Last week, as Billboard magazine rolled out its 21st century charts, three Jamaicans made their lists, namely Shaggy, Sean Paul, and Bob Marley & the Wailers.

Shaggy’s 2000 album Hot Shot ranks at #61 on the Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st century, while Sean Paul is #88 on the Top Artistes of the 21st Century, while his 2003 #1 hit collaboration Baby Boy with Beyonce took the #96 spot on the Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century tally.

Legend, the long-running #1 album by Bob Marley and the Wailers is ranked #187 on the Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century.

Billboard’s recaps of the first 25 years of the 21st century are based on performance on the weekly Billboard 200 albums chart and the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart from 2000 through to the end of 2024.

Shaggy’s Hot Shot was a groundbreaking album for the lanky deejay. The album — released in August 2000 (it was released two months later in the United Kingdom) — soared to #1 in seven countries, including the United States, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, Portugal, and New Zealand.

It features production work from the likes of the legendary Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Tony “CD” Kelly, Dave Kelly, Shaun “Sting” Pizzonia, Robert Livingston, and Christopher Birch.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Thursday, Shaggy spoke about the work that went into creating Hot Shot.

“Everything about that album was magic. I was in a very good creative space and I knew what I wanted to say. Hot Shot is my biggest album to date and the songs from it continue to be played on pop radio. I’m very proud of this body of work,” Shaggy told the Observer.

Hot Shot was a commercial success, moving over 6 million units in the United States (certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America), and selling 9 million copies globally.

The album contained the Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles It Wasn’t Me (featuring Ricardo “Rik Rok” Ducent), Angel (featuring Rayvon), Hope, Dance and Shout, and Freaky Girl.

Hot Shot is the second best-selling album of 2000 in the United States and the #1 best-selling album of 2001 in Canada.

Asked if he was surprised at the success of Hot Shot, Shaggy said: “Nothing could prepare us for that level of success. I knew the songs were good enough to compete with what was trending, but I think it’s fair to say this album has surpassed trends.”

Legend, the 1984 greatest hits compilation by Bob Marley and the Wailers, was last December certified for sales exceeding 18 million units in the United States.

On January 17 it earned another accolade when it was certified 15x platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales exceeding 4.5 million units.

Ranked as the best-selling reggae album of all time, Legend contains all of Marley’s Top 40 UK hits.

As of January 2025 it spent 168 weeks inside the top 10 of the UK Albums chart.

It is currently spending 261 non-consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart. It peaked at #5 on the weekly all-genre Billboard 200 Albums chart.

Baby Boy, a collaboration between Beyonce and Sean Paul, exploded in 2003, soaring to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is featured Beyonce’s Dangerously in Love album as well as a re-issue of Sean Paul’s Dutty Rock.

The song hit the top 10 in 16 countries and has been certified gold in Brazil, Germany, and Denmark. In Austria, it has been certified 3x platinum; 2x platinum in the United States; and platinum in New Zealand, UK and Canada.

Murray Elias, former artiste and repertoire (A&R) for Sean Paul, isn’t surprised at the deejay’s appearance on the Billboard 21st century charts.

“Sean’s placing #88 on Billboard’s Top 100 Artists of the 21st Century is another well-deserved honour. I am very proud of his accomplishment and very happy for him. I think all of Jamaica should take note and feel pride in this milestone,” Elias told the Observer.

He continued: “Honestly, I feel he should be ranked even higher. Between 2000-2008 he was one of the top 20 artistes of that era, perhaps even in the top 10. What makes Sean even more unique is his longevity. His string of hits has continued to the present day with songs by Sia, Dua Lipa, Enrique Iglesias, and Clean Bandit, to name a few. He has more Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles chart hits than any other Jamaican artiste in history. No one comes close. He is also the most streamed Jamaican artiste of all time.”

Elias reasoned that Sean Paul helped to introduce dancehall music to the crossover market.

“The hill he had to climb as a Jamaican — from another country and culture — introducing authentic dancehall and Jamaican culture to an American audience on a scale never seen before was a feat people still don’t fully comprehend to this day. He opened the door for what is now commonplace in the American musical landscape, Reggaeton, Afrobeats, and many other Jamaican artists to be accepted by Americans. But I am biased,” said Elias.

He said that Sean Paul’s marketability also helped with his success.

“When I first met Sean over 25 years ago I knew he was unique. He had all the ‘right stuff’ to make it big — his voice and vocal style, his songwriting ability, his looks, his work ethic, [and] his ability to see the big global picture. He put in the work. He made outstanding records. Every artiste under the sun has collaborated with him. He is special. He deserves this honour,” Elias charged.

The cover of Bob Marley and the Wailers’s compilation album Legend.

Murray Elias (left) and Sean Paul