NEW YORK, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Columbia Records) -
Collie Buddz - creator of the freshest young sound in contemporary reggae - has just entered the Billboard Reggae albums chart at No 1 with his self-titled debut album.
Released stateside by Columbia Records on July 3, Collie Buddz enjoyed a host of additional R&B and Rap chart entries in addition to its No 1 Reggae debut including a Top 10 debut on SoundScan's Current Rap Albums Overall chart (No 9) and a Top 30 debut (No 23) on the Current R&B Albums Overall chart. Collie Budd has also debuted at No 44 on the SoundScan Digital Albums chart and entered in the top half (at No 68) of the Billboard Top 200 best-selling albums chart. Collie's debut album jumped 10 positions this week from No 39 to No 29 on the CMJ New World Chart.
Collie Buddz is one of the most talked about artists of 2007. "Come Around," the first single from Collie's self-titled debut album, has become one of this year's summer anthems, topping Reggae charts around the world from Jamaica and Germany to Japan and the UK. Touted by tastemakers and journalists alike as an artist on the brink of stardom, Collie Buddz has delivered a fantastic debut album with contributions from Supa Dups, Shea Taylor, Bang Out, Screwface, Bobby Konders and Crown n Kah-So-Real, among others with Collie Buddz handling much of the album's production.
By the beginning of 2007, Collie Buddz was already drawing kudos from the music press. "Collie Buddz is being tapped by heavyweights like DJs Bobby Konders and Jabba as the next big Reggae star," reported MTV News. "Columbia MC impresses global Reggae market and US Hip Hop community alike," proclaimed Billboard. Collie Buddz has spent the majority of the year riding the success of his single, "Come Around," which has created a major international buzz. "This 24 year old shotta has got an anthem spreading across the seas," said the Source magazine. "The song is a monster," exclaimed Miami New Times. Hip Hop Weekly wrote, "Collie Buddz is one of the most firmly grounded voices you may ever encounter." Collie's newly released single "Mamacita," an energetic sultry song set to an island beat, is showing signs of following the path blazed by "Come Around," the artist's monster-sized first single.
While widely credited for generating an album that's the soundtrack for Summer '07, Collie Buddz is humble with his expectations. "I just want to make good music and I hope people love it," he simply says.
