BEENIE MAN and BAR-BEE. share award for best collaboration

Dancehall star, Beenie Man and his protege, Bar-Bee emerged big winners at last night's Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards held in the Gardens of the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston. The pair walked away with a total of four awards, with Beenie Man copping three - the most won by any single nominee - and Bar-Bee two (one award is shared).

The Doctor, the closing act for the evening, stepped away with what is surely regarded as two of dancehall's most coveted awards, Deejay of the Year and Song of the Year (Dancehall). From a field which also included Vybz Kartel, Shaggy, Munga and Busy Signal, Moses claimed the Deejay of the Year trophy. Song of the Year contenders included Shaggy/Ninja for Church Heathen; Demarco with Fallen Soldiers; Mavado with Gully Side; Busy Signal for Nah Go A Jail and Munga for Wine Pon Yuh.

Talking to Splash on the day of the awards, Beenie Man had refused to speculate on his chances of winning in the Deejay of the Year category. "I just want to thank the public for respecting and loving Moses so much that after 16 years I am still a contender. a very strong one too. for Deejay of the Year. Everybody knows all that I've been through in 2007 and it is good to know that my fans are still my fans," he declared.

MUNGA HONORABLE. won the EME for best new male artiste.

Bar-Bee, in a pre-show interview, told Splash that she was happy to be nominated in the Best New Artiste category, and that even if she didn't win, she was grateful that her hard work was being acknowledged. She won Best New Artiste (Female) and shared the honours for Best Collaboration of the Year with Beenie Man for their song entitled Give It Up To Me.

Singer Tarrus Riley and deejay Mavado earned two EMEs apiece with Tarrus winning in the categories Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year (She's Royal) and Mavado taking home the EMEs for Recording Artiste and Singjay of the Year.

Album of the Year honour went to Buju Banton for Too Bad, while Munga was judged the Best New Artiste (Male).
From a filed of nominees including Queen Ifirica, Lutan Fyah, Etana, Tarrus Riley, Jah Cure and Pressure, it was Lutan Fyah who walked away with the award for Cultural Artiste of the Year.

Last night saw the fourth staging of the Excellence in Music and Entertainment Awards, which was being held for the first time outside the studios of Hot 102. The EMEs were conceptualised by broadcaster Richard 'Richie B' Burgess and nominations are largely based on the presence on popular song chart produced by Burgess.

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