Artists of the 21st Century list. In addition to being awarded gold in Brazil, Germany, and Denmark, Baby Boy had three platinum certifications in Austria, two platinum certifications in the US, and platinum certifications in New Zealand, the UK, and Canada. It also reached the top 10 in sixteen different nations. Former Sean Paul A&R Murray Elias stated, “Sean’s placing #88 on Billboard’s Top 100 Artists of the 21st Century is another well-deserved honor. I am very proud of his accomplishment and very happy for him. I think all of Jamaica should take note and feel pride in this milestone.”
Elias emphasized Sean Paul’s role in bringing dancehall to the mainstream and his ongoing success with Sia, Clean Bandit, Dua Lipa, and Enrique Iglesias successes. Elias stated, “When I first met Sean over 25 years ago, I knew he was unique. He had all the ‘right stuff’ to make it big… He is special. He deserves this honor.”
On the Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century, Bob Marley and the Wailers’ 1 album, Legend, is placed #187. Last December, it received certification for sales in the US that surpassed 18 million copies. It received still another honor on January 17 when the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified it 15x platinum for sales of more than 4.5 million units.
All of Marley’s Top 40 UK songs are included on the renowned Legend album, which is regarded as the best-selling reggae album of all time. It was in the UK Albums chart’s top 10 for 168 weeks as of January 2025. It has been at the top of Billboard’s Reggae Albums list for 261 non-consecutive weeks. On the weekly Billboard 200 Albums all-genre list, it peaked at number five.
