Major Lazer Goes Gold In The UK

Major Lazer’s Essentials—a 25-track compilation album featuring Dancehall artists Vybz Kartel, Busy Signal, Sean Paul, Kranium, Tarrus Riley, Mr. Lexx, and several other international musicians—is now BRIT Certified Gold in the United Kingdom for sales of over 100,000 copies.

This is the first Gold album certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for the Jamaican-American electronic dance music trio, which currently includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums.  Major Lazer’s Peace Is The Mission (2015) album was previously BPI certified Silver in the UK in 2017, after it was RIAA certified Gold in the US in 2016.

Upon its 2018 release via Mad Decent Records, Essentials peaked at top 3 for Billboard’s US Top Dance/Electronic Albums, at 74 for Canadian Albums, 170 for Belgian Albums and 188 at US Billboard 200. On the year-end charts, Essentials was number 12 for US Top Dance/Electronic Albums.

Pon De Floor, which was also a part of Major Lazer’s first studio album, Guns Don’t Kill People, is a Dancehall and baile funk with vocals by Vybz Kartel. Well-received by critics, Pon De Floor had appeared on the UK Charts in 2010, peaking at number 125, and was sampled by Queen Bey, Beyonce in Run the World (Girls).

Sean Paul’s Come On to Me became a hit in Belgium, while charting in France and the Netherlands. A song from Major Lazer’s 2014 EP Apocalypse Soon, Come On to Me samples a line from “La Murga de Panama” written by Willie Colon.

The Melody Gad Kranium was featured twice on the album, on both Boom and Loyal. On Boom, Kranium sings alongside MOTi, Ty Dolla Sign and Wizkid and on Loyal he is joined by Kizz Daniel.

Reggae crooner Tarrus Riley’s Powerful with Ellie Goulding from Major Lazer’s third studio album, Peace is the Mission was also included on their Essentials compilation. Powerful recently received the Brit Certified Silver Award for acquiring sales of more than 200,000 units.

Teaming up with Dutch producers The Flexican and FS Green, and with vocals from Busy Signal, Major Lazer curated the infectious and energetic Watch Out For This. Watch Out For This, a vocal version of the song Bumaye by the Dutch producers was initially released on The Flexican’s 2011 Yours Truly: The Mixtape Part II.

Peaking number 2 in Belgium and number 4 in France, Watch Out For This was also certified platinum in France by the UPFI in 2013.

The compilation also included other international acts such as Justin Bieber on Cold Water, Nicki Minaj and Party Next Door on Run Up and Ariana Grande on All My Love, among others.

The trio’s last album, Music Is The Weapon, was released in 2020 and had featured Busy Signal, BEAM, Shenseea, Skip Marley, Nicki Minaj, and several other artists.