Amid the current dancehall reggae craze, one reggae artist is shining through with a solid hit and this year’s most sought after roots reggae album. Sizzla and his album “Da Real Thing” released on VP Records late in 2002 earned classic status in Jamaica and has been building steadily in the U.S. hip-hop audience ever since. Two current hip-hop hits; “Never Scared” (the unauthorized remix) by Bone Crusher and “Crown” by Jah Rule showcase Sizzla’s “Solid As A Rock”

The ‘white label’ remix of Bone Crusher’s massive dirty south anthem “Never Scared” paired the Bone Crusher track with Sizzla’s sped up vocals that left many people asking which artist was featured in the remix and where could they buy the album. The rough and edgy record became a summertime favorite on New York’s Hot 97 Radio, receiving regular airplay from prime time air personality Funk Master Flex. The original song, already a hit in Jamaica – was propelled by the buzz the remix generated in clubs and on radio outside of Jamaica. Once again the New York hip-hop community had a hybrid hit with Jamaican street credibility. Hot on the heels of this success, Def Jam/Murder Inc. artist Ja Rule borrowed the verse from “Solid As A Rock” to frame his comeback single titled “Crown”. The song samples Sizzla and retools the original lyrics.

Sizzla (A.K.A. Miguel Collins) one of reggae’s most prolific writers is still an enigma to many of his fans. Collins, aged twenty-six has released over a dozen albums in the last six years for as many labels. Rated by many, as his best work in years is the VP Records release of “Da Real Thing”, which teams the vocalist with veteran producer Bobby ‘Digital’ Dixon.
VP Records, the quintessential reggae label based in Jamaica, NY released “Da Real Thing” in November of 2002 with multiple singles reacting in the core reggae market. The first single “Thank U Mamma,” was released in February of 2003 and was accompanied by his first ever music video. “(Dry Cry) Just One Of Those Days”, was released in June to a massive response and topped the Jamaican charts and received mainstream radio play in the U.S. A twelve inch single for “Solid As A Rock” b/w “(Dry Cry) Just One Of Those Days” is slated for release on September 23.

Regarding Sizzla’s sixth VP Records album release VP President and A&R Chief Chris Chin says “We’re delighted with the success of ‘Da Real Thing’, Sizzla is one of the top core artists. And he’ll mash things up even more with the tour coming to America. It’s a big win for the whole roots community”.

Provided by VP Records