Mavado, Serani climb Billboard chart

Sting might be on everybody's lips but Mavado and Serani are making their marks on the Billboard Hot R&B Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

Mavado's So Special is in its fourth week on the chart at number 53, while Serani is playing No Games at number 55.

Previously, the two songs, which are on TJ Records' 'Unfinished Business' rhythm, enjoyed heavy rotation on New York's Hot 97.

The artistes' manager, Julian Jones-Griffith, said a lot of promotion was done to help get the songs where they are by Phase One Communication in the United States.

"They were basically approaching all the radio stations in the North East. It started at Hot 97 and spread from there," Jones-Griffith told THE STAR.

He said Mavado and Serani have been in the North East, on and off for the past three months, promoting the songs and appearing on radio stations.

Serani appeared as a special guest in Manhattan at a Funkmaster Flex party alongside Akon on Thursday night, after appearing live on Angie Martinez's show on HOT 97 in the afternoon.

In addition, he said No Games and So Special are among the top 10 reggae downloads on iTunes.


the mainstream

"It looks good. It's been a while since Jamaican music has been in the mainstream. So for 2009, it is Mavado and Serani," said Jones-Griffith.

But to propel the success of the songs even further, Jones-Griffith said music videos for both songs would be released. He said Mavado's video was shot by Ras Kassa two weeks ago and will be released in January for the worldwide market. Serani's video will be shot during the holiday season or by early January.

Nonetheless, Jones-Griffith says they are working on making an even bigger impact in the rest of the United States next year.

"It is a team effort and we get a lot of help from a lot of people. But we have to work hard. After this, we have to try and get Florida and the west coast," Jones-Griffith said.

In addition, Mavado will be featured on several pages in Vibe Magazine during the spring, while Serani will be featured in an upcoming issue of Billboard magazine.