J Boog

As a child, reggae star J Boog sang along to Bob Marley tunes from a songbook his older sister played on piano. ∙ The son of a Samoan chief, California-born Boog was mentored by Hawaiian reggae icon Fiji, who produced his hit debut album, 2007’s Hear Me Roar. ∙ Mixing reggae, classic R&B, and hip-hop, he recorded part of his chart-topping 2011 album, Backyard Boogie, in the same Jamaican studio that Bob Marley used. ∙ J Boog won the Best New Entertainer Award at the 2012 International Reggae and World Music Awards. ∙ In 2016, his LP Wash House Ting, featuring members of veteran reggae band Morgan Heritage, rose to No. 1 on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart. ∙ Boog’s lush, rap-tinged 2016 track “Ragamuffin” included guest vocals by Jamaican dancehall legend Buju Banton. ∙ In 2020, Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp made a viral dance video to pop singer Pia Mia’s remake of his breakout hit, “Let’s Do It Again.”