In Riddim World’s opinion, there is one of many producers that deserves never-ending praise throughout the years as we get older, time chugging on. The producer of timeless dancehall riddims including ANYTHING FOR YOU RIDDIM (1995), BOOKSHELF RIDDIM (1998), BUY OUT RIDDIM (2002), KIKI RIDDIM (1999), UNDA WATA RIDDIM (1998), WHOO RIDDIM aka THE DOCTOR RIDDIM (1999), KATANA RIDDIM (2004), STREET BULLIES RIDDIM (2009) and more recently, CARAMEL ICE CREAM RIDDIM (2017) and MONEY SEASON RIDDIM (2019). His name – TONY “CD” KELLY – real name ANTHONY KELLY – CEO/owner of K-LICIOUS MUSIC Jamaica, which he founded in 1993 whilst working under SHOCKING VIBES label between 1989 and 1995 as a music producer/mix engineer.
Tony’s “CD” Kelly’s superior producing, mixing and writing skills brought a host of Jamaican artists to the attention of the American market. His sound was instrumental in creating hit songs for popular reggae /dancehall artists like Sean Paul, Wayne Wonder, Sasha, Super Cat, Mad Cobra, TOK, Shaggy (whose album “Hot Shot†sold over 10 million copies), Beenie Man (collaborated on several albums including Back To Basics, The Doctor, Art and Life and 2002’s Tropical Storm) and Baby Cham (“Desperate Measures” featured on Cham’s debut album, Wow… the Story).
Tony “CD” Kelly has produced monster hits like Sean Paul‘s chart topper “Like Glue” for which he won BMI Awards as a writer & a publisher. He also wrote and produced “Deport Dem” which was a major crossover hit for Sean Paul. In the history of dancehall, Kelly has had the most crossover hits of any dancehall/reggae producer. He’s lent his production skills to several Grammy Award winning albums which includes, Sean Paul’s “Dutty Rock,†Beenie Man’s “Art And Life,†Shaggy’s “Boombastic†and Bebe & Cece Winans “Still†to name a few.
His work with dancehall diva Patra paid off when her album, Queen of the Pack (1993) entered the pop charts. “I created Patra’s entire sound,” Tony states. “I wrote, produced, and engineered nine tracks for that album, including her single, ‘Worker Man,’ for which I received the first gold plaque of my career.” He has countless hit singles, such as Snow’s “Anything For You All-Star Cast Remix” and soundtrack work on feature films like Dancehall Queen (the title track, which features Beenie Man and Chevelle Franklyn), Hype Williams’s Belly (“Top Shotta” featuring DMX, Sean Paul and Mr. Vegas).
Tony Kelly’s hits includes, Shaggy “Church Heathenâ€, “For Yur Eyez Onlyâ€, Street Bullies Riddim, Bebe & Cece Winans “He Can Handle it†from their album Still.
Listen to some of his all time hits via this DJ EASY mix below.
