Tickets for his European tour this summer were expensive: to general surprise, Mr Vegas has announced he is ending his singing career, 11 years after starting it. And no wonder: he currently tops the HypeTV charts, with not only Daggering at number 1 for three weeks, but also Nuh fight over man at number three.
Yet Clifford Smith's career very nearly never got going: his jaw was shattered during his first studio session, but Mr Vegas bounced back, and his long rehabilitation forced him to adopt a style that would become his trademark. In 1997 he made a thunderous entry onto the Jamaican scene and strung together hits: Heads high, Jacket, Nike air and Hot gal today, his best singles are found on his first album, released on Greensleeves, certainly one of the most striking of 1998.
He also teamed up with his manager Byron Murray to set up the label-distributor In The Streetz Records. The 2000s were somewhat leaner for Vegas, despite a few solid hits such as Pull up in 2004. After a short break, the singer had bounced back over the past two years with songs like Taxi fare, and above all Hot wuk and Tek way yourself in 2007.
At the big party held in honour of the newly retired artist, Yardflex reported Mr Vegas's words: "God controls my destiny. I cannot gain the world and lose my soul. Money cannot replace seeing my mother three times a year or my children a few times a month. I also want to be closer to God." Chance or coincidence, a best of, "The Hits", is announced on VP for this month.