Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting (1974)
The 1974 single “Kung Fu Fighting” was performed by Carl Douglas who despite spending most of his career in the UK, was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Interestingly, the song was recorded in only two takes. Initially the single experienced poor sales, but it got a boost from heavy club rotation which helped the track top the Billboard Hot 100 and sell 11 million records worldwide.
Shaggy—It Wasn’t Me (2000), Angel (2001)
Jamaican-Canadian reggae fusion singer and deejay, Shaggy sold more than 10 million copies of his 2000 album, Hot Shot. The successful LP also spawned No. 1 singles back to back, in early 2001. The career-defining “It Wasn’t Me” (featuring Rikrok) topped the Hot 100 while “Angel,” which featured singer Rayvon spent one week at No. 1.
Sean Paul—Get Busy (2003), Temperature (2006)
The most visible dancehall artist during what was easily the genre’s commercial peak, Sean Paul has more No. 1 hits than any other Jamaican artist. Dutty Paul hit No. 1 twice on his own, with “Get Busy” in May of 2003, and then again with “Temperature” which hit No. 1 for one week. But his biggest hit was as a featured artist on Beyonce’s “Baby Boy,” which stayed at No. 1 for an incredible nine weeks during October and November of 2003.
Sean Kingston – Beautiful Girls (2007)
Born in Miami, but raised partly in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Sean Kingston hit #1 in 2007 with his debut single, “Beautiful Girls.” The track, created by super-producer JR Rotem topped the Hot 100 on and stayed there for four weeks.
OMI-Cheerleader (2015)
In 2015, OMI joined an elite club with the Felix Jaehn remix of his 2012 single, Cheerleader, becoming the seventh Jamaican whose song or album has sold over one million copies in the United States. It was also number one on the Digital Songs Chart.
