Voicemail

Voicemail emerged from Kingston, Jamaica, as a dancehall outfit whose sound echoed that of their contemporaries T.O.K. while drawing primary inspiration from R&B groups such as Boyz II Men and Jodeci. Craig Jackson, Kevin Blaire, and Oniel Edwards—the latter being the son of reggae veteran Rupie Edwards—first met in 1999 during a local talent show. They launched the group soon afterward, starting out as a five-piece before two members departed in 2003, leaving the remaining trio to record dubplates and singles with an array of producers. Their earliest, smoother R&B material registered only modest local interest, yet a pivot toward the high-octane approach popularized by Scare Dem Crew, a crew that included Craig Jackson’s older brother, quickly elevated their profile. The 2004 single “Weh Di Time,” which featured Delly Ranks and Bogle, became a major Jamaican success and spawned the sequel “Ready to Party (Weh Di Time 2).” Follow-up tracks such as “Jamaican Jiggas” and “Wacky Dip” saturated Jamaican radio, embedding the trio’s signature call—“You’ve got mail -- Voicemail, heyeeeee!”—in the public consciousness. That same catchphrase supplied the title for the group’s first full-length album, Hey, which VP released in 2006.