Clifford Smith, better known by his stage name Mr. Vegas, is a Jamaican dancehall musician who has produced phenomenal music in the dancehall, soca, and reggae genres. Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1974, Smith got his moniker “Mr. Vegas” from his football mates at school who thought that Smith kicked the ball like a Las Vegas dancer.
Smith started his career as a singjay, where he sang covers of numerous Jamaican musicians at shows and local parties. But he soon got in trouble for a scuffle over stolen master tapes and was hit in the face with a crowbar, having his jaw wired shut for six weeks. While still recovering, Smith heard Bennie Man’s “Who Am I” and decided to unwire his jaw to practice toasting. Fast forward to 1998, Smith found remarkable fame with hits such as “Jack It Up”, “Yu Sure”, and “Latest News”. Smith then sang for the “Nike Air” ad that became a great success in Jamaica. The rest is then history, from then on Smith has produced some outstanding tracks the best of which are provided later in this post. Smith has worked with labels such as VP, Jet Star, Greensleeves, Universal, and MV Music. Here are my picks of “Top 10 Mr. Vegas Songs”.
1. Bruk It Down:
2. Heads High:
3. Party Tun Up:
4. Give It to Har:
5. Hands Up:
6. Dancehall Dabb:
7. Hot Rice Dance:
8. Do You Know:
9. Thinking Out Loud:
10. Wuk Di Money:
Honorable Mentions:
11. Gwaan Yaa:
12. She’s A Ho:
13. Sweet Jamaica:
Photo Credit: Instagram @mrvegasmusic