Beenie’s ‘Eminence’ reigns supreme on US iTunes All Genres chart

International dancehall superstar Beenie Man wanted an album with international muscle. Fourteen months, more than US$400,000 and a constellation of celebrity collaborators later, the "King of the Dancehall" is sitting on top of the US iTunes All Genres chart. His latest album, Eminence, has occupied the coveted No.

1 position for three consecutive days, holding off formidable competition from The Game’s The Documentary III and Sam Smith’s Hazel Eyes. For Beenie Man, the achievement feels less like a gentle climb to the summit and more like a spectacular collision. “When I get a number one in the world, that is not a natural feeling.

“It is like you’re driving and somebody lick you with dem car and you’re like, ‘What the hell happened?’ It’s unexpected and phenomenal at the same time.” The iTunes All Genres chart ranks the top-selling music downloads across every category on Apple’s platform, combining daily sales into one master list of the most-purchased albums. The triumph provided the perfect soundtrack to Beenie Man’s birthday celebrations in the United States. After serving as best man at the wedding of his friend Dino, the dancehall superstar travelled to New York, where he marked his birthday on Sunday with a private cruise around Manhattan, followed by dinner at an upscale restaurant with close celebrity friends.

But before the champagne, chart glory and Manhattan skyline, Eminence began modestly—with one song. “I did the first song with Etana and she was eventually replaced with a next girl. It is after that we really started to work on the album and go into the studio,” Beenie Man recalled.

He then approached producer Kemar “Flava” McGregor with an ambitious wish list. “I told Kemar McGregor that I needed Rick Ross and T.I. He said he could do it, and I was like, ‘What?!’ So we just started to vibe and make music.” The result is a lavish collision of reggae, dancehall, hip hop and R&B, wrapped in a sound that tips its hat to the golden eras of the 1990s and early 2000s.

I have been working on it for the last 14 months,” Beenie Man said. “My favourite song is Hat Tip with Rick Ross and Rotimi. They remind me of the quality that the greatest combination songs in the world have—instant danceability and familiarity.” That sense of familiarity is…