The latest in a series of
McGregor-produced creations to have artists lining up is McGregor’s hot new Bee
Hive rhythm. Already adding their voices
to his latest production are Busy Signal, his brother Chino McGregor, Elephant
Man, Anthony B, Beenie Man, Singing Sweet, and Lady Saw.
At 18 years old, Stephen
McGregor has taken a firm grip on handling the state of Reggae today. From the age of five, when he released his
first song, the self-penned “School Done Rule,” which stressed the importance
of staying in school, the young McGregor was on his way to stardom. By age 10, he was playing guitar, bass,
piano, drums, and violin. At age 12, he
moved from in front of the mic to behind the board, and began churning out
rhythms (aka riddims) professionally.
From the safe confines of his
father’s Big Ship Studio in Kingston, Jamaica, Stephen managed his school work,
(a graduate of Ardenne High School) while also operating as the studio’s chief
engineer. He states his legendary father
is behind him 100 per cent, adding that the senior McGregor’s long history in
the business has aided him in understanding the legalities, given him
credibility, and has offered solid advice on how to manage his career. Stephen currently works with manager Jeremy
Harding, who also represents superstar Sean Paul.
The popularity of the songs
and rhythms produced by “The Genius” drew the attention of EMI Publishing, who
promptly signed the young McGregor in September 2007. The humble creator looks forward to the
international reach that EMI will offer; happy to be joining other world-class
EMI artists, such as the Beatles, Alicia Keyes, Beyonce, and Kanye West,
amongst others. Vibe magazine recently included him on its list of “New Power
Generation,” dubbing him “The Riddim Prince.”
Riddims that McGregor has produced
over the past five years have become massive Dancehall hits. Some of these include:
Tremor, Red Bull & Guinness, Ghetto
Whiskey, 12 Gauge, Area Leader, Breaking News, and the wildly popular Cartoon
riddim. McGregor is pleased with the
reaction to Cartoon, adding that it has a certain playfulness to it, using voice samples from the Looney Tunes cartoon characters. Artists who have recorded successfully on
Cartoon include Elephant Man, Delly Ranks, Mr. Lex, and Predator.
Songs produced by The Genius
include “Sweep the Floor” featured on Elephant Man’s new CD Let’s Get Physical, “Watch Them Roll”
for Sean Paul that features the Tremor riddim and will introduce McGregor to
American audiences, “On My Mind” by
Da’Ville, and “My Scheme” which will appear on Addi Di Teacher’s CD due out in
2008. Additionally, he has produced for
Vybez Kartel, Aidonia, Assassin, and contributed five songs to his father,
Freddie McGregor’s 2005 album, Coming in
Tough.
Currently Stephen McGregor is
charging through his “dark” phase, producing the Dark Shadow and Dark Again
riddims. Aware that he is part of
Reggae’s royal line, the young producer stated that it will be the type of
music that he produces that differentiates him from the McGregor history. Accepting his role as a leader in the new
power generation, Stephen McGregor is happy producing beats and songs for an age
group that craves this new sound.
He is looking forward to the
future, to creating more music, and to expanding Dancehall to include more genres,
including Hip-Hop. The artists look
forward to this, as well, while fans will await more great hits from this
teen-age producing genius.
Features 
produced by The Genius
include “Sweep the Floor” featured on Elephant Man’s new CD Let’s Get Physical, “Watch Them Roll”
for Sean Paul that features the Tremor riddim and will introduce McGregor to
American audiences, “On My Mind” by
Da’Ville, and “My Scheme” which will appear on Addi Di Teacher’s CD due out in
2008. Additionally, he has produced for
Vybez Kartel, Aidonia, Assassin, and contributed five songs to his father,
Freddie McGregor’s 2005 album, Coming in
Tough.
