<\/p>\n
\n\tFrom music to film, 2024 was a banner year for Caribbean artists. Reinaldo Marcus Green\u2019s Bob Marley: One Love biopic opened the year with two weeks atop the domestic box office<\/a>, while its accompanying soundtrack earned<\/a> a Grammy nomination for best reggae album.<\/p>\n \n\tBob Marley: One Love previewed a busy year in Caribbean music that included Dash\u2019s Road March victory<\/a> at Grenada\u2019s Spicemas<\/a>, a new Spice<\/a> album celebrating her 25-year career<\/a> and the announcement of a new podcast<\/a> chronicling the life and career of Vybz Kartel<\/a>. At the Caribbean Music Awards, Shenseea<\/a> (dancehall), Lila Ik\u00e9 (reggae) and Patrice Roberts (soca) were named the female artists of the year, while Valiant (dancehall), Romain Virgo (reggae) and Skinny Fabulous (soca) reigned as the male artists of the year. Masicka<\/a>\u2018s Generation of Kings took home dancehall album of the year, and Buju Banton<\/a>\u2018s Born for Greatness was crowned reggae album of the year.<\/p>\n \n\t2024 was a particularly poignant year for Banton, the voice behind reggae classics like \u201cMurderer\u201d and \u201cChampion.\u201d Last July, Buju sold out New York\u2019s UBS Arena two times over with his first Stateside shows<\/a> since spending eight years in federal prison on convictions of conspiracy\u00a0to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense and using communication wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offense. The Grammy winner turned his Long Walk to Freedom shows into a 14-date U.S. arena trek<\/a> that found him visiting major cities like Houston, Chicago and Atlanta.<\/p>\n \n\tBanton wasn\u2019t the only West Indian icon to make a long-awaited return to the stage in 2014. Months after walking out of prison a free man<\/a> after serving 13 years of a now-overturned<\/a> life sentence for the murder of Clive \u201cLizard\u201d Williams, Vybz Kartel mounted Freedom Street<\/a> \u2014 the biggest concert Jamaica has seen in almost half a century. Di Worl\u2019 Boss sat down with Billboard for our first cover story<\/a> of the year and explained how the whole thing came together, but the real kicker was when he revealed an upcoming collaboration<\/a> with Cardi B<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tNext month, Kartel (Party With Me) will face off against Shenseea (Never Gets Late Here), Collie Budz (Take It Easy), The Wailers (Evolution), and the Bob Marley: One Love soundtrack for the best reggae album Grammy. Afterward, 2025 is wide open with ample opportunity for crossover hits and breakthrough artists to make waves across the globe.<\/p>\n \n\tHere are 10 Caribbean artists to watch out for in 2025.<\/p>\n \n\tListen to: <\/strong>\u201c4 Kamp\u00e9\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tCountry: <\/strong>Haiti<\/p>\n \n\tHaitian zouk-konpa singer Jo\u00e9 Dw\u00e8t Fil\u00e9 has put out at least one new album (or a deluxe version) every year since 2018, so there\u2019s no reason to expect he won\u2019t keep up that pace in 2025. And he has all the reason to.<\/p>\n \n\tAfter scoring a viral moment on TikTok<\/a> last year, \u201c4 Kamp\u00e9\u201d has quickly grown into one of Fil\u00e9\u2019s biggest hits yet, reaching No. 8 on Billboard\u2019s France Songs<\/a> ranking at the top of the new year (chart dated Jan. 11). Fil\u00e9 hasn\u2019t put out any new music since \u201c4 Kamp\u00e9\u201d last October, but since that song isn\u2019t yet attached to a larger record, fans are expecting a new project from the global star.<\/p>\n \n\tThis summer (Jul. 18-20), he\u2019ll perform a prime slot at Lollapalooza Paris, and the \u201c4 Kamp\u00e9\u201d clip<\/a> has already become his second most-viewed music video ever on YouTube, surpassing 31 million views in just two months. The world will be JDF\u2019s oyster in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tListen to: <\/strong>\u201cWeh Di Pawty\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tCountry: <\/strong>Jamaica<\/p>\n \n\tLikkle Addi may have started putting out music with his brother Likkle Vybz over a decade ago, but not every artist is an overnight sensation.<\/p>\n \n\tBetween a 2022 joint album with his brother and 2023\u2019s Thugz R Us EP, Likkle Addi has been diligently building up his catalog \u2014 and his new collaboration with his father looks to be the hit that will bring him to the next level. Likkle Addi\u2019s father is, of course, Vybz Kartel \u2014 who brought both him and Likkle Vybz onstage to perform at his blockbuster Freedom Street homecoming concert on New Year\u2019s Eve (Dec. 31, 2024).<\/p>\n \n\tKartel and Addi teamed up for \u201cM.O.T.M. \u2014 Man of the Match\u201d in September 2024, and in just three months, the song has become Addi\u2019s second to cross one million streams on Spotify following 2021\u2019s aptly titled \u201cPopular,\u201d also featuring Kartel. On YouTube, the song\u2019s official music video<\/a> has already surpassed seven million views. But Addi has also had some Kartel-less songs gain traction; last year, \u201cWeh Di Pawty\u201d quickly convinced fans that he was earnestly following in his father\u2019s footsteps, while \u201cUp A Notch\u201d<\/a> became his most-viewed solo music video on YouTube in less than a year<\/p>\n \n\tWith more music on the way and a major visibility boost from Freedom Street, expect Likkle Addi to continue stepping into his stardom in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tListen to: <\/strong>\u201cBumpa\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tCountry: <\/strong>Jamaica<\/p>\n \n\tAfter signing to Miami-based record label SoBe Entertainment in 2021 and breaking out with that year\u2019s \u201cWavy (Y U Playin\u2019 Me?),\u201d rising Jamaican reggae singer AnnaleaX steadily dropped a collection of singles that eventually became Alter Ego, Vol. 1, her 2024 debut studio album.<\/p>\n \n\tBillboard Hot 100<\/a>-topping producer Scott Storch<\/a> worked on three of the album\u2019s songs, all promising entry points to her still-brewing amalgamation of AnnaleaX\u2019s powerful voice and Storch\u2019s pop&B sensibilities. Grammy-nominated producers Vinny Veditto and Jason \u201cPoo Bear\u201d Boyd<\/a> also contributed to the project, underscoring AnnaleaX\u2019s vision for cross-genre global stardom.<\/p>\n \n\tWith more live shows on the way and her first Spotify million-streamer under her belt (2024\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Worry,\u201d a cover of Bob Marley\u2019s \u201cThree Little Birds\u201d), AnnaleaX is set to significantly level up in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tListen to: <\/strong>\u201cGuyane\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tCountry: <\/strong>French Guiana<\/p>\n \n\tAlready an award-winning powerhouse in Guyana and across the French Caribbean, expect more major moves from Bamby in 2025.<\/p>\n \n\tA singer who traverses across dancehall and shatta, Bamby burst out into the scene in 2016 with hits like \u201cRun Di Place,\u201d and by 2018, her debut studio album Bambyland took the French Caribbean by storm. That album has not yet seen a release in the U.S. though; a wide release of Bambyland or a new project on the heels of her \u201cGuyane\u201d momentum could facilitate a real global crossover moment for Banby in 2025.<\/p>\n \n\tWith a new Maureen duet to coincide with the new year and possible nominations at the 2025 Caribbean Music Awards, everything is falling into place for Bamby\u2019s impending domination.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tListen to:<\/strong> \u201cLet Coco\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tCountry: <\/strong>St. Lucia<\/p>\n \n\tAs St. Lucia\u2019s dennery segment \u2014 a genre characterized by its fusion of soca, zouk, kuduro and Kw\u00e9y\u00f2l-sung lyrics \u2014 continues to grow in popularity, expect Umpa, one of its reigning kings, to remain at the forefront.<\/p>\n \n\tLast year, Umpa collected over 2.63 million global streams on Spotify, an impressive number for a rising artist from a niche genre without a proper studio album. 2019\u2019s \u201cOne Drop\u201d and 2021\u2019s \u201cPlat\u201d continue to be some of his most recognizable hits, and both were winners when he performed them during his set at Miami Carnival\u2019s \u201cNo Borders\u201d event in October 2024. A new calendar year means a new carnival season, and it\u2019s practically a given that Umpa will soon deliver some new road anthems for 2025.<\/p>\n \n\tAlready a staple in soca circles across the West Indies, expect Umpa to keep making waves on global stages throughout the year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \n\tListen to: <\/strong>\u201cAnyweh\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tCountry: <\/strong>Jamaica<\/p>\n \n\tLast year, 1SkiMask signed a deal with Epic Records \u2014 in partnership with Against Da Grain Entertainment \u2014 just over a year after he rebranded from social media comedian and actor Valdomore. Signed to Against Da Grain Entertainment.<\/p>\n \n\t2023 breakout hit \u201cDawkniss\u201d caught the ears of Epic vice president of A&R Tyshawn \u201cFly Ty\u201d Johnson, and by October 2024, 1SkiMask had himself a deal. With a sound expressly concerned with shaping dancehall\u2019s trap-infused future, 1SkiMask has already amassed over 50,000 Spotify monthly listeners since he released his debut single in 2023.<\/p>\n\n
Jo\u00e9 Dw\u00e8t Fil\u00e9<\/h2>\n
Likkle Addi<\/h2>\n
AnnaleaX<\/h2>\n
Bamby<\/h2>\n
Umpa<\/h2>\n
1SkiMask<\/h2>\n