Reggae veteran Max Romeo says he was reluctant to record Wet Dreams, a risqué 1969 UK chart hit, but decided to do so after much coercion from legendary music producer Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee.

In an interview with YouTuber Teach Dem, the 78-year-old singer-songwriter was asked why he had held out on recording the song, which he said was his first big success as a solo artist.

“No, because I didn’t like the image you know but I was forced to, by Bunny,” Romeo explained.

Romeo said that after the song spent 25 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 10, he decided to do similar double-entendre songs such as Play with Your Pu–y, Pu–y Watchman, and Wine Her Goosie, but had an epiphany two years later and decided to desist.

“So after I see the glory of it, I give them a barrage of songs like that.  But then 1971 you know I just pulled up and say ‘wait, I can’t have a catalogue like this for my grandchildren’.  So I changed to cultural songs [in] 1971,” he said.

According to Trojan Records, “the potent blend of humor and sexual ‘suggestiveness’ ensured its popularity with the U.K. audience who had never heard anything quite so blatant before.”

Wet Dream, which had the hook “Lie dung gal mek me push it up, push it up, lie dung,” was banned from the BBC but propelled Romeo to being an instant favorite of Skinheads in the UK. 

Romeo recounted that the ban by the BBC spurred the rebellious Skinheads, out of sheer perversity, to make Wet Dreams their song of choice.

“It was an anthem for the skinheads.  The skinheads was a little group that was just forming, yes, fighting against the system.    And when they banned it from the radio –  it played twice on the radio and they banned on BBC  – so the skinheads say ‘yeah all right we’re gonna use this as our protest song’,” Romeo explained.

“So they start going dances…and if they come now and tell you play Wet Dream and you don’t have it, dem mash up di tings.  Dese guys wear some Dr Martin’s steel toe shoes man. Anything they kick break,” he added.

Romeo said that the song was not only banned by the BBC, but he was forbidden from performing it in some venues.

“I was told not to but in some cases I’m forced to by the audience,” he said laughing.

Born Maxwell Smith in rural Jamaica, Romeo’s other recording career classics include Chase The Devil, One Step Forward, Maccabee Version, War Inna Babylon, and Let the Power Fall On I.   

Last December, he released his 45th album World of Ghouls, and on January 6 this year, he announced that he would be doing his final tour this year, dubbed ‘The Ultimate Tour’ “to pay his respects,” and would be releasing a commemorative album ahead of his retirement from musical globetrotting, after 57 years in the business.

During the interview, Romeo explained that when he went to the UK, as a black man it was a culture shock for him, but seeing the large numbers of black people living there, from various countries across the world, he soon acclimatized.  However, he said that his core audiences over the decades have been mainly Caucasian people.

“And then I realized that until today is the white people who follow me more… because my agent keep me in Europe you know all over Europe.  I don’t even find time to do a show in Jamaica,” he explained, noting later, that very few people in Jamaica know Wet Dreams.

“Di black people, some a dem curse mi an seh me is a white man singer, becaw everytime dem come a mi concert is pare white people.   I seh ‘I don’t book myself… If these people love mi what I mus do run dem…?’” he said chuckling.

Max Romeo was one of the artists, who penned songs that were used in election campaigns in 1972, which helped to propel former Prime Minister, the late Michael Manley and the Peoples National Party (PNP) to power in Jamaica.

The track, Let The Power Fall On I, which Max Romeo recorded in 1972, was highly effective in helping the PNP to gain power that year.

Because Manley claimed that he was given a rod from His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie II, to “lead his people to the promised land”, and had repeatedly brandished that rod at rallies, this attracted him much support from Rastafarians, and resulted in his loyalists giving him the moniker Joshua, after the Biblical leader who was chosen by God to lead Israel into the Promised Land.

Consequently, Romeo used this Joshua theme to form the basis of his pro-Manley recordings, among them Michael Row The Boat Ashore, and Press Along Joshua.

Years later, he gave Manley a gentle rebuke with No Joshua No, to voice his dissatisfaction with how the Prime Minister led the country.

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Kevin Lyttle’s 2003 hit Turn Me On, which received a new remix in April 2023, is now certified double platinum in the United Kingdom.

According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), Turn Me On was issued the BRIT Certified Multi-Platinum (2x) award on Friday (June 15), after it sold more than 1,200,000 copies in the UK as measured by The Official Charts Company.

The latest iteration of the track is a remix by Luude and Bru-C, featuring Lyttle, titled TMO (Turn Me On).

Released on April 28, the remix is currently at No. 42 on the UK Singles chart after debuting at No. 88, six weeks ago.

Produced by Adrian Bailey, the original Soca, Dancehall, and R&B tune had featured guest vocals from Spragga Benz and had interpolated lyrics from R&B group 112’s 1998 song All My Love. The official remix featured more lyrics from Spragga.

Turn Me On peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 on the UK Singles chart, and was a top 10 hit in Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The song went Gold (500,000 units) in the United States in October 2004, and had reached Platinum in the UK, after selling 600,000 units, in February 2017.

It is also currently certified Platinum in Australia, and Gold in Denmark (45,000 units), Germany (150,000 units), Norway (5,000 units), and Switzerland (20,000 units).

Both versions of the song appeared on Lyttle’s self-titled debut album, released under Atlantic Records. The album entered the Billboard 200 albums chart at No. 8, selling 84,000 copies, and was later certified gold in the United States, for selling 500,000 units.

In 2016, American electronic group Cheat Codes sampled Lyttle’s Turn Me On in a remix titled Let Me Hold You (Turn Me On). The following year, American singer Chris Brown also sampled Turn Me On to make his song Questions.

“I own the publishing on Questions. I also own the publishing for the Cheat Codes’ version, “Let Me Hold You”, which is bigger than the Chris Brown version,” Lyttle told The Source.

The song was also sampled in J.I.’s Need Me (2019), and Collie Buddz’s Mamacita (2006).

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Queen of Dancehall Spice kickstarted the ‘rebooted’ Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta (LHHATL) series with an emotional moment as she relived her near-death experience in the Dominican Republic and how it affected her children.

The series, which had called VH1 home since its debut in 2012, has moved to MTV for its eleventh season, which is billed as a reboot with a “more docu approach to storytelling.”

The move comes as Tyler Perry reportedly acquired BET and VH1 from Paramount, which has decided to keep a number of its biggest titles (including LHHATL) on its other network, MTV.

Spice first appeared on the show during season six, and was later promoted to the main cast in season eight.

In the premiere episode on Tuesday (June 13), titled Out Of The Woods, Back In These Streets, the producers touched on her Grammy nomination last year before turning to the Dancehall singer’s medical scare in the Dominican Republic in October.

“Spice In A Coma In Dominican Republic” and “Spice Unresponsive” flickered on the screen as the Queen of Dancehall made her way to sit in herconfessional scene with the assistance of an escort. 

“Welcome back Spice, how are you?” the show producers were heard asking the Romping Shop singer, who replied, “I’ve been better.”

In a brief flashback, Spice appeared in the hospital along with several chilling post-surgery photos. “My world just came crashing down,” Spice said. “The last thing I remember when I went into that emergency surgery was everyone looking real puzzled like ‘Oh my God how is she still alive.’”

“I was admitted to the hospital, fighting for my life, fighting through this sepsis infection that was taking over all the organs in my body. My lungs were collapsing and everything was just going bad for me. My world was upside down, I was living in hell,” she continued. 

Spice also shared a video taken in the hospital after her surgery with a touching testimony. “I might sound crazy when mi say dis but the truth is on October 31, 2022, I died,” she revealed. “And God literally gave me a second chance and I’m so grateful to be here.” 

The LHHATL cameras caught up with the Go Down Deh singer three months later at her Atlanta home with her family and kids. Spice revealed that her family all flew in from Jamaica to be with her when they heard the rumors of her death on social media. 

Her children, Nicholas and Nicholatoy, were especially affected by the speculation. “My son Nicholas, and Nicholatoy, they are my life. Losing me would just be devastating for them,” Spice said.

“I always ask God to spare my life and not to do that to my children ’cause I went through so much losing my father. My family have seen me through the darkest time in my life … that was a time you know, that was a moment,” she continued.

With a hectic work schedule ahead, however, the QOD – a single mother – decided there was no better option than to send her children back to Jamaica in the care of her mother and sister. Besides, they both had to return to school.

On the ride home from a tearful goodbye at the airport, Spice and her cousin Nancy agreed they would never want to relive those terrifying moments again. “Every time I think about it I get emotional,” Spice said, “Because the doc called my sister and was like, ‘I’m sorry to say this but it doesn’t look good for Grace. It was bad.” 

Nancy mentioned that in the midst of her tragedy, her son Nicholas told his aunt to “Bring my mommy home,” which brought the singer to tears. 

“Really,” she said. “I think that was the hardest part for me, cause when everything was on the Internet and then my son go pon di Internet and see, how say mi dead, you understand? And it nuh true! You can imagine what dat do to the kids?” … “Mi nuh like talk bout it,” she concluded before breaking into tears. 

The show ended with highlights of what’s to come this season, including the infamous table flip during a heated argument between Spice and Erica Mena.

Watch upcoming episodes of LHHATL at 8 p.m. ET on MTV. 

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Supreme Promotions chairman and founder of Sting Isaiah Laing says Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Sizzla, and Capleton are among his “10 giants of Dancehall,” who he wants to grace the show on Boxing Day this year.

The annual event, dubbed the Greatest One Night Show on Earth, is set for its home base Jamworld, in Portmore, St. Catherine, on Tuesday, December 26, and, according to Laing, although the Dancehall legends have not formally signed off on their appearances, he is confident they will be there in all their glory, as he would personally be “going for my veterans.”

“We talking about 10 of the big names in Dancehall… you don’t expect to see a likkle baby out there and call him a giant… Once wi seh veterans, you know Beenie-Bounty, an yuh woulda know seh Sizzla- Capleton.  Alright, mi done.  Naw guh nuh furda,” he added, when pressed to name some of the ten giants.  

“Ten giants at Sting…and guess what?   I’m gonna be doing the five columns too yes – the younger ones,” he added a while later.

The famed “bad bwoy police” gave the explanation during an interview with The Jamaica Star, after he was asked whether or not Supreme Promotions had changed the format used last year, where only “current artists”, were booked, and veterans “ditched.”  

According to him, it was not his idea to shelve veterans in 2022, but was a decision made by other members of his team.  This time, he said, he had taken command and would go for his “10 giants”.

“We never ditched veterans: at least I never ditched veterans.  I, Isaiah Laing never did that.  But, if the team seh wi going a particular way, I work with it.  But I say ‘changes have to be made’… I am going for my veterans,” Laing stated.

When asked whether the quartet he named had been signed as yet, the promoter replied in the negative, but gave assurances that their appearance at Sting 2023 will come to fruition.

“No, they have not been signed. But this is Sting; this is their culture.  So we are going to be talking very soon,” he said.

“They knew it wasn’t me who made that decision, last year,” he added laughing, whilst admitting that he was “passing the buck”.

In the aftermath of Sting 2022, an aggrieved Bounty Killer had lamented that the quality of the show, which he described as sub-par, and a “puppy-show”, was “the last nail in Sting coffin”. 

The Warlord had contended that Sting had “flopped”, and that Dancehall was “stuck in a barrel and losing its appeal to the world”.  He had also cautioned that if Jamaica does not take heed “and try to fix the problem right now Soca would be bigger than Dancehall”. 

However, the Living Dangerously artist’s comments did not go down well with veteran music selector Foota Hype, who described the Coppershot deejay as being “ungrateful” to the show that catapulted him to stardom in 1993.

In dismissing Bounty’s statements, Foota had rebuked the deejay for making negative utterances about Sting, describing his comments as a show of ingratitude, while declaring that: “Bounty Killa mus neva throw shade at Sting!”

Foota, who was Bounty Killer’s DJ in the 1990s and part of his Alliance outfit, had declared fiercely, that no disrespect of Sting ought to be tolerated as, throughout its existence, the show had brought more positives to Dancehall artistes, as opposed to negatives, and had enrichened them in the process.

“Oonu fi measure weh Sting has done fi oonu career.  Sting propel oonu inna billions a dalla…,” he had stated.  “Di whole a dem become diva.  Now, choo Laing weak, everybaddy ongle rememba whatever bad Laing do fi dem.  Dem naw rememba what good Laing or Sting eva do fi dem!”  

“Yes, Sting create some bad energy to, an some bad vibe, but all thorough the bad vibes oonu still do it di next year dem.  Suh it benefit oonu more dan how it hurt oonu!” the Cassava Piece native had added.

In furtherance of his rebuke of Bounty, Foota pointed out that the Gun Ready artiste ought to be one of the biggest supporters of Sting, whether or not he is booked to perform, and that his  compatriots Beenie Man, Mavado, Vybz Kartel, Ninja Man, Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, Capleton and Sizzla, were among those who ought to never, ever, be disrespectful of Sting.

Foota also went on to point out that the VERZUS battle in which Beenie and Bounty participated in 2020, was predicated on the clashes started by Sting, and therefore Sting’s place in Jamaican history ought not to be discounted. 

However, the Calabar High School old boy had revealed that a proposal regarding a showdown between Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, akin to VERZUZ was also shunned by both deejays.

Foota had also disclosed that Sting promoters’ efforts to have a more robust line-up for the 2022 show, were crippled by greedy veteran deejays, who demanded they be paid exorbitant performance fees, with one artiste wanting close to J$10 million (US$60,000) to perform.

According to him, being caught between a rock and a hard place, Laing and co-promoter Heavy D, were forced to draw for mainly the Millennial generation of newbies, as they did not have the budgetary support to meet the demands of the veterans, many of whom owe much of their popularity and wealth to Sting.

Foota described the wayward veterans as the real agents of destruction of Dancehall music, as in sticking to their hefty fees, they had kept grumbling and whining about Supreme Promoters’ supposed misdeeds of the past.

He argued as well, that Laing and Heavy D must not be faulted for contracting Queenie and Amari to clash at the show, as they acted out of desperation as veteran artistes had in some cases shunned the event, or proved unwilling to reduce the fees they demanded, despite knowing Sting was in rebuilding mode, and Supreme Promotions could not afford it.

Foota said that all the veteran deejays knew that it was a lack of sponsorship which had kept Supreme Promotions from staging Sting over the last seven years, and as a consequence, should have provided the support to the show which, in its heydays, propelled them to stardom.

In upbraiding those he considered Dancehall’s most influential artists, Foota said that Sting’s success was not about Laing, but was about the furtherance of the Dancehall culture, as the show is considered an institution in the genre.

Nevertheless, the Dark Knight producer said that the fact that Sting was still held, in spite of the lack of support from the veterans, was a great triumph for Supreme Promotions.

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Dancehall superstar Sean Paul says he recently forfeited a show, just so that he can spend Father’s Day with his children.

The Temperature artist was speaking with Ebony magazine after being asked what fatherhood was like for him at age 50, and what he was “most looking forward to for Father’s Day.”

“Let me tell you something. I literally just cancelled a show that was supposed to take place on Father’s Day because I want to spend it with mi pickney,” Sean said.

“Fatherhood is a new chapter of life for me, you know.  I’m someone who did this late. But, they keep me feeling young, and remind me so much of myself. I think they are the best song I ever wrote. It’s all still new for me, but it’s such a blessing,” he added.

Sean Paul became a father at age 44, when he and wife Jodi ‘Jinx’ Henriques, welcomed their son Levi Blaze Henriques in February 2017 after five years of marriage.  

They welcomed their second child, a daughter named Remi Leigh Henriques, in August 2019.

In April last year, the doting dad had revealed to the Star that he took his daddy duties so seriously that he had wasted no time in returning home from Las Vegas following the GRAMMY Awards ceremony, not because SOJA won the Best Reggae Album Grammy Award, but because he “needed to be in Jamaica,” to attend Levi’s sports day.

“The Grammys was in the night and I left basically 4am… and sports day was the next day. Certain things are important in a child’s life and, even right now, I’m scheduling a lot of things around what my children are doing, what’s on their timetable. A schedule is important to them, [so] from meetings to studio and rehearsal times, I schedule a lot around them,” Sean had explained at the time.

Sean Paul also said that he wanted to be a role model for his own children, and to have his presence felt, unlike in his own childhood, where his father was absent from his life for the most part.

The eldest of two boys born to Frances and Garth Henriques, Paul grew up in a multi-ethnic family in upscale Kingston.

When he was about 9 years old, his father, a former coach of Jamaica’s National Water Polo team, made headlines in the summer of 1982 when he was found floating on a life raft about 30 miles east of Port Everglades in Florida with 700 pounds of marijuana that he had attempted to fly in from Jamaica.

He also told Ebony that while his career causes him to spend a lot of time away from his family, one of his main goals in life is to ensure his two children know what it feels like to have fatherly love.

“I know what it feels like to have that void of not having a parent around and I fortunately made it through because I had one parent that really cared and put in a lot of dedication and time.   I figured, maybe if I had two parents doing that, the influence would have been greater and I would have more discipline in areas that I do not,” he had explained.

“When I have to be away, I have to be away. But when I am here, I definitely want them to feel that. To influence children in a positive way, that’s my effort,” he added back then.

Last year, in a News In Germany interview Sean Paul had while it was hard to spend copious amounts of time with his family due to constant touring, he always tried to “FaceTime them often, sometimes even during the show”.

“My children know what I do for a living. My son maybe a little more. He’s seen me on stage – and now he’s face-timed with me while I perform. My daughter knows what I’m doing, but she’s only two years old. So I don’t think she realizes the extent of my work yet. But it’s great to be a father. Even with my job, I can come home and be a normal person to them and just be a parent, that’s great,” he had said.

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