Down In Jamaica - 40 Years Of Vp Records / Various

by Various Artists

“The definitive anthology of the company that helped bring reggae and dancehall to the US and beyond.” Down In Jamaica: 40 Years of VP Records is a 94-track, deluxe, multi-format box set with 24 page booklet and art cards detailing the hits, the rarities, and the history of the world's largest reggae label. Featuring 101 different artists, Down In Jamaica tells this story in detail through a chronological survey of the key songs that helped define the company from early singles on obscure sublabels to the well-known VP Records brand that brought Beenie Man, Sean Paul, Wayne Wonder, and others into the international mainstream. Curated by Carter Van Pelt, VP Records' Director Of Catalog Development, the set contains four 7-inch singles, four 12-inch singles, and four CDs, the first configuration of its kind in a box set package. The singles format was the dominant vehicle for Jamaican music from its inception, and the collection tells the story almost entirely from singles. The set takes its name from Red Fox and Naturalee's 1989 single.