Wayne Marshall: Wayne Marshall is no Wayne Wonder. He’s no Mr. Vegas either. In fact, his closest kindred spirit is hip-hop crooner Nate Dogg: someone who has the good sense to collaborate with big stars, but who lacks the talent to shine on his own. Wayne’s massive partnership with Bounty Killa, “Smoke Clears,” introduced us top his stuttering “tr..tr..tru… true!” catchphrase and his uncanny sense of rhythm and timing, and seemed to portend a bright future. Alas, with the notable exception of his mini-hit “Overcome” on the unstoppable Diwali rhythm, “Smoke Clears” remains Marshall’s brightest moment in our book, despite his recent success hanging on Vybz Kartel’s coattails on “New Millennium” and “Why U Doin’ It.”

Marshall has also made some clever reinterpretations of hip-hop hits, most notably his pro-ganja adaptations of OutKast’s “Whole World” and D-12’s “Purple Haze.” Unfortunately, these remakes are clever in a Weird Al Yankovich kind of way, not in any artistically redeeming manner. Marshall has also proven to be an atrocious stage performer, who doesn’t have the material or the charisma to hold an audience’s attention by himself. Wayne Marshall’s stage show often resorts to half-hearted attempts to sing other artists songs, while patrons kiss their teeth and head for the door.

Prediction: ANONYMITY. You can have moderate success in Dancehall without talent (see Zebra, Future Troubles), but you won’t last, and you certainly will never ascend to the top of the mountain. You may not like the current kings of dancehall, but you can’t deny their diverse talents. If Wayne Marshall has any discernable talent, he should show it to us quickly, before his 15 minutes of fame expires.

Discography: Marshall Law