Spragga Benz to celebrate ‘Endevors Reloaded’

Dancehall veteran Spragga Benz is set to officially celebrate the release of his latest album, Endevors Reloaded, with an exclusive album launch experience on Wednesday, at Jammin on the Oasis in Kingston.

Released in August 2026, Endevors Reloaded marks the latest chapter in Spragga Benz’s celebrated musical journey, bringing together his signature dancehall sound with a diverse collection of collaborations spanning dancehall, reggae and Afrobeats.

The September 30 launch will be more than a traditional album presentation. The intimate experience will bring together members of the media, music industry, influencers and specially invited guests for an evening focused on the music, the artiste and the creative journey behind the project.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Spragga Benz says guests should expect something different.

“This is not going to be your regular album launch. I wanted to create a unique experience and presentation around Endevors Reloaded, something that gives people a different way to connect with the music and the journey behind it. Trust me, this is one you won’t want to miss,” Spragga Benz said.

Adding to the evening will be Worthy Park Overproof Rum, with guests invited to enjoy specially prepared rum mixes as part of the launch experience.

Despite a busy schedule that includes overseas appearances, performances and current movie tapings, Spragga Benz has made the Jamaican launch a priority as he celebrates the impact and diversity of the project.

The album features a wide cross-section of Caribbean and international talent, including Sean Paul, Stonebwoy, Agent Sasco, Tarrus Riley, Sizzla, I Wayne, Bugle, JC Lodge, Echo Minott, G Dep, Bittah Sosicka, Briggy Benz and Ashley Skerritt.

With Endevors Reloaded already available to listeners, the September 30 gathering will provide an opportunity to experience the project from a different perspective while celebrating Spragga Benz’s enduring contribution to Jamaican music and his continued evolution as an artiste.

Carlton Grant, better known by his stage name Spragga Benz, was once known to his friends as “Spaghetti” (tall and slim), but this was later shortened to Spragga. The Benz in his name comes from the sound system for which he used to work L.A. Benz, and it is through this that he found his way into the music industry at a dubplate recording session with Buju Banton.

Buju was supposed to do four tracks for L.A. Benz but only voiced two and suggested that Spragga do the other two. Spragga freestyled a couple of lines of what would later become, Love Mi Gun, a popular tune. He soon became an in-demand performer for numerous producers, including Bobby Digital. Hits followed with the hard-hitting Could a Deal, produced by Winston Riley, and which landed on his 1994 début album, Jack It Up.

Other hits followed including Girls Hooray produced by Steely & Clevie, and a series of well-received singles, the success of which led to a deal with Capitol Records, which issued his second album, Uncommonly Smooth, in 1995. It featured collabs duets with Chevelle Franklyn, A-1 Lover and Spanish Harlem (with Ben E. King). The album didn’t sell well enough for Capitol, who dropped him, after which he spent a few years releasing further singles in Jamaica, also collaborating with the likes of Wyclef Jean and KRS-One.

In 1999, he recorded a ‘clash’ album with Beenie Man, Two Badd DJs, and had a number-one Jamaican hit single with She Nuh Ready Yet (Hype Up), which was also included on his third album, Fully Loaded (2000). This album featured collabs with Lady Saw, on Backshot and Foxy Brown on Too Stoosh. In the same year, Benz made his film acting début in Brooklyn Babylon, and the following year played a leading role in the gangster film Shottas.

The year 2002 saw the release of his fourth album, Thug Nature.

In 2003, Benz recorded a number of collabs, with the likes of Carly Simon, Kevin Lyttle and Shannon, with the aim of breaking into the US market. In July 2007, he co-hosted the Urban Music Awards in New York with Foxy Brown. He was nominated for three awards at the first Caribbean Urban Music Awards, held in Jamaica in April 2008.

His sixth solo album, Shotta Culture, was released in 2010. His 2019 album Chiliagon topped the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.

His natural philanthropy, saw him establishing a Stay in School programme in the late 1990s which provided help for needy students in his hometown of Franklin Town.

On a sad and personal note, on 23rd August 2008, his then 17-year-old son, Carlton ‘Carlyle’ Grant Jr, was killed by police in Kingston. Following his son’s death, Benz founded a foundation in his honour with the aim of helping local youths.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com