Vybz Kartel, Lila Iké, Keznamdi, Mortimer And Jesse Royal Nominated For ‘Best Reggae Album’ At 2026 Grammys
Lila Iké’s Treasure Self Love, Vybz Kartel’s Heart & Soul, Keznamdi’s BLXXD & FYAH, Mortimer’s From Within, and Jesse Royal’s No Place Like Home are the albums nominated for ‘Best Reggae Album’ at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
The announcement was made today (November 7) following the Recording Academy’s nominations live-stream event for the upcoming awards, which will be officially known as the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
This marks the second nomination for both Vybz Kartel and Jesse Royal—Kartel was previously nominated at the 2025 Awards for his Party With Me album, while Royal earned his first nod in 2022 for Royal.
Kartel’s 11-track Heart & Soul, released on August 29, 2025, via Greedy Lion/Vybz Kartel Muzik, features I Know and Bad Bad Bad with Ishawna.
Royal’s 10-track No Place Like Home, also released on August 29, 2025, through Easy Star Records, includes Blessing featuring Yohan Marley, Jungle Justice with Kabaka Pyramid, and Hope with Romain Virgo.
Lila Iké, Keznamdi, and Mortimer are first-time nominees.
Iké’s Treasure Self Love, released on August 22, 2025, via Ineffable Records, features Scatter, Fry Plantain with Joey Bada$$, Romantic with Masicka, and He Loves Us Both with H.E.R.
Keznamdi’s BLXXD & FYAH, released the same day via Keznamdi Music, includes standout tracks Serious Times and Pressure.
Mortimer’s 14-track From Within, released on September 20, 2024, features In My Time with Damian Marley, and Bruises with Kabaka Pyramid and Lila Iké.
The eligibility period for the 2026 entries ran from August 31, 2024, to August 30, 2025.
The Reggae category “recognizes excellence in albums of reggae music, including roots reggae, dancehall and ska music. The nominations and award are bestowed to “albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new reggae recordings,” according to the Academy.
The Academy stipulates that the albums’ featured artists, producers, and engineers are also eligible for nomination only if they contributed to more than 50% of playing time on the project.
The Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By the Film album won the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album earlier this year.
Recording Academy members completed first-round voting in mid-October to select nominees. The final voting round will occur between December 12, 2025, and January 5, 2026.
The winners in each Grammy category will be announced on Sunday, Feb. 1, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The show will be broadcast on CBS and Paramount+, with the annual Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony preceding the event.
A host is yet to be announced.