Jamaican Artists Who Have Won A Grammy Award Outside Of The Reggae Category
Jamaica is renowned for its Reggae music, but a few artists from the island have also made achievements in other genres, earning Grammy Awards beyond the ‘Best Reggae Album’ category.
Here’s a look at those artists who have made their mark at the Recording Academy in non-Reggae categories.
Damian Marley – ‘Best Urban/Alternative Performance’ (2006)
Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, the youngest son of Bob Marley, has built a dynamic career by blending Reggae with Hip-hop and other genres. In 2006, he made history by winning multiple Grammys for his 2005 album Welcome to Jamrock, including Best Reggae Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the title track. This achievement makes Damian the only artist to win both Reggae and non-Reggae Grammy categories in a single year.
Produced by his brother Stephen Marley, Welcome to Jamrock delivers hard-hitting lyrics addressing social inequality and street life in Jamaica. The song reached No. 55 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart, and it has since been certified Gold in the UK for selling over 400,000 units.
Damian also holds Grammy Awards for ‘Best Reggae Album’ for his albums Halfway Tree (2002) and Stony Hill (2018) and for executive producing Kabaka Pyramid’s The Kalling (2023).
Ziggy Marley – ‘Best Musical Album for Children’ (2010)
While Marley’s eldest son has won multiple awards in the Reggae category, including for albums like Love Is My Religion and Fly Rasta, Ziggy Marley expanded his repertoire by winning the Grammy for ‘Best Musical Album for Children’ in 2010 with Family Time (2009).
The album—which featured collaborations with Ziggy’s daughter Judah, Rita Marley, Cedella Marley, Jack Johnson, Toots Hibbert, Willie Nelson, and Paul Simon—was full of light-hearted, family-friendly tunes, showcasing Ziggy’s versatility as a musician and his ability to connect with a younger audience.
In 2020, he released a follow-up album titled More Family Time.
BEAM – ‘Best Dance/Electronic Recording’ (2024)
In 2024, BEAM, the son of Dancehall artist Papa San, won the Grammy Award for ‘Best Dance/Electronic Recording’ Grammy for his contributions to Skrillex’s Rumble , a song featuring Fred again.. and Flowdan. BEAM’s uncredited vocals on the song were sampled from his feature on Skrillex’s earlier track Selecta. The Jamaican-American, whose real name is Tyshane Thompson, is also credited as a co-writer and co-producer on Rumble.
In the ‘Best Dance/Electronic Recording’ category, unlike some others, all contributing artists, producers, and mixers are recognized, allowing BEAM to share the Grammy for the song.
BEAM was previously nominated for his contributions to Beyoncé’s Renaissance (2023), Kanye West’s Donda (2022), and Justin Bieber’s Justice (2022), all of which were nominated for ‘Album of the Year.’