The 1st annual

"Forward!" awards

Tired of all those fool-fool Reggae award shows? We don't have the money to televise it, but the Reggaematic Awards can put them to shame over the Internet instead. Here's to the best (and worst) in Dancehall music...

Song Of The Year:
LIVING DANGEROUSLY (Bounty Killer/Barrington Levy), came perilously close to supplanting the national anthem as Jamaica's most popular song. The duet succeeded as both a cautionary tale and a dance track to the Dancehall's sketelle kingdom.
Honorable Mention: "Praise Him" and "Dis The Man" (Sanchez), "Mama" (Bounty Killer) and "Love Sponge" (Buju Banton)

DJ Of The Year:
BEENIE MAN narrowly edges nemisis Bounty Killer for two reasons: Beenie was far more willing to experiment, producing some of the year's most memorable tracks, and The Doctor is a far better live performer than the foot-stomping, fist-pumping Killer.
Honorable Mention: Bounty Killer, Buju Banton, Lady Saw

Best New Artist:
ANTHONY B quickly emerged from Capleton's shadow to become one of the most exciting new artists in years. "Fire Pon Rome," "Hurt Mi Heart" and "Raid The Barn" have established him as a bona fide star.
Honorable Mention: Tanya Stevenson, Sizzla

Wickedest Combination:
HEALING (Beenie Man/Lady Saw), might have been a little too slow to dominate dancehalls the way "Living Dangerously" did, but the combined talents of Beenie and Saw produced the most electrifying, charismatic duet of the year. Imagine! A totally original duet! with two DJ's and no singers!
Honorable Mention: "Revolution III" (Bounty Killer/Beenie Man/Dennis Brown), "Murderer" (Beenie Man/Barrington Levy), "Living Dangerously" (Bounty Killer/Barrington Levy), "Maniac" (Bounty Killer/Ritchie Stevens) "Probably You Never Heard of Me" (General B/Roundhead).

Best Album:
MY XPERIENCE (Bounty Killer) walks away with this one. The best combination of consistensy and innovation, old and new, concious and slack. Encompassing all of the delicious contaditions that define dancehall music.
Honorable Mention: Reggae Gold '96 (Various Artists), Praise Him (Sanchez), So Many Things (Anthony B)

Best Singer:
SANCHEZ released a stunning album, Praise Him, that finally gave his always-wonderful voice some lyrical substance. The long-time coverer of R&B standards came original this time, and the results were sensational.
Honorable Mention: Luciano, Beres Hammond

Best Sound:
KILLAMANJARO, Dancehall's most lethal soundstation, boasted a 100% fatality rate in sound clashes in 1996. Ricky Trooper and his killing machine has everyone else on the run, even the bloated Stone Love, who lost their most promising selector - Malcolm X - to Traveller's.
Honorable Mention: Stone Love, Travellers, Metro Media, African Star.

Best Male Artist:
"Artist" is the operative words here, and BUJU BANTON is the epitome of the word. Gargamel continues his artistic growth, while dropping a 45 or two to remind us that he can still run de place.
Honorable Mention: Luciano, Sanchez, Bounty Killer.

Best Female Artist:
LADY SAW by a landslide. Her easy victory is both a testament to her talent and the lack of quality female artists in the dancehall.
Honorable Mention: Tanya Stevenson

Rhythm Of The Year:
The HEATHEN rhythm may be a reconstruction of a Bob Marley beat, but it came into its own in 1996. Some of the most concious, uplifting tunes of the year were voiced on this rhythm.
Honorable Mention: Joy Ride, Gremlin, Ole Dog.

Comeback of The Year:
None. Shabba, Ninja and Cutty Ranks all tried to reclaim lost glory. All failed, to varying degrees.

Flop Of The Year:
YVAD joined the list of "Next Bob Marleys" who amounted to nothing. A likeable enough artist, the dreadlocked trubadour had the backing of Tuff Gong and Rita Marley, but poor marketing and unreasonable expectations doomed him.
(Dis)Honorable Mention: Beenie Man live at Sting, Reggae Sunsplash, Cobra's Milkman.

Best Live Performer:
The debacle at Sting '96 notwithstanding, BEENIE MAN remains dancehall's most entertaining live artist. What he lacks in authority and sheer presence (see the Honorable Mentions) he more than compensates with charisma, magnetism and energy.
Honorable Mentions: Buju Banton, Luciano, Ninja Man

Soon Bust Award:
FRISCO KID appears next in line to join the upper echelon of DJ's. The Kid has consistently voiced some of the biggest hits on all manner of rhythms and subjects. Frisco is going to blow up.
Honorable Mention: General B, Sizzla, Tanya Stevenson

Dance Of The Year:
BODY BASIC was a worthy sucessor to the tatty, butterfly, bogle, santa barbra and tick. And a good way to keep fit too!
Honorable Mention: Go Go Wine

Counteraction Award (Best Counteraction Tune):
"WAR BEYOND THE STARS" (Bounty Killer) was the most vicious and effective assault of the year. We all know who this copper shot was aimed at...
Honorable Mention: "Run De Place" (Buju Banton)

Gun Pon Teeth Award (Best Gun Tune)
"GUN DOWN" (Bounty Killer) evokes the heyday of quality bad bwoy lyrics-- exotic guns, big bullets, gross anatomical references and rotting bodies.
Honorable Mention: "Dead Muthaphuka" (Cobra)

Just Reality Award (Best Reality/Consious Tune)
"FIRE PON ROME" (Anthony B), Attacks all the powers-that-be within earshot; from Airline mogul Butch Davis to politico Bruce Golden to... the pope.
Honorable Mention: "Go Now" and "Fed Up" (Bounty Killer), "Ghetto People Song" and "Lift Up Your Head" (Everton Blender), "If Jah is by My Side" (Tony Rebel).

Legalize It Award (Best Pro-Ganja Tune):
"LEGALIZE IT" (Buju Banton), is a brilliant deconstruction of the so-called war on drugs. Instantly one of the classics of the genre.
Honorable Mention: "Low The Herb" (Anthony B), "Eyes a Bleed" (Bounty Killer/Junior Reid), "Good Cess" and "Herbalist" (Simpleton).

Boom Bye Bye Award (Best Anti-Homosexual Tune):
"NO FUNNY GUY THING" (Spragga Benz), equates g-string underwear with homosexuality, but that's probably a shorter leap of logic than those made in past batty bwoy songs.
Honorable Mention: "Bun Down Soddom" (Anthony B)

X-Rated Award (Best Slackness Tune):
"NO LONG TALKING" (Lady Saw) gets the nod. Not the slackest of the bunch, but it is the best of this oversexed bunch.
Honorable Mention: "Ever Tight" (Cobra), "Wutless Bwoy" (Bounty Killer)

Trailor Load Award (Best Gal Tune):
What is a gal tune? is it one about women? or one dedicated to women? we decided that it's both. "NUFF GAL" (Beenie Man) wins in a category dominated by The Doctor over the past year.
Honorable Mention: "Ole Dog," "Damsel Ship," "Blackboard" and "Girls Way" (Beenie Man), "Stucky," "Marathon," "Gal Fe Get Wuk" and "Virgin Island" (Bounty Killer), "Ole Gallis" and "Gizada" (Merciless)

Make It Stop! Award (Most Irritating Trend/Personality/Song):
Of all the itches that we couldn't scratch this year, the high pitched, nails-on-the-blackboard wail of GHOST, was the most irritating. Please, please, make it stop.
(Dis)Honorable Mention: "Macarena" Captain Barkey, Ninja Man's continued comeback attempts, Dances that start at 2 am and end at 4 am (and cost $25!)

Legend Award :
People honor Bob Marley daily, but it was good to see a resurgence in PETER TOSH's poularity over the last year. A fabulous album (The Toughest) and paraphrased lyrics by Anthony B, Buju Banton and even Beenie Man kept the Steppin Razor in our thoughts.