VP Presents Wayne Wonder With RIAA Gold Plaque For ‘No Letting Go’
Reggae label VP Records presented Wayne Wonder with the RIAA Gold Plaque for his 2003 hit No Letting Go at the Central Park SummerStage concert. The event, held on Saturday, saw the handing over being made by Christopher Chin, CEO of VP Records.
Wonder’s No Letting Go, which was produced by Steven ‘Lenky’ Marsden on the Diwali riddim, was certified Gold on August 3, after hitting the 500,000 unit sales milestone in the United States.
According to a release by VP Records, the entertainer was in high spirits following the presentation. “I am humbled by this great recognition,” he said.
“Hard Work, Be Constant, Self-Discipline, Self-Driven and Humble gave me a GOLD PLAQUE😎! Thanks to all my fans,” the singer added on his Instagram account.
No Letting Go was the lead single on Wonder’s 2003 album No Holding Back, released via VP Records and Atlantic Records. It peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart, at No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was a Top 40 hit in Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Sweden, and Switzerland.
“The song was just coming from a personal life experience,” Wayne told DancehallMag. “Coming from a special place and special person in my life, so in writing the lyrics, I just switched into that mode. I wrote the song in New York, and told Lenky that I wanted the song to have chord and bridge and when he put it together and we heard it, we knew it was something special.”
SummerStage, which was spearheaded by VP Records also featured Slick Rick, Shinehead, Red Fox, and Lady G. According to Chin, it was important for the label to have a Dancehall/Reggae showcase in New York to demonstrate their influence in the diaspora.
“Reggae and dancehall have influenced the sounds hip hop from its beginning, and we are in a unique position to highlight the connection,” he said. “SummerStage is the perfect venue to bring these artists together to demonstrate the impact Jamaican reggae has had internationally.”
“DJs Jazzy Joyce and Peter Panic kept things moving between acts at the 3,000-person capacity open air venue,” the release noted.
Wonder delivered a stellar set to the hundreds of fans who had poured out to the venue. Hits like I Don’t Know Why, Searching, Joy Ride, Enemies, I Still Believe, and Saddest Day Of My Life were enough to get the crowd riled up.
He added praises to VP Records during his set: “Big up VP Records!”