'Best Reggae Album' Grammy Awards 2022 Nominees - Spice, Sean Paul, Jesse Royal, Etana

The nominations for the Grammy Awards 2022 are now out, and as expected, the Best Reggae Album category is causing some stir.

The six available spots for the reggae category went to Etana with Pamoja, Sean Paul with his album Live N Livin, Spice with 10, Jesse Royal with his project Royal, Gramps Morgan with Positive Vibration, and reggae band SOJA with Beauty in the Silence.

This is Spice’s first Grammy nomination, but her nod created a bit of history in the Best Reggae Album category as, for the first time, two women are vying for the trophy. Meanwhile, Etana is picking up her second nomination after a previous nomination in 2019 for her album, Reggae Forever.

“Thank you Grammy Nominated @recordingacademy Thank you so much for making this historic day possible. Besties I LOVE YOU #SpiceAlbum10,” Spice wrote while sharing a video of herself spitting a freestyle.

Etana also reacted to picking up her nomination writing, “Thank you to all the creators on Pamoja album, we just got nominated for @recordingacademy Grammy Awards.” She also thanked her album collaborators and production team, as well as her fellow nominees.

Etana’s album Pamoja has been well received among reggae fans this year. The project saw features coming from Vybz Kartel, Nandy, Stonebwoy, Alborosie, Patrice, Damian Jr Gong Marley, and more.

At the time of this publication, Sean Paul, who has previously picked up several nominations over the years, hasn’t yet reacted. But his album is perhaps the biggest project out of the bunch in terms of the share number of collaborations with a ton of reggae/dancehall artists, both young and seasoned. SP’s album Live N Livin saw him working with Intence, Squash, Skillibeng, Chi Ching Ching, Govana, Mavado, Buju Banton, Agent Sasco, and more.

This year, Jesse Royal released his Royal album in June with 11 tracks and collaborations with Vybz Kartel, Protoje, Stonebwoy, Samory I, Kumar, and Runkus. That album is now a Grammy-nominated project.

Gramps Morgan of Morgan Heritage released his solo project Positive Vibration in July. The 15-track project saw a few guest appearances from well-known names like Shaggy, India Arie, and his brothers Jemere and Denroy Morgan.

Californian-based reggae band SOJA picked up a nomination for their album Beauty in the Silence. The album was released in September with 13 tracks and guest features from Collie Buddz, J Boog, Rebelution, Ali Campbell, Stick Figure, Trevor Young, Mihali, Slightly Stoopid, and many more.

Almost every year, the Best Reggae Album Grammy caused controversy among artists and fans. This year’s nomination will likely not be different, as some fans will argue that their artiste should’ve been nominated or won.

Following widespread complains from some big name artists earlier this year like The Weeknd, The Recording Academy announced some big changes going forward including disbanding its Nominations Review Committees and shrinking the number of categories open for voters.

The 64th annual Grammy Awards comprises 86 categories this year. The awards ceremony will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 31, 2022. The show will be broadcast live on CBS.

Best Reggae Album Grammy nominees