Ziggy Marley Wins Eighth Grammy For Best Reggae Album {VIDEO} Reggae fans are deeply divided and are taking out their anger on Ziggy Marley and the Grammys.
It’s already old news that Bob Marley’s eldest son, Ziggy Marley, won his eighth Grammy on Sunday night in Los Angeles for Best Reggae Album for his 2016 self-titled project. Some fans are saying that they didn’t even know that Ziggy released an album last year.
“I never even knew he had an album called ziggy marley. seems grammy doesnt know about reggae music,” one fan wrote on Dancehall HipHop Facebook page. Reggae historian and archivist Roger Steffens also weighed in on the controversy telling the Observer that he had predicted that Ziggy Marley would win his eight Grammy on Sunday night. He is also calling for the reggae singer to withdraw his name from anymore nominations to allow other artists doing good work to get a chance to be recognized.
“If he (Ziggy Marley) is truly gracious, when he accepts it, he will announce that he will no longer accept a nomination for the award, so that others will have a chance to take home the trophy that he already has more than enough of,” Steffens said. “The award usually goes to the person with the most name recognition, and historically, any time the album is by a Marley, or a tribute to Bob Marley, it usually takes the prize.”
During his acceptance speech, Ziggy Marley called on artists to use music as a tool to help mankind. “Music is a powerful tool,” he said. “Music can change the world. And we must use that power wisely, and use it now, and spread a message through music that will benefit humankind.”
ZIGGY MARLEY ACCEPTS THE GRAMMY FOR BEST REGGAE ALBUM AT THE 59TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS.
It was a case of lucky seven for Ziggy Marley on Sunday when he added another Best Reggae Album Grammy to his collection at the 59th staging of the annual awards ceremony at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Marley got the gong over fellow Jamaicans Sly and Robbie (Reggae For Her — Sly and Robbie Presents Devin Di Dakta and JL) and Raging Fyah ( Everlasting), as well as California band Rebelution ( Falling Into Place), Hawaiian singer J Boog ( Rose Petals), and American band SOJA ( Live in Virginia).
The award, for the album Ziggy Marley, gave the 48-year-old singer his fourth nod in the category as a solo artist. Prior to that he had won in 2007 with Love Is My Religion; in 2014 with Ziggy Marley in Concert, and in 2015 with Fly Rasta.
Making up his record-breaking total are three wins with sibling group The Melody Makers, and one for Best Children’s Album in 2010.
Marley, the oldest son of reggae icon Bob Marley, was delighted with his latest win.
“Give thanks to the @RecordingAcad for the honor, my family, and all the artists keeping #reggae alive and well. LOVE #GRAMMYs #ziggymarley,” he tweeted.
The winning album was released last May by Tuff Gong Worldwide and debuted at number one on the Billboard Reggae Album chart. According to Neilsen SoundScan, it has sold over 13,000 copies to date.
American reggae artistes have regularly outsold their Jamaican counterparts in the United States for the past five years, however.
The trend continues with Rebelution’s Falling Into Place emerging as the most successful reggae album released in 2016 with sales of over 30,000 copies.
The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States nevertheless honours artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, “without regard to album sales or chart position.”
If any of the three US groups had won, they would have been the first Americans to bag the Best Reggae Album category.
The only non-Jamaicans ever to have won the award are British band Steel Pulse who did so in 1987 with Babylon The Bandit.
The Reggae Grammy awards were established in 1985 when Black Uhuru became the first winner.
Ziggy Marley was previously tied with his brother Stephen, who also had six wins (three times as a member of The Melody Makers). Bunny Wailer has received the award three times, and two-time recipients include Burning Spear, Damian Marley, and Shabba Ranks.
Morgan Heritage won last year’s Best Reggae Album Grammy with Strictly Roots.
Ziggy Marley Wins 2014 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album + Who will WIN the REGGAE GRAMMY, SNOOP or ZIGGY?
Ziggy Marley wins the 2017 Grammy for Best Reggae Album. This marks Bob Marley’s eldest son seventh Grammy, making him the reggae artist with the most Grammy in history. Three of those albums were won while he was a member of the band The Melody Makers and the rest he won as a solo artist. In 2014, he won a Grammy for his fifth solo album Fly Rasta.
This year Best Reggae Album category at the Grammys includes Ziggy Marley self-titled album, J Boog’s Rose Petals, Raging Fyah’s Everlasting, Rebelution’s Falling Into Place, Devin Di Dakta & J.L.’s Reggae For Her — Sly and Robbie Presents Devin Di Dakta and JL, and Soja’s Live in Virginia.
These were among the top performing reggae albums last year, but some fans are wondering why were there no dancehall albums nominated for this year’s Grammy. Two of the top dancehall acts currently, Alkaline and Vybz Kartel, both released albums last year. Alkaline’s New Level Unlocked LP debut at the top of the Billboard Reggae Album chart.
Vybz Kartel also received rave reviews for his 2016 album King of the Dancehallwhich peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Album chart. That project was also the top selling dancehall album of 2016 and saw the highest first week sales since Beenie Man’s 2006 classic album Undisputed. So why wasn’t any of these projects nominated for a Grammy this year, well only the Recording Academy can answer that question.
Snoop Dogg was the most well-known candidate in this year’s Grammy Award category for Best Reggae Album with ‘Reincarnated’ — his first reggae album. The nomination was a surprise to some, but Ziggy Marley won the category with his LP, ‘Ziggy Marley in Concert.’
This is Marley’s fifth win in the category. His last came in 2007 with ‘Love Is My Religion.’ This is his first Best Reggae Album win for a live album after releasing ‘Love Is My Religion Live’ and ‘Ziggy Live From SoHo’ in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Other nominees include famed reggae artist Beres Hammond, Sizzla and Sly & Robbie and the Jam Masters. Marley was nominated for Best Reggae Album in 2012, for ‘Wild and Free.’ He lost to his brother Stephen, who holds the record for most wins in the category with six (including three with Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers). Marley arrived to this year’s ceremony with his wife Orly Agai by his side, pictured above.
Ziggy Marley wins the 2017 Grammy for Best Reggae Album. This marks Bob Marley’s eldest son seventh Grammy, making him the reggae artist with the most Grammy in history. Three of those albums were won while he was a member of the band The Melody Makers and the rest he won as a solo artist. In 2014, he won a Grammy for his fifth solo album Fly Rasta.
This year Best Reggae Album category at the Grammys includes Ziggy Marley self-titled album, J Boog’s Rose Petals, Raging Fyah’s Everlasting, Rebelution’s Falling Into Place, Devin Di Dakta & J.L.’s Reggae For Her — Sly and Robbie Presents Devin Di Dakta and JL, and Soja’s Live in Virginia.
These were among the top performing reggae albums last year, but some fans are wondering why were there no dancehall albums nominated for this year’s Grammy. Two of the top dancehall acts currently, Alkaline and Vybz Kartel, both released albums last year. Alkaline’s New Level Unlocked LP debut at the top of the Billboard Reggae Album chart.
Vybz Kartel also received rave reviews for his 2016 album King of the Dancehallwhich peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Album chart. That project was also the top selling dancehall album of 2016 and saw the highest first week sales since Beenie Man’s 2006 classic album Undisputed. So why wasn’t any of these projects nominated for a Grammy this year, well only the Recording Academy can answer that question.
ZIGGY MARLEY ACCEPTS THE GRAMMY FOR BEST REGGAE ALBUM AT THE 59TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS. 
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