During the 1990s, dancehall-reggae had a number of elite producers. Gussie Clarke, Mikey Bennett, King Jammy, Bobby Digital and Donovan Germain are usually regarded as that era’s most successful studio directors.
In New York City, Philip Smart quietly worked on some monster hits by artists like Shaggy, who recorded his breakthrough ‘Oh Carolina’ at Smart’s HC&F Recording Studio in Long Island. Smart also produced ‘Hot This Year’ by Dirtsman, one of 1989’s biggest hits.
Smart died in 2014 from cancer, while Dirtsman, older brother of Papa San, was murdered in 1993. The ‘riddim’ of their finest moment is revisited on ‘Hotta This Year’, a compilation album released on April 18 by C&I Jah Bless Records.
The eight-song project, co-produced by Ian Clough, Michael McDonald (Smart’s brother-in-law/business partner), Shane Hoosong and Dwayne Johnson, features ‘Call On Me’ by Shaggy, Crissin, Olaf Blackwood and Kartel Monttana, ‘Back it Up’ by Charly Black, ‘If I Had A Wish’ by Maxi Priest and ‘Hotta This Year’ by Maino, an American rapper.
Clough, a Jamaican based in Georgia, was an associate of Smart’s. He said ‘Hotta This Year’ is part of a campaign to reintroduce the engineer/producer’s work to a new generation of dancehall fans.