Gyptian’s “Hold Yuh” is Reggae Song of the Year

Reggae Singer Gyptian enjoyed a successful 2010. He scored ‘big time’ with the single “Hold Yuh”, copping the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) and Soul Train Awards for it. The single also made it on the Billboard Hot R&B Hip Hop Chart.

The artiste might have been denied the added recognition of earning a nod in the reggae category of the Grammy Awards, but his track record this year still stands impressive. 

However, it took a while for this reggae superstar to get his fame and recognition. In 2005, the previously unknown singer rose to international acclaim when his debut single, “Serious Times”, hit the top of the Jamaican and overseas reggae charts, and defeated even Junior Gongs’ Top Ten Billboard hit, “Welcome to Jamrock”, to be declared Jamaica’s Most Important Song of 2005. Nominated for Best New Entertainer at the 2006 International Reggae and World Music Awards, the 23-year-old velvet-voiced singer has been dominating the charts with a slew of hit singles, including “Is There a Place”, “Beautiful Lady”, and the chart-topping ballad “Mama, Don’t Cry”. 

Born as Windel Beneto Edwards on October 25, in the district of St Andrew, Jamaica to a Seventh-day Adventist mother and Rastafarian father, Gyptian realized his musical calling at the age of seven, when he began singing in the church. 

Recognizing his God-given talent, his parents soon introduced the resistant youngster to Mr Wong, a producer from Portmore in St Catherine. “I did not take it seriously. My family members have always been carrying me to Portmore to see him, but I usually disappear. One day, they dropped me off at his studio and left me, and it all began there”, the reggae artiste said. 

Under the guidance of Mr Wong and Earl Chinna Smith, Gyptian honed his unique sound, winning the 2004 Star Search talent competition at Kens Wild Flower Lounge in Portmore, which earned him a spot at Sting 2004, dubbed the greatest one-night reggae show on earth.

Nicknamed from his habit of tying a shirt around his head and twisting his chin hair like an Egyptian pharaoh, the young, gifted, and conscious singer is very protective of keeping his sound 100 per cent Gyptian. “You have to think about what people think and how they feel, the real things that people see. Any track at all you hear from Gyptian, write by my fingers out of my head,” the artiste declared. 

After his highly anticipated debut album, Gyptian looks to continue sharing his musical message with the masses. “At this juncture in my life, I live, eat, and breathe music. The very air that comes from my mouth brings words of power and wisdom. I have the urge to teach my brothers and sisters until eternity,” the artiste declared. 

In 2008, Gyptian released his 13-track second album, titled “I Can Feel Your Pain”, which pushed him further into the hearts of Jamaicans and reggae lovers. The album featured the mega-hit song “I Can Feel Your Pain”, which also cemented Gyptian into the league of conscious artistes. Gyptian found huge success in 2010 with the release of “Hold You”. The song spent weeks on Billboard Hot 100 Singles and established Gyptian as a worldwide star. His third studio album, titled “Hold Yuh”, brings out a more reggae R&B flavour in Gyptian, which has won over a huge female fan base. With his success as an artiste, there is no doubt Gyptian will be one of reggae’s greatest performers of all time.