Dancehall music has unfortunately been a male dominated genre, from the producers and DJs to the artists we listen to, but over the years, we have been blessed with a few exceptionally talented and diverse women who cannot and will not be denied their crown. Enter Grace Latoya Hamilton, the artist we now know as Spice, internationally renowned Queen of Dancehall. The award-winning Dancehall and Reggae artist from Portmore, Jamaica has influenced the world to love Dancehall as much as she does.
Spice’s reign at the top of the reggae/dancehall kingdom is acknowledged by Billboard, Apple Music and Spotify, where she has conquered the genres’ charts. Her loyal fan base has collectively streamed her music more than 433 million times on YouTube and over 65 million times on Spotify – making Spice one of the most streamed female artists in her genre.
Her 2021 influence gained global acclaim thanks to her collaboration with Shaggy and Sean Paul on the hit record “Go Down Deh!” Appearing on Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Wendy Williams Show and Good Morning Britain, Spice has ignited the world’s love for her signature sound alongside her one-of-a-kind persona represented by her flamboyant, colorful dress and hair, high energy stage performance and expressions of sexual liberation and female empowerment.
On 6th August 2021, Spice released her highly anticipated album 10. The embodiment of a single-mom’s success, Spice poignantly proclaims the fact that her now-moment has been 20 years in the making. About her journey to ‘10’ Spice says, “I’m always talking about my struggles, how I started in music and who helped me along the way. A lot of people don’t know that I’ve been a part of the dancehall culture for two decades. I started in 1999.”
10 years in the making, with an epic history behind it, the album is a testament to Spice’s gritty and inspired rise to the highest echelons of the Dancehall world. 10 is bold and it’s what we expect from Spice in all her glory – yet it’s clearly a step into the new frontiers of Dancehall’s musical space, leaving listeners in no doubt of Spice’s role as one of the biggest innovators of her genre and beyond.
Released on Jamaica’s Independence Day and Spice’s birthday (6 August), the digital release was commemorated by a coveted Spotify billboard in Times Square, followed by the physical album as well as a vinyl edition of her hit single, “Go Down Deh feat. Shaggy & Sean Paul” – both available on August 27. Fans can pre-save 10 now: https://ada.lnk.to/Spice10
Representing the culmination of a 20-year journey, the new album 10 showcases Spice’s song-writing versatility while blending hardcore dancehall with soca, pop, R&B, and EDM genres. Stand out tracks include “Send It Up” (the follow-up single to “Go Down Deh”), “Po-Po (feat. Nicho),” her breakthrough anthem “So Mi Like It” which has racked up nearly 100 million video views and her latest smash single “Go Down Deh (feat. Shaggy & Sean Paul).” The latter topped worldwide reggae charts while the official music video has amassed over 21 million YouTube views, making history as the first dancehall video to continue trending on the platform for five weeks straight.
The song has also consistently been among top trending releases on Shazam, Twitter, and Tik Tok, as the trio kicked off a TV blitz.
Executive produced by Shaggy—a GRAMMY Award winning, chart-topping, certified-diamond hitmaker in his own right—10 also includes production from the likes of Supa Dups, whose credits include Rihanna, Eminem, and Bruno Mars and Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor, whose credits include Burna Boy and Drake, as well as Costantin “Costi” Ionita, Shane Hoosong, Ainsley Morris, among others.
As a current cast member of VH1’s Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta, Spice has also made a guest appearance on The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart (2020). Her other music on VP Records includes “Frenz,” “So Mi Like It,” and “Conjugal Visit” featuring Vybz Kartel. She has had seven Top 10 singles and 10 music videos that have each streamed 3 million+. She has collaborated with Missy Elliot, Kid Ink, Jeremiah, Busta Rhymes, I-Octane, Lady Leeshur, Sean Kingston, A$AP Ferg, Mya, Charly Blacks, Neyo, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Stylo G, and more.
Dubbed the “fashion forward Queen of Dancehall” by VOGUE, Spice – a successful entrepreneur – has also established a name for herself in both beauty and fashion with a make-up line, Faces and Laces and clothing collection, Graci Noir. Her hugely successful Spice Official Instagram reaches 3.4M followers and her YouTube subscribers number 1.47M.
Spice has received the YVA Award for Female Artist of the Year 7 consecutive times, and the IRWAMA Award for Female DJ of the Year. She has been nominated for the UK’s coveted MOBO Award.
Courtesy of VP Records
