Following California-based reggae band SOJA’s win in 2022 for Best Reggae Album, Jamaicans have dominated this year’s nomination list, with dancehall/reggae artistes Koffee, Protoje, Kabaka Pyramid, Sean Paul, and Shaggy all vying for the prestigious award this coming Sunday.
Music producers, artistes, and songwriters are among the number of Grammy Academy voting members who narrowed down the 67 albums that were up for consideration to the final five. Making the cut are: Koffee’s Gifted, Shaggy’s Come Fly Wid Mi, Kabaka Pyramid’s The Kalling, Protoje’s Third Time’s The Charm, and Scorcha by Sean Paul.
This will be Kabaka Pyramid’s first time vying for a Grammy following his nomination last November. His album, which was produced by Damian “Junior Gong” Marley, was released on September 30, the last day of the Recording Academy’s eligibility period for this year’s award show.
Protoje, Koffee, Shaggy, and Sean Paul have all received nominations on previous occasions, with the latter three walking away with wins. The final round of voting for the 65th Grammys began on December 14, 2022, and closed today ahead of the show’s staging tomorrow at Los Angeles’ Crpto.com Arena.
With the nomination list comprised of industry veterans, staples, and breakthrough, on-the-rise artists, it has been difficult to determine who will walk away with the coveted gilded gramophone on February 5. Ephraim Martin, the founder of the International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA), has described each of the nominees’ work as outstanding, and while he did not count out first-time nominee Kabaka Pyramid when speaking to the Jamaica Star about the upcoming Grammys, he acknowledged that he would have a difficult time coming out ahead of Koffee, Sean Paul, and Shaggy.
Martin shied away from naming a winner but described Koffee as one to watch. Marketer and producer Sean ‘Contractor’ Edwards echoed Martin’s sentiments, stating that the Lockdown singer had an edge with the younger voters. Koffee’s album, Rapture, won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2020, making her the youngest person and first woman to be awarded in the Best Reggae Album category.
