Renowned producer, DJ, and A&R Richard ‘Shams’ Browne has once again made a notable contribution to the reggae scene with the launch of the Tropical Breeze Riddim, released under his B-Rich Records imprint.
The project kicked off on April 11 with the debut of T.O.K’s Open Up, followed by Ital Love from Shuga on April 18. The final track in the series, Darkness by F.Y.A.H and Lutan Fyah, is set to premiere on April 25.
“My ultimate hope is to revamp a segment in the parties, dance or radio where good vibes reggae music can be played. A lot of the stuff that are being produced nowadays are centered around sexual content, or guns and drugs, and I feel like a lot of the newer generation is moving away from the true culture of reggae music. So, I’m really hoping that with this juggling, it can take us back to a time where selectors are playing reggae music intentionally because it will create a vibe in the dance,” Browne said.
Currently serving as an Artist and Repertoire (A&R) manager at VP Records, Browne is part of the influential Browne family, which has deep roots in Jamaican music. His father, Glen Browne, is a celebrated bassist whose credits include work with icons such as Burning Spear, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, and Buju Banton.
Reflecting on the Tropical Breeze Riddim, Browne shared how each collaboration came about organically.
“For T.O.K, we ended up coming up with the idea for the song in Costa Rica while on tour last year. It was voiced when they went back to Jamaica, and I ended up mixing and mastering it this year,” he explained.
He continued: “Regarding the Shuga, she’s always been an artiste that I’ve admired for years and it just so happened that with me being A&R at VP, her project fell on my desk. So, while working on her album, produced by Donovan Germain, for VP, I asked her if she could jump on the juggling just to have more songs for her in the market.”
The song was later recorded at his father Glen’s studio, following a collaborative discussion between Browne and Shuga to determine the best concept for the track.
As for F.Y.A.H, Browne said the collaboration with Lutan Fyah felt like a natural fit, particularly given their similar stage names.
“F.Y.A.H is in an album promotion cycle, but again, to keep the algorithm going, the label and I have an agreement where once it’s their artiste and they can have the distribution it wouldn’t be conflicting to have the song come out while they’re having album promotion, ‘cause the album came out the end of February so they’re still kinda pushing songs from the album,” he said.
Richard ‘Shams’ Browne has built a respected catalog over the years with standout productions like the Orgasm and Baddis Ting riddims. Beyond his musical output, he’s passionate about educating the next generation of artists and producers about the music business.
“The first thing—and this is also from my experience—is to get your business in order. I missed out on a lot of royalties because I signed up with the performance rights organisation and publishing late in my career. So, get your business in order so that when you get that one breakout song, you’re not trying to figure out where you have to go for revenue,” he said. “Forget about ego, and be open to constructive criticism because if someone is giving you advice based on their expertise, then you should take it, or at least, consider it.”
