Spice, the Queen of Dancehall, has been named one of the newest Magnum Tonic Wine ambassadors, according to Haitian-American, Marie Driven, managing partner of the Brooklyn-based Playbook MG.
The Jamaican Dancehall Queen was named alongside dancehall artist Ding Dong.
At Magnum’s 20th anniversary celebration in Kingston, the Jamaican capital, two Saturdays ago, Driven said Spice gave “a riveting performance after making a grand entrance with the crowd, rejoicing in some of the artiste’s greatest accomplishments that were highlighted on the big screen, as she took the stage.”
Driven said Spice is “the highest-ranking Jamaican on Instagram in terms of followers, has been spotlighted in Vogue magazine for her unique sense of style,” adding that Spice’s “one of a kind personality is shown even more in her role as a cast member of VH1’s ‘Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta’”.
“She engaged fans online leading up to the event and wowed the crowd at the unveiling,” Driven said.
Afterwards Spice posted a message online about the official ambassadorship.
“I’m so excited,” she said. “I believe I have worked very hard to get to this point, and Magnum certainly has worked for it.
“I love dancehall, and Magnum Tonic Wine is the only brand I believe that has truly partnered with and tried to push Dancehall in the Caribbean,” Spice added. “It’s a match made in heaven.”
According to LoopTT, the announcement forms part of the brand’s Big 20 activities, commemorating 20 years since it first hit the market in 1999.
“This year is all about making big moves, and we just couldn’t think of a more fitting ambassador than the Queen of Dancehall,” said Kamal Powell, Regional Brand Marketing Manager, Magnum Tonic Wine. “Magnum goes big in every way, bold, vibrant, dynamic, daring and that definitely describes Spice’s personality.”
Powell said Magnum has been “mounting massive executions all over the region – from Guyana to Trinidad, St. Lucia and Barbados, as well as developing more new and exciting ways to get our consumers involved.
“The surprises definitely don’t stop here,” he said.
Spice said: “There is a lot of work to be done, and I’m definitely up to the task.
“I’ve never shied away from work,” she added. “I have a lot of work to do with my Magnum Team in the Caribbean, so all the Caribbean Countries need to look out for Spice. I’m coming!”
Born Grace Hamilton in Jamaica’s poverty-stricken Old Braeton community in Portmore, St. Catherine, Spice took her first step into the music scene from a church girl to a dancehall queen in 2000 at the annual music festival Sting, according to Last.fm.
“There, she delivered an excellent performance in front of Sting’s usually acerbic crowd and earned several encores,” it said.
A few years later, Spice was introduced by fellow dancehall artist Baby Cham to Jamaican well-known producer Dave Kelly, Last.fm said.
From there, it said she released a string of singles under Kelly’s record label Madhouse Records.
For her first major hit single, she versioned the popular “Eighty Five” riddim to create “Fight Over Man”, a ladies anthem in the dancehall scene, Last.fm said.
In 2004, it said Spice was featured on Jimmy Cliff’s song “I Want I Do I Get” from his album “Black Magic.”
Two years later, Spice was featured on Beenie Man’s “Hot” from his album “Concept of Life.”
Last.fm said Spice’s notoriety skyrocketed in 2008 after her infamous collaboration with Vybz Kartel on “Romping Shop”, “which became a fixture on the Billboard R&B charts, received heavy rotation on mainstream urban stations including NYC’s HOT 97 and POWER105.1 and earned her the EME award for ‘Female Deejay of the Year’”.
In 2009, Spice signed to VP Records for a multi-album deal, according to Last.fm.
In addition to Vybz, it said Spice has collaborated with rapper Missy Elliot on the remix of her single “Fun” and with R&B singer Mýa on “Take Him Out”.
In December 2014, Spice released her debut “EP So Mi Like It” via VP Records, Last.fm said.
It said the digital-only “EP” features five tracks, including her hit single “So Mi Like It” and her second hit with Vybz Kartel “Conjugal Visit”.
Over the past few years, Spice was guest on numerous songs, including ASAP Ferg’s “Jolly” and Kid Ink’s single “Nasty,” Last.fm said.
It said she also released her own singles like “Back Bend”, “Bend Ova” and “Needle Eye,” “which serves as a tribute to Shabba Ranks’s hit of the same name from the 80s”.
