The History Of Reggaetón, Reggae and Dancehall- Maxine Isis Stowe

The History Of Reggaetón, Reggae and Dancehall as told
by Maxine Isis Stowe, the former Columbia Records executive,
sits at the intersection of Reggaetón, Reggae and Dancehall. She
played a pivotal role in signing acts like Shy Guy singer Diana
King, who she had a similar vision for her as Rihanna achieved,
if only Diana could have let go off the small island influences
and assimilate her sound more into American pop and sing more
like fellow Sony artist Mariah Carey.


“When I saw Rihanna break through, I thought that was what I had
in mind for Diana. I would say that Diana’s reluctance to be
fully Americanized was her limitation because her voice was big
enough, but culturally she couldn’t let go,” Stowe said.


She is also known for her significant contributions to the
development of dancehall in the 90s and early 2000s in the US,
serving as A&R and executive producer for several
chart-topping hits and albums, resulting in over 5 million in
album and single sales. This includes Ini Kamoze’s “Here Comes
The Hotstepper,” Mad Cobra’s “Flex,” “Bad Boys Soundtrack,” “Cool
Runnings Soundtrack,” "Chant Down Babylon" album by Bob Marley,
Half Way Tree by Damian Marley and more projects that have
achieved Platinum and Gold status in the US.