Reggae fans are deeply divided and are taking out their anger on Ziggy Marley and the Grammys.
It’s already old news that Bob Marley’s eldest son, Ziggy Marley, won his eight Grammy on Sunday night in Los Angeles for Best Reggae Album for his 2016 self-titled project. Some fans are saying that they didn’t even know that Ziggy released an album last year.
“I never even knew he had an album called ziggy marley. seems grammy doesnt know about reggae music,” one fan wrote on Urban Islandz Facebook page. Reggae historian and archivist Roger Steffens also weighed in on the controversy telling the Observer that he had predicted that Ziggy Marley would win his eight Grammy on Sunday night. He is also calling for the reggae singer to withdraw his name from anymore nominations to allow other artists doing good work to get a chance to be recognized.
“If he (Ziggy Marley) is truly gracious, when he accepts it, he will announce that he will no longer accept a nomination for the award, so that others will have a chance to take home the trophy that he already has more than enough of,” Steffens said. “The award usually goes to the person with the most name recognition, and historically, any time the album is by a Marley, or a tribute to Bob Marley, it usually takes the prize.”
During his acceptance speech, Ziggy Marley called on artists to use music as a tool to help mankind. “Music is a powerful tool,” he said. “Music can change the world. And we must use that power wisely, and use it now, and spread a message through music that will benefit humankind.”
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