DIGICEL yesterday (Monday Jan. 25th) announced details of its collaboration with diamond-selling artiste, Shaggy and renowned producer, Christopher Birch, to write and produce a song, Rise Again, to raise money for the Digicel Haiti Relief Fund.

Rise Again is a Caribbean song, written and performed by Caribbean artistes for the people of Haiti.

After being approached by Digicel to write the song, Shaggy went straight into the studio with Christopher Birch, producer of his diamond-selling album - Hot Shots. The song was written in less than a day and the rhythm produced within five days, and artistes such as Sean Paul and Sean Kingston, as well as other top Caribbean artistes, were quick to come on board and lend their support.

Rise Again is being released worldwide and 100 per cent of the proceeds will go directly to the Digicel Haiti Relief Fund.

Speaking about the launch of the song, Shaggy said, "Rise Again is for the people of Haiti. It is to show them that we are here for them and that we will support them each step of the way as they begin rebuilding their lives which were shattered by the earthquake. I am very proud of this song and the collaboration with Digicel. With today's launch of Rise Again, we can raise much-needed funds to support the relief efforts in Haiti."

Digicel Group CEO, Colm Delves, said: "As part of the Digicel Haiti Relief Fund, we wanted to collaborate with international artistes to produce a song that would support the people of Haiti who lost so much as a result of the earthquake. People across the world can purchase Rise Again and all proceeds will go directly to the relief efforts in Haiti."

Rise Again is already making waves in the US with E News carrying a preview of the song on the E!TV Entertainment News.

Artistes featured on Rise Again include Shaggy, Sean Paul, Sean Kingston, Tessanne Chin and Etana; Barbadian artistes Alison Hinds, Shontelle Layne and Edwin Yearwood; Trinidadian soca artistes David Rudder, Kees Dieffenthaller and Destra Garcia and Haitian artiste, Belo.

According to a release sent to THE STAR, the album includes tracks by Chaka Demus, Yellow Man, Buju Banton and many other reggae music stalwarts. The project is the first in a new series of dancehall-reggae albums, designed to pay homage to the groundbreaking original artistes that paved the way for dancehall artistes today.

"Because it so deftly illustrates such an important era of dancehall-reggae history, Dancehall Originators is a must-have for any knowledgeable dancehall devotee, as well as more recent reggae converts," the release stated.

Among the tracks on the album are Hot This Year by Dirtsman, Sweet by Pinchers and Rougher Than Dem by Charlie Chaplin.