US-BASED American king of comedy Raymond ‘Rayzor’ Davis, whose rise from struggling local comic in the 1990s to national (USA) touring act with an HBO appearance, has been confirmed as host of the 7th Annual Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards. Rayzor joins rapper Trina — who was previously announced as an International Friend of Reggae honoree — as the first international superstars set to perform at the EME’s this year.

An enthusiastic-sounding event founder Richard ‘Richie B’ Burgess said, “Rayzor’s popularity is very well known and documented. The EME’s got lucky, in that an appearance that he had alongside popular comedian Cedric The Entertainer was re-scheduled. We are extremely happy that this top class comedian, who has such strong Jamaican connection and international appeal will join us this year… people are gonna be in stitches!” 

The awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 12 at the East Lawns of the historical Devon House in Kingston.

Davis, a first generation Jamaican who was born in Brooklyn New York, said “I am very happy and honoured to be asked to host Jamaica’s most prestigious music award show.”

Rayzor’s first attempt at a career as a comedian was at an audition for In Living Color, an American television series which originally ran on the Fox Network in the USA from 1990 to 1994.

“My friends and family got on me,” he recalls. “They said, ‘You don’t try out, we don’t want to hear no more jokes from you. That’s it.”

He didn’t get the callback he was hoping for but the audition changed the course of his life forever.

After years of honing his craft at Studio 183 in Carol City, he took his act on the road in June 2005 with a knockout five-minute set on the HBO stand-up series P Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy.

“I know that if my mother (a native of Clarendon, Jamaica) were still here, she would be overjoyed that her son was offered an opportunity to host a major event in Jamaica. I relish the opportunity to do this show as I have never done anything of this magnitude in Jamaica before. I have done a few private performances within the hotel circuit but nothing as grand as the EME’s!” he said.

The 2011 Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards will again recognise the top performers within the Jamaican Recording Industry. Awards will be handed out in approximately 30 categories including Deejay of the Year, Best New Artiste, Song of the Year, Vocalist of the year and Producer of the year. Winners will be determined based on their performance on The Weekly Jamaica Music Countdown (Charts), votes via texts and votes at the website www.emeawards.com.