Macka Diamond

Also known as Lady Cham, Lady Mackerel, and the Money Goddess, the outspoken dancehall queen Macka Diamond is the offspring of reggae producer Phillip Munroe. She entered the world in Kingston, Jamaica, yet spent her formative years close to her father’s studio in Portmore, where music formed a constant backdrop. During her teenage years, Gregory Isaacs and Sly & Robbie appeared regularly in her orbit, yet it was the sound of Sister Nancy that persuaded her she possessed the ability to sing. Refusing to trade on her father’s industry ties, Macka instead approached fellow dancehall veteran Lady Junie. Under Junie’s guidance she cut the answer record “Don Girl” to Major Mackerel’s “Don Ban.” To underscore the link, the producer rechristened her Lady Mackerel, a moniker she loathed even as the track became a Jamaican hit. Following several underwhelming follow-ups that included joint efforts with Captain Barkey and Wickerman, she abandoned the Lady Mackerel identity and resurfaced in 2003 as Macka Diamond with the answer single “Tek Con” aimed at Vybz Kartel’s “Tek Buddy.” Twelve months later the provocative “Done a Ready” claimed the top spot on the Jamaican charts, prompting Greensleeves Records to sign her. The label issued her album Money-O in 2005; the project included a cameo from Mad Cobra and yielded the further hit “Bun Him,” which featured Black-Er. That same year she became the face of Wray & Nephew Rum Cream and teamed with Denise Belfon on the soca-inflected “What Girls Like.” In 2007 “Hula Hoop” reached number one in Jamaica, after which she turned author and delivered what she termed “the first official dancehall novel,” the book Bun Him!!! Early the following year she staged Macka Diamond’s Money-O Bingo with the Stars—a Kingston bingo night and all-star concert marking her birthday—and revealed that Bun Him!!! was slated for adaptation into a film.