Dancehall Queen Spice was the epitome of graciousness as she held court inside the 23 Dominica Drive venue owned and operated by J. Wray & Nephew Limited on Thursday evening. Oozing glamour in a fabulous, curve-hugging gown, Grace Hamilton, who was celebrating 25 years in the business, was reflective as she unveiled her 25-track album titled Mirror 25 .
The Grammy-nominated artiste, who has taken control of her musical destiny and identity, is named as executive producer of Mirror 25 , which was released early Friday morning on her own independent Spice Official Entertainment label. “I came up with that name because I am in an era where I am reflecting ..
. and not just the good things but the bad things, and I realise that losses are lessons. And so it is super important for me to mirror that 25 years on this journey,” Spice told invited guests about the album title.
She shared insights into her early years living in poverty in Old Braeton with her parents, and when she was made homeless when their house was destroyed by fire – “That’s why I sport the slogan ‘from homelessness to greatness’ “. She credited her Rastafarian father with igniting that musical spark by immersing the household in lyrics from Bob Marley and Professor Nuts, the singjay, who Spice would later emulate. She unreservedly showered Nuts with platitudes and an award for the inspiration.
Nuts said that he was “honoured” that an artiste of Spice’s calibre would refer to him in such glowing terms. It was a night on which Spice was overflowing with gratitude and set a precedence by rewarding those persons who have been an integral part of her journey. In addition to Professor Nuts, the roll call of awardees included Bounty Killer, the first person to hand her a mic; Heavy D, the first person to put her on Sting; Baby Cham who kept his promise and introduced her to producer Dave Kelly, who produced her first song; Big A, the first person to play her song on radio; Earlton Clarke, her former manager; and Ray Alexander, “the person I argue with the most .
.. my manager, my father and my booking agent”.
Cham, while collecting the awards for himself and Dave, stated, “I knew it from day one when we met in England that you were a star. Your work ethics from then till now ..
. yuh love cry, but we love yuh same way.” Shaggy, who produced her first album, the Grammy-nominated 10 , and Sean Paul were also called out for special awards relating to the collaborative monster hit Go Down Deh .
And, Spice’s Romping Shop collaborator, Vybz Kartel, who was recently released from prison, was also named on the honour roll. He, however, was not present to make an acceptance speech. Also tasting a piece of the awards pie were 25 media entities which have shone a light on Spice’s career over the years.
Representatives were quite happy to be recognised and had glowing words to say about Spice. Also eager to say his piece was Beenie Man, who shared that he was in the studio but had to press pause to come and celebrate with Spice. It was real fun as the King of the Dancehall gave flowers to the Queen of Dancehall.
“ Spice ...
ah didn’t want to attack yuh panel but mi couldn’t wait till yuh panel finish to come up here to give yuh yuh flowers, darling. I just want to tell you thank you for all the great things that you have done for dancehall music ..
. without me, you would still be here, without anybody you would still be here,” Beenie Man told Spice, to applause. The Magnum-powered event was media-heavy and media-friendly, with accessibility to Spice for interviews, and also saw Magnum presenting an award to Spice.
The music fraternity showed their support with Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Pamputtae, Jada Kingdom, Dancehall Queen Carlene, Lila Iké, and Delano from Renaissance among those present. Spice is only too aware that celebrating 25 years in the music industry is “not a small thing, it’s a very big deal”, words that resonated throughout the night, from not only Spice but also from her supportive BFFs Pamputtae and Jada Kingdom. All three have a track on the album that Spice shared was “long overdue”.
Mirror 25 is already speaking volumes and, in the coming weeks and months, it is expected to roar with presence on charts globally and power play on radio and across multiple digital streaming platforms. Figures released by Spice’s team early Friday morning were quite impressive. The album debuted at #1 on the US iTunes Reggae; #2 in the USA and UK all genres; #1 in Israel all genres, and #3 in Canada for all genres charts, within just minutes of its release.
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