Chronixx

Artist Facts

Active: 1998-Present
Name: Chronixx
Genre: Reggae
Birth Date: October 10, 1992
Place of Birth: Kingston, Jamaica

Artist Background

Born Jamar McNaughton, Chronixx is a reggae artist from Jamaica. After his father and singer, “Chronicle,” dubbed him “Little Chronicle,” he stepped out on his own by changing his stage name to Chronixx. The Reggae Revival artist’s songs focus on romance, resilience, and themes of peace. He is a contemporary of Dre Island, Jah9, Jah Bouks, Kabaka Pyramid, Kelissa, Jesse Royal, and Protoje.

Under the support of his father, Chronixx wrote songs early on, penning “Rice Grain” at just 5 years old. At age 11, he first recorded an unreleased Gospel tune with producer Danny Brown. From there, he provided background vocals for Lutan Fyah, among other artists. He also provided rhythms for Mavrick Records artists Konshens and Munga Hornourebel.

With singing a family affair, he sang in both church and school. While in high school at Spanish Town’s St. Catherine High School, he began producing. That included building the Freezer riddim for Ice Box Records at 14 years old.

Tragedy impacted his work in 2009, when the death of Chronixx’s brother inspired him to compose with Romaine “Teflon” Arnett of Zincfence Records.

Artist Music Career

In 2012, Chronix’s popularity took off. He got exposure by performing at such festivls as Reggae Sumfest and a December show at the Tracks and Records club in Kingston. Not to mention that his tracks got ample airplay in Jamaica. This led to a feature on “Start a Fire,” the Major Lazer-curated mixtape Start a Fire.

In 2013, Chronixx released popular hits “Smile Jamaica” and “Here Comes Trouble. With his ZincFence Redemption Band in tow, he also went on a tour of the United Kingdom and the United States. He also had a return stint at Sumfest.

That same year Chronixx went to Kenya to serve as a peace ambassador during the nation’s general election, performing at the Tuko Rada Peace Concert in Nairobi.

In April 2014, Chronixx released the EP, “Dread & Terrible,” which topped the Billboard Reggae Albums charts that same month. In July of that year, he also appeared on the “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and performed in Central park to a crowd of more than 5,000, which shot his EP to the Top Reggae Albums chart’s #1 spot.

That upward trajectory led Chronixx to collaborate with producer Romain “Teflon” Arnett and co-producer/engineer Ricardo “Shadyz” Lynch to found the production house, ZincFence Recordz. Through this collab, Chronixx has produced his own hits, as well as those of Kabaka Pyramid, Jah Cure, and Protoje while working with such additional artists as Mavado, Maverick Sabre, and Nomaddz.

Chronixx kicked off 2015 in January by appearing on the tune, “Belly of the Beast,” featuring U.S. rap artist Joey Badass. In June, he went on to partner with EE in a well-received performance at the Glastonbury Festival.

In 2017, Chronixx released his first full album, “Chronology,” which gained international accolades.

Artist Major Works and Achievements

2014:

• Won Linkage Awards Culture Artist of the Year, Best New Artist, and Entertainer of the Year Awards
• Won 33rd International Reggae & World Music Awards Best Song Award for “Smile Jamaica” and Best Music Video Award for “Here Comes Trouble.”
• “Dread & Terrible” EP released on Zincfence and peaked at #179 in U.S charts.

2015:

• In March, his EP, “Dread & Terrible” spent its 42nd consecutive week in the Top Reggae Albums chart top 10.

2017:

• Received a Grammy Awards nomination for debut album, “Chronology”
• Received the Prime Minister’s National Youth Award for Excellence
• Debut album “Chronology” went to #1 in U.S. charts