Marion Hall announced a dancehall comeback in February but left fans hanging on to her dancehall style sermons marked by word throwing and unconventional preaching.
She says she is on a mission to save her female colleagues in Dancehall irrespective of whatever “fight” she got.
“People of God, the lord said is reaping season and I will guh down dere and reap dem. I will reap dem out of every corner, everywhere in Dancehall; if I have to come there and go and do the work, lay hands everything, that’s where I’m going. And if it cause you to come up against mi, it does not matter. I will reap for the Kingdom of God,” she said.
Her online sermons have drawn criticism from some quarters of dancehall but Lady Saw, 53, has a rich legacy in Jamaica’s music and although she has now taken on the less popular stage preaching the pentecostal gospel, for over two decades her songs have inspired and paved the way for generations of artists.
The St. Mary native who starting singing at age fifteen on local sound systems, went on to be the first female DJ to be certified triple platinum, and to date is the only hardcore female DJ with a Grammy award.
Among her first sets of hits are “If Him Lef” which topped the Jamaican music charts, “Find a Good Man” and “Stab Up Di Meat” which was from her 1994 debut Lover Girl.
Lady Saw’s debut on the Billboard’s Top Reggae Albums chart came in June 1997 when her album Passion peaked at number 8.
From that album came the hit singles: “Healing” and “Sycamore Tree”.
In February 1998, Saw released her first greatest hits album entitled Raw, the Best of Lady Saw and by the end of that year in December, she released her fourth album 99 Ways, which charted at number 10 on Billboard’s Top Reggae Albums chart.
In 1999 she had a major hit in the United States with “Smile”, recorded with Vitamin C, which peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song sold gold (500,000 units) with a push from its many features in television shows and advertisements ranging from The WB series Movie Stars, promos for the NBC series Cold Feet, and the season 9 finale of Beverly Hills, 90210.
In 2002, her collaboration with No Doubt, “Underneath It All”, peaked at number three in the US. The track won a Grammy Award for ‘Best Performance by a Duo or Group.’
Lady Saw’s 5th studio album Strip Tease charted at number 84 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 14 Billboard’s Top Reggae Albums chart in 2004. The lead single “I’ve Got Your Man” garnered much worldwide success and charted at number 58 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album also spawn the singles: “Man is the Least”, “Move Your Body”, and “Loser”.
In 2006, she was featured on the Steven Seagal song Strut, which she also co-wrote.
In April 2007, Saw released her sixth album Walk Out, which peaked at number 8 on the Top Reggae Albums chart. Saw released two more singles: “Chat to Mi Back” and “Me and My Crew (The Rae)”.
In 2009, Saw released her second greatest hits album entitled Extra Raw: The First Lady of Dancehall. In December 2010, she released My Way on her own record label, which failed to chart but in the same year, Lady Saw was also featured along with Nicki Minaj on rapper Trina‘s song “Dang A Lang” from her album Amazin’.
In 2012 she released Heels On, with a music video featuring “Bombastic” hit maker Shaggy.
On 6 November 2015, she released her second extended play entitled, Lady Saw: Special Edition.
Shortly after Saw for baptized and announced she will no longer identify herself as “Lady Saw”, but instead as Minister Marion Hall or simply Marion Hall. She also stated that she will not perform her legacy of hits but instead she will begin a new music career in gospel. She has released the gospel songs; “Jesus In The End”, “Cup of Blessings”, “God Almighty”, and “Room In My House”, “Heaven” which appear on several mixtapes. In July 2016, she released her first gospel album When God Speaks
Whether Marion Hall or Lady Saw, she has paved the way for many female artist from Jamaica and her legacy remains untouchable.