Tanya Stephens

"Dem want know who is Tanya, Mi nuh affi strip fi control dem man, Have de game inna di palm ah mi han' yah Ah world domination ah di plan yah" - Who is Tanya- Rebulution 2006

Two words to describe this female artist - Lyrical genius. I still don't understand how she hasn't gotten a Grammy nomination! But that aside, Tanya Stephens, born Vivienne Stephens, is one of the most influential and phenomenal female artist in Jamaica since her rise to fame in the early 1990s. She has put forward a number of albums such as Too Hype, Ruff Ryder, Sintoxicated, Gangsta Blues and Rebelution. Hits such as Goggle, Yuh nuh ready fi dis yet, Its a Pity, Boom Wuk, These Streets, among others, show the raw but sophisticated talent that she possess- rhyming with pure class.

She puts her opinions forward with no qualms or reservation. I LOVE IT!!! Her honesty is brutal and at most time is shot at the opposite sex who she says is her inspiration. I can't get tired of listening to her music and its not just one or two songs on the album but in its entirety. Its always new, always fresh and not just about one thing as is displayed by many of our local artistes. True one or two of her songs might lean towards the "careless" side but what would a dancehall album be without some passa passa. But the beauty of it is that she sings about everything from corrupt politics, to men, to how fi tek a gal man, to love, to hate, to the socio-economic state of the country, gun tune, bad girl tune..... everything. And this is what has set her apart from the rest. Maybe I am biased. Mi nuh know. Don't get me wrong there are quite a few talented female artistes out there but nobody really compares to her.

If you haven't heard a Tanya Stephens track go pick up her album, you wont be disappointed. Right now Gansta Blues is on auto repeat on my Mp3 player. Till then I sit waiting on the new album..... Weh it deh?!