5. Chronixx – Dread and Terrible EP
Following a breakout year in 2013, Chronixx kept the fire blazing in 2014, steadily gaining new international fans on top of his already loyal Caribbean following. This 10-song offering was the first commercially packaged collection of tunes from the young artist, and was anchored by previous year’s hit “Here Comes Trouble” (which he performed with the Zincfence Redemption band on The Tonight Show in an exciting TV debut). Standouts from the slackness-free EP included the health-conscious “Spirulina,” defiant “Capture Land,” throwback “Rastaman Wheel Out” (which inspired a short film-like music video) and the clean-hearted “Like A Whistle.” A highlight of the year for us here at LargeUp came as Chronixx performed most of his catalog, including each of the EP’s songs, for an ecstatic overflow crowd (including Mick Jagger) at our Central Park SummerStage event in July. —Kieran Meadows