Here’s Who To Expect For ‘Best Reggae Album’ Grammy Nominees On November 24

The nominees for the 63rd Grammy Awards will be announced on November 24 via a live stream on the Grammy website, the Recording Academy has announced.

The top contenders for the coveted 84 golden gramophone trophies will be announced by Recording Academy Chair and Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason Jr, accompanied by past Grammy awardees. The Awards Ceremony is slated to take place on January 31, 2021.

Among the most anticipated and hotly contested categories, this year is the Best Reggae Album award, which has several formidable projects that are likely to be nominated.

Here is what to expect for nominations in this category:

A Marley is in the Mix

The usual suspects in this category, the Marley Men, are definitely in the running, this time with their third-generation talent Skip Marley, and his debut EP Higher Place. 

The seven-track project was released just a few days shy of the Grammy eligibility period’s closure this summer, has been holding its own on the charts, and is expected to earn the 24-year-old his seat at the Grammy table with his uncles and grandfather. His uncle Ziggy, didn’t release More Family Time, until September, which instead puts it on the early list for the 2022 award.

The Women Have Been Working

Following Koffee‘s historic win for women in the category last year, don’t be surprised if we have another woman or two throwing punches in the usually male-dominated ring for the 63rd Grammys.

In.Digg.Nation belles Sevana and Lila Iké have both put out very promising bodies of work in their Be Somebody and The Experience EPs respectively, which were both released during the eligibility period for the upcoming awards.

Reggae songstress Etana, who became the first woman to be nominated in the category in 21 years with her 2018 Reggae Forever album, also released a strong project, Gemini, earlier this year.

Buju Has Been Hungry For A Decade

Buju Banton is not leaving his Grammy nod up to chance. After being incarcerated since the day after he received his Grammy Award in 2011 for Before the Dawn, the Gargamel is hoping to pick up where he left off.

Since being released from prison in late 2018, Buju has been working on his 20-track Upside Down 2020, which was released this June. Though he may have unpopular views on current issues such as mask-wearing and the use of technology, the entertainer boldly campaigned for his album to be nominated just before the ending of first-round voting this month.

Protoje, Tarrus, Toots and the Maytals All Have Solid Entries

Protoje’s 10-track In Search of Lost Time and Tarrus Riley’s 12-piece Healing, both released on August 28, are undeniably two of the best Reggae albums that were released this year.

Healing is Riley’s first major effort since his 2014 Love Situation, while Protoje is hoping to earn his second consecutive nomination after his 2018 A Matter of Time made the shortlist.

The legendary, Grammy-winning Toots and the Maytals band also released a formidable compilation on that day, shortly before Toots Hibberts was hospitalized and unfortunately, later died. The 10-track album Got to Be Tough is their first in 10 years, and is definitely one of the favorites to watch.

Dancehall Can’t Stall

Predominantly Dancehall albums have been known to turn heads, and even sweep away Grammys, in the Best Reggae Album category over the years, and this year is no different. Albums such as Vybz Kartel’s Of Dons & Divas , which the incarcerated artiste has been confidently boasting to be ‘The Grammy album‘ have as good a shot as any at being nominated.

Popcaan’s Vanquish and his FIXTAPE  were both released in the eligible period, and so were Dexta Daps’s Vent and Govana’s HAMANTS, as have projects from other local and international artistes that may just cause some upsets.

So, who to expect in the nominations? Just about anybody.