BABY CHAM
(Jamaica Observer Photo)

BABY CHAM SIGNS WITH ATLANTIC RECORDS

Atlantic Records has signed dancehall deejay Baby Cham. The deal was reportedly sealed late last week, and according to Baby Cham: "This is the right machinery that we need behind our career. Atlantic can pump in what is needed to be pumped into any artiste or project.'

Cham however declined to reveal details about the deal. "It is a two album deal with the option to renegotiate afterwards." Mad House Records (operated by Cham's longtime producer Dave Kelly) also secured a label deal (distribution) with Atlantic.

Born Damion Beckett in 1978, Cham did his first recording at age of 17 for the Shelly Power label. His second recording came via producer Lloyd 'John John' James Jr with the track One Bag of Haters. The first song that brought public attention was the Penthouse label's No Coco Mania which featured Spragga Benz.

According to Cham, that song opened up the doors for him in the Caribbean. "It went to number one in a few Caribbean countries and gave me the first opportunity to travel overseas."

However, it wasn't until Cham hooked up with top flight producer Dave Kelly, that he began to make some serious impact on local shores. The first track he recorded for Kelly's Mad House label, was the 1995 effort The Mass on the Stink rhythm. Later on, he scored multiple chart toppers with Boom, Desperate Measures (for Kelly's brother Tony), Another Level (with Bounty Killer), Ghetto Pledge, Gallong Yah Gal, Man and Man, Babylon Bwoy, and most recently with Vitamin S (which peaked at number two in Jamaica and number one on the Choice FM Reggae chart in London).

Cham said the deal with Atlantic Records came about as a result of a meeting with the label's top brass Craig Kallman. Kallman's label currently has a distribution deal in place with New York's independent VP Records for its major projects and top acts. Among the VP Records acts who have benefited so far from the Atlantic deal are Buju Banton, Elephant Man, Sean Paul and Wayne Wonder.

"Mr Kallman travels to Jamaica a lot and he came here to meet with me about four months ago. He talked about his intentions to do some major stuff with dancehall and Reggae music. I told him that I wouldn't want to work without Mad House Records or Dave Kelly's involvement. Dave met with him and they worked things out," Cham said.

Atlantic'' first major assignment with Cham will be the North American release of his recent hit Vitamin S. According to Cham, the song is being added to major US radio station play lists, and a music video is in the pipeline.

"Vitamin S is the song that did it for me in terms of getting the deal with Atlantic Records. They are also looking at an album for me towards late spring and early summer. Dave Kelly will more or less be the executive producer, but Atlantic might bring to the table some producers that they might have in mind to work on the project. What don't break you don't touch it," Cham said.

SOURCE: JamaicaObserver.com