Rihanna
By CaribWorldNews
NEW YORK, NY — Say Caribbean entertainers and 2010 has got to be the year sexy Grammy-winning Bajan singer Rihanna took her career to a whole new level.
There is no denying Rihanna is now completely at the top of her game, unlike the critics of the past who had insisted the little girl from the `Islands` would be a one hit wonder.
RiRi continues to reinvent herself since the horrific assault of 2009 and the media frenzy that followed. But in 2010, that media frenzy is all good – as the media continues to cover her every move – from her itsy, bitsy teeny bikini as she vacationed in Barbados with her family for the Christmas holidays, to her vocal growth, to her very own scent and of course her move from the good girl to stripped down sex maven.
But the Trini-born Barbie doll Nicki Minaaj is not to be outdone, stealing the title of raptress extraordinaire right out from under the noses of Lil Kim and Foxy Brown and moving right up the ladder to claim the female rap crown.
Minaj has proven she`s a business woman – from her outfits to her acting and music, this Young Money rapper is right on the money. And while 2010 may have been her break out year, Minaj definitely is in the game to stay.
But while Nicki and Rihanna dominated mainstream music headlines, so too did Buju Banton – as his drug trial ended in a mistrial and the reggae singer walked out of jail on bail, almost a year after being arrested and detained.
Banton also created a stir when a judge overturned an initial ruling and allowed him to work as a performer at a New Year concert. Add a Grammy nomination to this and it seems Banton is on a roll and may finally be seeing the dawn at the end of some seriously dark clouds.
Speaking of reggae, one would be remiss to not also pay tribute to the great Jimmy Cliff, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March for The Harder They Come and Gyptian, who has truly had an incredible year with Hold Yuh.
And isn`t it amazing that almost 30 years after his death, reggae legend, Robert Nesta Marley continues to make headlines – now for the release of his final performance next year and as his Legend album released in 1984 – remains one of Billboard`s top catalogue performers with worldwide sales of over 25 million units.
While the highpoints for our Caribbean entertainers are well noted, let`s not forget those legends who are no longer with us – including the late, great Gregory Isaacs, Lincoln `Sugar Minott` Minott and of course Arrow. Let`s hope their music lives on as long as Bob`s work and let`s also pray that Gregory finally gets a Grammy after all.
