Collie Buddz

Collie Buddz, the dancehall singer born in New Orleans and raised in Bermuda, grew captivated by the urban sounds filling his island surroundings. Dancehall drew him in most strongly, though soca and hip-hop also shaped his ear, all of them pouring from the speakers of his DJ brother. That same brother helped capture the infectious demo “Come Around,” a track that erupted across Europe, topped the U.K. charts, and only afterward reached Jamaica. While the marijuana anthem rose to number one on the Jamaican charts, Busta Rhymes dropped an unsanctioned remix that expanded its reach on American urban radio. Guest vocals on a remix of Beyoncé’s “Ring the Alarm” opened the door to Sony, and a collaboration with Lil’ Flip on the rapper’s I Need Mine album further spread Collie Buddz’s name through the streets. Those connections set the stage for Sony to release both the second single “Mamacita” and the self-titled debut album in summer 2007. In 2011 he issued the free-download EP Playback. The 2014 singles “Light It Up” and “Yesterday” (the latter featuring Riff Raff and Snoop Dogg) preceded the 2015 release of “Prescription.” After a long hiatus, Buddz returned in 2017 with the second full-length Good Life, which included appearances by Kat Dahlia, Kreesha Turner, P-Lo, Jody Highroller, and Snoop Dogg and topped the U.S. Reggae chart. Two years later he delivered his third album, the self-produced Hybrid.