Ziggy Marley wins the 2017 Grammy for Best Reggae Album.
This marks Bob Marley’s eldest son seventh Grammy, making him the reggae artist with the most Grammy in history. Three of those albums were won while he was a member of the band The Melody Makers and the rest he won as a solo artist. In 2014, he won a Grammy for his fifth solo album Fly Rasta.
This year Best Reggae Album category at the Grammys includes Ziggy Marley self-titled album, J Boog’s Rose Petals, Raging Fyah’s Everlasting, Rebelution’s Falling Into Place, Devin Di Dakta & J.L.’s Reggae For Her — Sly and Robbie Presents Devin Di Dakta and JL, and Soja’s Live in Virginia.
These were among the top performing reggae albums last year, but some fans are wondering why were there no dancehall albums nominated for this year’s Grammy. Two of the top dancehall acts currently, Alkaline and Vybz Kartel, both released albums last year. Alkaline’s New Level Unlocked LP debut at the top of the Billboard Reggae Album chart.
Vybz Kartel also received rave reviews for his 2016 album King of the Dancehall which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Album chart. That project was also the top selling dancehall album of 2016 and saw the highest first week sales since Beenie Man’s 2006 classic album Undisputed. So why wasn’t any of these projects nominated for a Grammy this year, well only the Recording Academy can answer that question.
Give thanks to the @RecordingAcad for the honor, my family, and all the artists keeping #reggae alive and well. LOVE #GRAMMYs #ziggymarley pic.twitter.com/g6hOjOXt1s
— Ziggy Marley (@ziggymarley) February 12, 2017
