Deejays Vybz Kartel and Spice are currently laughing all the way up the Billboard charts. Despite being pulled from local radio playlists, the controversial song Rampin' Shop debuted in the number 96 position on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop charts - a first for both artistes.

In a move that caused much uproar in the entertainment fraternity in February, the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica placed restrictions on all daggering songs, content of explicitly sexual and violent nature and all songs containing bleeps.

The restrictions seemed to be a resulting move from the an article published by Sunday Gleaner columnist Esther Tyson which blasted Rampin' Song for its overly explicit lyrics.

After being removed from radio playlists locally, internationally the song, which was released in late 2008, has become a hot commodity.

The song has heated up US mainstream airwaves on hip-hop station, Hot 97 FM and entered the Billboard charts a few days ago.

For both deejays, it is a memorable experience with Kartel telling THE STAR, "It's a feeling of accomplishment, you know, 'cause this shows me that my hard work is paying off, because I haven't had a US visa in three and a half years but I have a US Billboard 'charter', it's crazy."

banned here

Spice also commented, "I am extremely happy at the success andso overwhelmed because it was banned here in Jamaica and there were a lot of people fighting against it. I just need them to stop doing things like that because the song is loved right across the world and they embrace it, so why shouldn't we? This is my first Billboard song and I can't explain how great it feels. We worked really hard to promote it and now the work is paying off. I have to say thanks to the writer, Vybz Kartel, because he was the one who came up with the concept and approached me and the song was very well done."

The song, whose rhythm closely follows that of Ne-Yo's Miss Independent, was redone after the artistes received a stop order on the song from EMI Music Publishing, which manages its copyright.

Despite the stop order, it is the Miss Independent inspired version of the song that has been entered on the Billboard with Kartel commenting, "Yes, it is the Ne-Yo version that they told me not to play but you know they (Ne-Yo's company) can bully Adidjahiem/NotNice records but not Hot97 FM."

As for the restrictions placed on the song, Kartel says he doesn't want them to be lifted, commenting, "Why would I want the song unbanned when every man, woman and child within our 1400 square miles knows the song? Broadcasting did it a favour when they restricted it, although they thought they were gonna hurt it. Thanks BC."

In an statement issued by the Broadcasting Commission to THE STAR, they claimed to have no problems with Rampin' Shop being on the Billboard charts saying, "Billboard is a privately compiled chart, it, however, has no bearing on its appropriateness for radio."

-- Edited by bLaCkBeatZ on Tuesday 14th of July 2009 11:08:45 PM