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This year, as we sat with our panellists, Sean ‘Contractor Edwards and Claude Mills, to reflect on and select the top artistes for 2025, they were asked to ‘speak the truth and shame the devil’. And they tried their best. This is the conclusion of the whole matter: “The business is unforgiving; there are no more sacred cows. The Internet is the great equaliser, either you are or you’re not. From the clash, Masicka get lukewarm, his latest album never made the Billboard, is like the Gaza fans dem abandon him. We are witnessing a generational shift with the music right now, the Old Guard is largely irrelevant and not driving engagement. Kartel cannot find a big song for the streets, Skippa ah the man right now.”
Top Artiste for 2025 and Humanitarian of the Year - Sean Paul
Sean Paul kicked off 2025 with his ‘Bring It Tour’ across UK, Northern Ireland, Europe, United States, Canada. During the summer, he was joined by Wiz Khalifa and DaBaby, further solidifying his reputation as one of the most consistent and in-demand performers in contemporary music. Along with multiple one-off festivals and headline appearances, these tours mark five major global runs in a single year.
Every entertainer who assisted following Hurricane Melissa in October 2025 deserves credit, however, Sean Paul went the extra mile, and notably, giving back is what he does all year round. Sean Paul partnered with Food For The Poor Jamaica to provide emergency relief, pledging to match US$50,000 in donations. His foundation continues to aid communities across Jamaica’s south coast, delivering building supplies and relief packages to help families rebuild after the storm. And, can we also mention the party that Sean Paul hosted for his fellow entertainers in December? You know it’s true next level giveback when no media was allowed. And, we won’t even mention the matching, spanking new, machines for Sean and Ching, courtesy of you know who.
Claude Mills: Sean Paul continued to exert his influence as the island’s biggest global star, as his No Lie passed 1.5 billion streams. He notched his 24th Billboard entry with Ginger, a vibrant dancehall record that reaffirms his ability to craft infectious, internationally appealing hits three decades into his career. In October, he jetted off to Asia for a series of landmark performances, including first-time appearances in Malaysia, Thailand, and Kuwait, and a return to Indonesia. He headlined benefit concerts and performed at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in December 2025.
Top Female Reggae Artiste for 2025 - Lila Iké
Contractor: The top reggae artiste of 2025, in my humble opinion, was Lila Ike . She showed her exceptional talent with her album Treasure Self Love, which was nominated for a Grammy. Her live performance at Reggae Sumfest was exceptional, followed by her first solo USA tour, and she had memorable live sessions on Apple Music Radio and BBC Radio 1Xtra.
Top Female Dancehall Artiste for 2025 - Shenseea
Claude Mills: It was a breakout year for the Shen Yeng Princess. She earned major props for her involvement on Moliy’s Shake it to the Max remix. Shenseea was also in the news when the remix, despite being a major global hit, was snubbed by the Grammys because of rules about what constitutes a remix. She currently holds the record for the most-streamed female Jamaican musician on Spotify. In 2025, she became the first Jamaican artiste in five years to enter the top 5 on Spotify’s Global Daily Chart. Shenseea closed the year strong as she gained 48,100 new monthly listeners in a single day (December 21, 2025).
Top Male Dancehall Artist for 2025 - Vybz Kartel
Contractor : Top Dancehall Male Artiste for 2025 was Vybz Kartel . What definitely made him so was his selling out of major arenas like the Barclays Center and the Wireless Festival with Drake. He also received his 2nd straight Grammy nomination and a MOBO Impact Award.
Claude Mills: In many ways, Kartel owned the year 2026. He was a god among insects as he returned to the live stage and sold out Barclays Centre two consecutive nights. He commanded fees of US$1.35 million, and generated in excess of US$8 million for the Barclays shows alone. Kartel performed in sold-out arenas in Miami, London, The Netherlands; he was crowned the ‘King of Dancehall’ at Reggae Sumfest, and won the MOBO Impact Award. He started the year walking the Grammys red carpet as he was nominated for the album, Heart and Soul, and has secured another Grammy nomination for the album, Party With Me. He closed the year with a bang as PBT ( Pretty Brown Thing), a high-octane collab with Travis Scott and Tyla, reached #18 on the Billboard Rhythmic Airplay chart. To use a Latin term, it was an “annus mirabilis for Addi”.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Sister Nancy
In 2025 Sister Nancy became the highest-selling female dancehall artiste by album sales in the U.S., making her first appearance on the Billboard Year-End Reggae Albums chart at No. 9. Mumma Nancy also released Armageddon, her first full-length album in over 20 years, produced by Mad Professor. Her documentary, Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story, was also promoted during this time to share her life’s journey.
Macka Diamond
Macka stole the show at the Angola Festival on New Year’s Eve with a saucy performance peppered by her major hits, Dye Dye, Bun Him and Cowfoot. In 2025, she released the album Jump and Flick and made a major media appearance as she was featured on TEMPO’s Hot Ones Caribbean: All Ah We Edition. She has maintained her international presence with dates in Canada and throughout the Caribbean.
Skippa
Skippa released the EP, 4-PAC, last June, with several of the songs peaking at high positions on the Apple Music charts in Jamaica. The lead track, Jr Gong topped the YouTube Jamaica Weekly Chart. In October 2025, he held nine songs simultaneously in the Apple Music Top 25 in Jamaica. Towards yearend, his DJ Mac-produced single WYFL reached #1 on the Apple Music charts.
Elephant Man
The Energy God made a resurgence with a viral hit titled Pretty Baby, released in July 2025. A dancehall remake of Connie Francis’ 1962 classic, Pretty Little Baby, it broke into the Top 5 of the iTunes Reggae Songs chart and trended on TikTok and Instagram.
Entertainment Fraternity
Shoutout and kudos to the entire entertainment fraternity for jumping into action and showing their care and generosity in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. We lift our hats to every artiste and organisation that made a difference and put their money where their mouth is.
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