VP Records

About

For over 50 years, VP Records has been a pioneering force in the development of the reggae music industry and is now the largest independent reggae music label and publisher in the world. With artists Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Beres Hammond and Shaggy among the label’s partners, VP Records is the archetype for Caribbean music companies. The label's accomplishments have been highlighted in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Billboard (Best Independent Record Label Best Reggae Imprint Label), Vibe, Time and othes. From their humble beginnings in Kingston, Jamaica, Vincent and Patricia Chin (the combination of their initials forming the name 'VP'), established their first retail business Randy’s Record Mart in 1958. Within 10 years, the Chins added a recording facility Studio 17, where influential recordings by Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Augustus Pablo and many others, helped foster the birth of reggae and dub. The Chin family re-located in 1979 and established VP Record Distributors in Jamaica, New York, steadily expanding their wholesale business throughout North America and Internationally. In 1993, the business blossomed into a record label, establishing a legitimate platform for emerging Jamaican artists to reach an international audience. Scoring its first cross-over hit with the 1998 smash “Who Am I (Zim Zimma)' by Beenie Man. The song sold over 250,000 units in the US and achieved gold status in the UK. The 2002 hit “Gimme the Light”