Cham (born Damian Beckett, 24 February 1979) is a Jamaican-born dancehall singer-songwriter and actor, mostly known for his 2006 single " Ghetto Story" from his major label debut album of the same name, a song which led to multiple "story" songs by other artists in a similar vein. He is currently signed to Atlantic Records, and was known as Baby Cham until 2005. He is still called Baby Cham by his Jamaican fans and fans from around the world despite the name change.

Biography

Originally from Sherlock Crescent in Saint Andrew Parish, Cham's career began in the early 1990s. The '' Miami New Times'' referred to his debut album '' Wow... The Story'', released in 2000, as "the most anticipated album in years from any reggae artist", and a ''Washington Post'' review of a live Cham concert in 2006 described him as "the man who may be the next Sean Paul – a dancehall artist who crosses over to the U.S. hip-hop market." Throughout his career, Cham has collaborated with many hip hop and R&B artists such as Foxy Brown,

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

, Carl Thomas, Shawn Mims,

Mis-Teeq Mis-Teeq were a British girl group, consisting of Alesha Dixon, Su-Elise Nash and Sabrina Washington. They had two top-ten albums and seven consecutive top-ten singles, with chart-topping success on the UK Singles Chart as well as across Eur ...

, Rihanna,

Che'Nelle Cheryline Ernestine Lim (born 10 March 1982), known by her stage name Che'Nelle, is an Australian singer-songwriter signed to Universal Music Japan. Early life Cheryline Ernestine Lim was born on 10 March 1982, to a Chinese father, and a mothe ...

, Jentina,

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...

, and T-Pain,

Keke Palmer Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer (born August 26, 1993) ( ) is an American actress, singer and television personality. Known for playing leading and character roles in comedy and drama productions, she has received a Primetime Emmy Award, five NAACP I ...

and many others. Cham has for a long time worked with producer Dave Kelly.Johnson, Richard (2012)
Keeping apace with Cham
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 29 June 2012, retrieved 1 July 2012 In 2012, he recorded with his wife, O, on the singles "Wine" and "Tun Up". In 2013 he released the Kelly-produced single "Fighter", featuring Damian "Junior Gong" Marley.Jackson, Kevin (2013)
Cham's a FIGHTER
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 25 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013 Cham's third album, the Kelly-produced ''Lawless'' was due to be released in June 2015.Jackson, Kevin (2015)
Cham's New Album for June
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015 Featuring the single "I Am Hot", the album was recorded in Florida apart from a collaboration with Mykal Rose and

Bounty Killer Rodney Basil Price (born 12 June 1972), known as Bounty Killer, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. AllMusic describes him as "one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant flair f ...

, which was recorded in Jamaica.

Discography

Albums

Singles

As featured artist

*"Shottas" T-Pain featuring Cham and

Kardinal Offishall Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (), is a Canadian rapper, record producer, DJ, and record executive. Often credited as Canada's " hip hop ambassador", he is regarded as one of the countr ...

This Is Why I'm Hot "This Is Why I'm Hot" is the debut single by American rapper Mims. The song was co-written by Mims and produced by Blackout Movement for his first album '' Music Is My Savior'' (2007). Released in 2007, the song reached No. 1 on the U.S. ''Bill ...

" (Remix) Mims featuring Junior Reid and Cham *"The Day Before" Baby Blue Soundcrew featuring Jully Black & Cham *"Oh No (You Can't Be Serious)" Carl Thomas featuring Cham *"Tables Will Turn" Foxy Brown featuring Cham *"Party Time" (Remix)

Lukie D Lukie D (born Michael Kennedy, 1972, Cockburn Pen, Jamaica) is a dancehall singer and deejay. He is known for his singing and powerful vocal range and soulful voice rather than toasting style, which fits with the prominent theme of love in his ...

featuring Cham and

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

*"Love Is on My Mind"

Shawnna Rashawnna Guy (born January 3, 1978), better known by her stage name Shawnna, is an American rapper. She was the first female artist signed to Def Jam South through Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace Records. She is a former member of the female Chi ...

featuring Cham and Sisqo *"Run Dem" Foxy Brown featuring Cham *"Never Never" (Remix)

Brick & Lace Brick & Lace are a Jamaican-American dancehall/R&B (or reggae fusion) musical duo consisting of sisters Nyanda and Nailah Thorbourne. According to '' Billboard'', their name reflects the tough and the soft sides of femininity. Brick & Lace ...

featuring Cham *" I Fell in Love with the DJ"

featuring Cham *"Tonight"

featuring Cham *"Girl I Need"

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...

featuring Cham *"Bullet"

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper. Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station 99 Jamz, a ...

featuring Cham and Rick Ross *"That's Just Not Me"

featuring Baby Cham *" Bad Ass Strippa" (Remix) Jentina featuring Cham

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cham Atlantic Records artists Jamaican dancehall musicians Reggae fusion artists 1979 births Living people People from Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica