Capleton is back in the Grammy conversation, and this time he has a lot of company. The Fireman’s album Heights of Fire is one of 119 releases accepted as valid entries for Best Reggae Album at the 69th Grammy Awards. That number is a big jump from last year, when only 73 albums made the list.
First-round voting opened on October 12 and runs through October 22, 2026. According to Reggaeville, social media has been flooded for days with For Your Consideration posts and reels as artists and labels try to get in front of Recording Academy members.
The field is stacked with veterans. Capleton sits alongside Buju Banton’s Too Too Bad, Beenie Man’s Eminence, Ziggy Marley’s Brightside, Shaggy’s Lottery and Burning Spear & Friends with Call On Me (Live). Buju, Ziggy and Shaggy have all won in this category before, so the old guard is clearly not stepping aside.
The younger generation has shown up in force too. Chronixx has Exile, Protoje has Art of Acceptance, Kabaka Pyramid has Rebel Music | The Lyrics Tape, and Masicka is in with Forever Reign. Dancehall heavyweights Vybz Kartel (God and Time) and Alkaline (NPT) are also on the list, along with Queen Ifrica’s Breath of Life.
The list stretches well past Jamaica. Gentleman submitted Gratitude, Alborosie is in with Nine Mile, and American acts like Hirie, Mike Love and Tropidelic are competing for the same five slots. Compilations such as the Tides of Reasoning Riddim also made the cut.
There are two ways to read the surge. More entries points to a scene that is releasing more music and taking the Grammys more seriously as a goal.
It also means that with only five nominations available, the odds for any single album just got a lot longer, and visibility campaigns matter more than ever for artists without major label muscle.
The full picture is still not public. The Grammys do not release the complete For Your Consideration roster, so Reggaeville’s list is partial, and the outlet says it will update it once the full lineup becomes available.
For an album to qualify, it had to be released between August 31, 2025 and August 28, 2026. Media companies registered with the Academy over the summer, and the online entry window closed on August 21, 2026.
The five albums with the most votes will be announced on November 16. Final-round voting follows from December 10 through January 7, 2027, with the winner revealed on February 7, 2027.
Until then, the For Your Consideration reels keep coming. Capleton and the other 118 entries have just a few more days to make their case before the first ballots close.
