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This is a saved page of The Good, the Bad and the Corny: Caribbean Crossover Hits (Vh1) This is a copy we made of the page on 23-May-2006. The original page may or may not still be availible and pictures and text may have changed since then. Click Here to view the original page at the original website. |
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Admit it. You were one of the misguided teenagers who tried to cop a feel slow-dancing to "Caribbean Queen." The dude who made millions get horny in the '80s? Trinidadian troubadour Billy Ocean. Sad truth is, some of the corniest moments in music
Ricky Martin "Livin' La Vida Loca" Crossover Moment: Ex-Menudo poster boy Ricky Martin embarrassed Puerto Ricans with his crappy-but-catchy ode to a wild woman. It was a #1 song for five weeks in 1999, heralding a Latin revolution. Staying Power: Ricky was golden - for about two years. After unsuccessfully trying to hold onto the English-speaking market, he went back to singing in his native tongue. Grace Jones "Pull Up to the Bumper" Crossover Moment: Parallel parking was the last thing on Grace's mind when she sang, "Pull up to my bumper baby . . . drive it in between." The androgynous Jamaican goddess made a splash in '81 with a song that we can only imagine put the fear of God into her unsuspecting chauffeur. Staying Power: Modeling, acting, Dolph Lundgren: Grace has, er, done them all. She put her music on the back burner in the late '80s to follow her other artistic endeavors, the highlights of which include a memorable turn on '92's Boomerang as a leather-clad sex fiend with eyes for Eddie Murphy. Gloria Estefan / Miami Sound Machine "Conga!" Crossover Moment: Before "Conga!" was released in 1985, all most Americans knew about the sounds of Gloria's birthplace was Desi Arnaz's "Bobaloo." But Estefan got gringos jamming to Cuban rhythms when the track became the first to appear on Billboard's pop, Latin, soul and dance chart simultaneously, pushing the group's Primitive Love album to triple-platinum sales. Staying Power: You bet. Gloria scored another multi-platinum disc, injured her back in an auto accident, then churned out eight million-selling solo albums throughout the late-'80s and '90s. Shabba Ranks "Mr. Loverman" Crossover Moment: Dancehall's first superstar hit the big time way before there were Nickelodeon-friendly acts like Sean Paul and Shaggy. Yeah, his Patois was thicker than curried goat and he had a face that only a mother could love. But he sure knew how to move crowds, as the '92 hit "Mr. Loverman" demonstrated. Staying Power: Shabba had a string of hits in the early '90s and won two Grammies. But when his anti-gay comments hit the headlines, America's crush on lover-boy was history. Daddy Yankee "Gasolina" Crossover Moment: It's one thing for a reggae song to become a huge hit in the States. It's another for a reggae song in a foreign language to become a global party anthem. In 2005, this Puerto Rican reggaeton star busted an international hit with a song whose call-and-response chorus had women begging for his gasolina. Oh, these musicians and their innuendoes. Staying Power: Daddy Yankee's 2004 El Barrio Fino has sold more than three million copies worldwide and his single "Rompe" was the token reggaeton song at every spring break party this year. As long as reggaeton stays hot, so should Daddy. Sean Paul "Gimme the Light" Crossover Moment: His rudeboy swagger and model looks helped sell a 2002 weed tune to straight-laced Americans. When Paul said, "Gimme the light and pass the dro-o-o-o," few people over the age of 30 knew he was referring to hydroponically grown marijuana. Staying Power: With his current singles "We Be Burnin'" and "Temperature" in constant rotation and his 2006 album, Temperature, Pt. 2, on its way to going platinum, it's safe to say Sean-a Paul ain't going nowhere. Bob Marley "No Woman No Cry" Crossover Moment: This hit single from 1974's Natty Dread album scored large for Marley, helping turn him into the world's first reggae megastar. Staying Power: The singer's career yielded classic after classic, 15 of which are included on 2002's diamond, yes DIAMOND-selling compilation, Legend. Beenie Man "Girls Dem Sugar" Crossover Moment: The millennium brought success to reggae star Beenie Man via this bass-heavy dancehall bombast. The lyrics might sound like gibberish to the untrained ear, but he still got millions saying "zim zimma" to his cane-carrying antics. Staying Power: With singles like "Dude" and "King of the Dancehall," Beenie has dominated the Jamaican charts and remains one of dancehall's premier artists. Wyclef Jean "Guantanamera" Crossover Moment: A year after the Fugees went six-times platinum with The Score, 'Clef struck out with his solo debut Carnival in 1997. The album went double platinum, buoyed by its eclectic mix of Caribbean rhythms and hip-hop. With "Guantanamera," the Haitian native took a classic Cuban anthem and made it vibe with a new generation. Staying Power: Wyclef's had a string of questionable collabos, including the highly suspect "It Doesn't Matter" with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. But labels keep throwing dollars at him and artists swarm to him like bugs to flypaper. With the Fugees on permanent hiatus his "Hips Don't Lie" duet with Shakira is doing a good job of keeping him relevant. Baha Men "Who Let the Dogs Out" Crossover Moment: This one-hit wonder was the cheesiest jock jam of 2001. And much to the amazement of all right-headed people, the song won them a Grammy while its album sold five million copies. Staying Power: What part of one-hit wonder don't you understand?
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