NEVER one to shy away from controversy, Bounty Killer has hit out against Billboard Magazine for naming British singer Joss Stone Reggae Artiste of The Year. The fiery deejay also had some harsh words for Jamaica’s Government.

He took to Instagram after reading a story published in the Jamaica Observer on December 22 about Stone’s latest accomplishment.

Addressing the Jamaican government, Bounty Killer (given name Rodney Pryce) ques- tioned their seriousness about preserving reggae. “What measures are implemented for a genre birthed on the island which is widely celebrated elsewhere, giving others the chance to benefit more than us? How many more Matisyahus, Eddy Murphys and Josh Stones will there be to benefit more than our people who do not fall short on talent?”

He implored the Government to desist from chastising reggae/dancehall and defend what is Jamaican. “The Marley boys as internationally recognised as they are, have a voice that they don’t use to assist reggae/dancehall except for their own family’s personal gain,” his post further stated.

Stone, who has a huge fan base in neo-soul circles, was named Billboard Reggae Artiste of The Year on the strength of her Water For Your Soul album, which is the best selling reggae set for 2015 with just under 30,000 copies. It was released in July.

Meanwhile, Billboard has responded to the furore. They note that the year-end reggae charts are based solely on performance during the tracking year on the weekly Reggae Albums sales chart.

Billboard explained that Water For Your Soul, which has a collaboration with Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley, spent eight weeks at number one on the weekly Reggae Albums Chart during 2015.

The Billboard chart year began On December 6, 2014 and ended on November 28, 2015. “The weekly Reggae Albums Chart ranks the top-selling current reggae albums in the United States, based on weekly sales, according to Nielsen Music.

— Simone Morgan