Flava McGregor locks iTunes reggae No. 1 and No. 2 with Riddim 91

Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor, already a Billboard-charting producer, has notched another career landmark. His new compilation Riddim 91 has unseated his own reggae crossover set Kiss of Judas at No. 1 on the US iTunes Reggae Albums chart.

Out since July 17, Riddim 91 climbed quickly to the summit of the streams-based ranking and tightened McGregor’s hold on digital reggae sales. He now holds first and second place with consecutive releases, a result that points to strong demand for his work and to his standing among today’s leading reggae producers.

Widely dubbed the ‘Billboard King’, McGregor links the dual-chart run to reggae’s rising pull with younger audiences.

“I’m extremely grateful for the support from reggae music fans in the US, especially college-age listeners,” McGregor said. “The demographics and analytics show that a significant percentage of our streaming support is coming from younger consumers. That tells me reggae music is becoming more popular and more relevant with a new generation.”

Market figures back that view. Luminate’s Midyear Report shows reggae — dancehall included — posted a seven per cent rise in US on-demand audio streams in the first half of the year versus the same stretch a year before. Across those six months the genre logged 1.3 billion on-demand audio streams in the United States, underscoring steady commercial gains in the biggest music market.

McGregor also highlights the long run of Kiss of Judas, which stayed at No. 1 on the iTunes Reggae chart for more than eight weeks in a row. Over the past weekend the album landed on the front page of the iTunes All-Genres chart, a high-visibility slot usually filled by major pop and hip-hop acts.

“This is huge,” McGregor said. “To get a reggae project onto an all-genres chart means you’re competing with every style of music. That’s a major accomplishment.”

All-genre listings, unlike reggae-only charts, fold together several measures of consumption: paid and free streaming, digital and physical sales, and terrestrial and satellite radio play. Reaching them typically means strong results across those channels at once.

“This is a great achievement for Jamaican music,” he said. “It’s important to keep the bridge open for our culture and to show future producers and artistes that it is possible to compete on an international scale.”

Riddim 91 gathers established reggae and dancehall names such as Beenie Man, Junior Reid, Glen Washington, Turbulence, Duane Stephenson, Etana, I-Octane, Pressure Busspipe, Ginjah, Zamunda and Ras Shiloh.