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60th GRAMMY Nominees, Best Reggae Album

Best Reggae Album nominees, 60th GRAMMY Awards
Photos: WireImage.com

News

2018 GRAMMYs Poll: Who Will Win Best Reggae Album?

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Chronixx, Common Kings, J Boog, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, and Morgan Heritage are nominated for Best Reggae Album for the 60th GRAMMY Awards — who will GRAMMY voters choose?
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Dec 25, 2017 - 5:05 am

It's been said that the best reggae music yields a feeling that can't help but make you happy. If that is indeed the case, then the field for Best Reggae Album for the 60th GRAMMY Awards will have you smiling for months.

There are two first time nominees in the mix: Chronixx, who is in the running with Chronology¸ which Rolling Stone heralded one of the best albums of 2017, and Common Kings, who represent with Lost In Paradise, which mixes pop elements with rock, reggae, R&B and classic soul influences. There's J Boog's ultra-clean third LP, Wash House Ting.  Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley is nominated for his first solo album in 12 years, Stony Hill. And then there's Morgan Heritage's tongue-twisting Avrakedabra.

Who do you think GRAMMY voters will choose? Cast your vote below.

Polls

Who will GRAMMY voters choose for Best Reggae Album for the 60th GRAMMYs?

 

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 28, 2018, airing live on CBS from 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT.

Nominees For Best Reggae Album, 60th GRAMMY Awards (2018)

(Back Row, L-R) J Boog, Common Kings, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, (Front Row, L-R) Chronixx, Morgan Heritage

Photos: WireImage.com

Feature

2018 GRAMMY Nominations: Best Reggae Album Roundup

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A tight field of excellent artists all vying for the top prize in their genre — hear the nominees for Best Reggae Album at the 60th GRAMMY Awards
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Jan 12, 2018 - 6:25 pm

For over three decades, the Best Reggae Album category at the GRAMMY Awards has honored excellence in the genre, recognizing the artistic achievements of reggae artists such as Jimmy Cliff, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Shabba Ranks, and Ziggy Marley.

'Amen': Ziggy Marley GRAMMY performance

Covering both vocal and purely instrumental albums of newly recorded music from the interconnected subgenres of roots reggae, dancehall, and ska, the category draws its considerations each year from a particularly diverse catalogue of music offerings. And with a field of GRAMMY hopefuls including two first-time nominees, two well-established and previously nominated acts, and one multi-GRAMMY winning descendant of reggae royalty all vying for GRAMMY gold this year, the category competition is lining up for an intriguing race.

Take a closer look at the five acts who are nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 60th GRAMMY Awards and how each of their disparate paths intertwined to set them up for this moment.

Chronology, Chronixx

First-time GRAMMY nominee Jamar McNaughton, aka Chronixx, takes his stage moniker in part from his childhood nickname of "Little Chronicle," a reference to his father, a Jamaican singer who recorded under the title Chronicle. The 25-year-old McNaughton has built a name for himself as one of the rising stars of the reggae revival movement, crediting his father with introducing him to a wide variety of music and enrolling him in music education at a very early age. Widespread acclaim for his 2014 EP, Dread & Terrible, brought Chronixx his first brush with major international success when it charted No. 1 on the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart, a wave he was able to ride through to 2017 when his debut LP, Chronology, gave Chronixx his second career trip to the No. 1 slot on the Top Reggae Albums Chart and nabbed him his first GRAMMY nomination.

Lost In Paradise, Common Kings

The majority of the members of the sonically omnivorous musical collective Common Kings hails from disparate birthplaces across the South Pacific. The group was brought together geographically by their shared experience of growing up in Southern California's Orange County, and they cite influences as diverse as Van Morrison, Stevie Wonder, the Who, Gypsy Kings, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Michael Jackson. The Kings' resulting musical concoction is expressed as an emotive amalgam of rock, reggae, and island folk sounds. Following a series of three strong EPs in 2013 and 2015, all of which charted Top 10 (with the 2013's Summer Anthem EP and 2015's Hits & Mrs. EP peaking at No. 4 and No. 2, respectively), Common Kings' debut studio album, Lost In Paradise, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart in early 2017 and earned the group their first career GRAMMY nomination.

Wash House Ting, J Boog

With his latest studio album, Wash House Ting, earning the Hawaii-based J Boog his second Best Reggae Album GRAMMY nomination in as many years (he was nominated for his 2016 Rose Petals EP at the 59th GRAMMY Awards), there is little question as to why he has risen to be one the most internationally well-known Hawaiian reggae artists recording today. Since 2011, five of J Boog's album or EP releases have charted Top 5 on Billboard's Top Reggae Albums chart, with Rose Petals and his currently nominated Wash House Ting each taking No. 1, making his latest nomination another notable in an ongoing series of major accomplishments for the Samoan singer.

Stony Hill, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley

Three-time GRAMMY winner, and youngest son of renowned reggae legend Bob Marley, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley's Stony Hill is his first solo studio album since 2005's Best Reggae Album-winning Welcome To Jamrock. That's not to say the prolific reggae artist has kept quiet in the 12 years since; rather, the time between LP releases saw Marley take part in the creation of secretive reggae-fusion supergroup SuperHeavy with Mick Jagger and Joss Stone, and even collaborate with Skrillex, lending his vocals to the GRAMMY-winning multifaceted electronic producer's 2012 single "Make It Bun Dem." Stony Hill is Marley's second consecutive Billboard Top Reggae Albums No. 1 release, while all four of his solo LP releases have charted No. 2 or higher.

Polls

Who will GRAMMY voters choose for Best Reggae Album for the 60th GRAMMYs?

Avrakedabra, Morgan Heritage

GRAMMY-winning Jamaica-based reggae band Morgan Heritage comprises siblings Peter "Peetah" Morgan, Una Morgan, Roy "Gramps" Morgan, Nakhamyah "Lukes" Morgan, and Memmalatel "Mr. Mojo" Morgan, who are all children of influential solo artist Denroy Morgan, who also founded the 1970s New York City-based reggae outfit Black Eagles. The group's output has been extremely prolific throughout their career, with nearly 20 studio, live or collaborative albums released since their formation in 1994, yielding seven trips to the Top 10 of Billboard's Top Reggae Albums chart and nine total albums ranked No. 15 or higher.  Avrakedabra marks the group's second GRAMMY nomination — their first studio release, Strictly Roots, took Best Reggae Album at the 58th GRAMMY Awards.

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 28, 2018, airing live on CBS from 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT.

Common Kings, 2018

Common Kings

Photo: David Livingston/WireImage.com

Interview

Common Kings Found Out About GRAMMY Nomination In A "Haunted" Hotel

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Hear how the first-time GRAMMY nominees found out about their nomination, where they'll keep their award if they win and more
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Jan 26, 2018 - 8:39 pm

The members of reggae band Common Kings — Grey Taumata, Lui Kirimaua, Sasualei "JR King" Maliga, and Jerome Taito — hail from a variety of birthplaces across the South Pacific, and in their youths were united geographically by growing up in Southern California's Orange county. This year, their debut album, Lost In Paradise, has earned the band its first-ever career GRAMMY nomination for Best Reggae Album, and the quartet couldn't be more excited.

Meet The Nominees: Common Kings | 60th GRAMMYs

 "We got a call at 5:30 in the morning. I made the biggest noise, I ran up the stairs," explains bassist Kirimaua of the moment they found out about the nomination. "I clearly did not respect the sleep of anybody else in that hotel," he jokes. (The band was out on tour at the time in support of Matisyahu.)

When questioned about the album that earned them their first nomination, the Common Kings sung the praises of superstar producer Poo Bear, who took an interest in their sound and helped guide the record across the finish line.

"There's a lotta love and a lotta heart that went into that project," Kirimaua explains.  "We spent some late, late nights. … [Poo Bear and his team the Audibles] didn't have to do that, but they did."

On the subject of where they might keep their GRAMMY statuettes should they win, the band members have some different ideas. Kirimaua and lead singer Maliga both seem content to keep their awards on their pillows next to their heads while they sleep — "on a golden pillow," King interjects.

 Lead guitarist Grey, meanwhile, has plans similar to those of Best Remixed Recording GRAMMY nominee Latroit — mounting his GRAMMY Award on a gold chain and wearing it around his neck at all times, "like Flavor Flav!"

Getting The Latest Music News Just Got Easier. Introducing: GRAMMY Bot. Find it On KIK and Facebook Messenger

Morgan Heritage on the GRAMMYs red carpet

Morgan Heritage

Photo: Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com

News

Morgan Heritage On Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley And The GRAMMYs

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Reggae band's Gramps Morgan talks about the future of the reggae genre, the group's recent GRAMMY nomination and how a rock icon is inspiring his 60th GRAMMYs red carpet look
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jan 23, 2018 - 4:47 pm

Morgan Heritage have been mixing up the magic this year, and now they have a 60th GRAMMY Awards nomination to prove it.

Meet The Nominees: Morgan Heritage | 60th GRAMMYs

The band of siblings, comprising Peter "Peetah" Morgan, Una Morgan, Roy "Gramps" Morgan, Nakhamyah "Lukes" Morgan, and Memmalatel "Mr. Mojo" Morgan, have earned their second career GRAMMY nomination for Best Reggae Album for 2017's Avrakedabra, a 12-track masterpiece that pushes the boundaries of traditional reggae.

"We look at hip-hop music and country music and rock music and as it was 40 years ago doesn't sound the same way it does today, so the genre has to grow," says Gramps Morgan. "It cannot just sound the same it sounded 40 years ago. [We] really want to be adamant to show you the music can grow while still maintaining its roots."

With tracks such as "Pineapple Wine," "Ride And Roll," "One Life To Live," and "Dancing In The Moonlight," Morgan Heritage has infused elements of funk and even dubstep into their well-worn comfort zone of roots reggae that Jambands.com called "not lit only with spiritual light, but also secular enjoyment."

While Morgan Heritage has their own prior GRAMMY moment to celebrate — they won a GRAMMY for Best Reggae Album for Strictly Roots at the 58th GRAMMY Awards — it's another seminal GRAMMY moment that stands out in Gramps Morgan's mind from watching previous telecasts.

"My favorite GRAMMY moment as a child growing up in Springfield, Mass., was when Michael Jackson won all of those GRAMMYs for 'Thriller,'" said Gramps Morgan. "You remember that blue and gold outfit, he just looked so royal, as the King of Pop should look. I remember that moment, saying, 'Wow, how can somebody win so many GRAMMYs?'"

Inside Michael Jackson's Classic Song "Thriller"

And this year, Morgan Heritage are looking to have a little fun while they attend the 60th GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 28 in New York, with inspiration from a surprising source.

"This year I'm trying to get a little creative," says Gramps Morgan. "I'm working with Elvis Presley's mentor, a tailor. You gotta see me on the red carpet. Make sure you're there. It's gonna be a secret. Trying to get a little creative and have fun this year."

60th GRAMMY Awards Song Of The Year nominees

Song Of The Year nominees, 60th GRAMMY Awards
Photos: WireImage.com

Poll

2018 GRAMMYs Poll: Who Will Win Song Of The Year?

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Bruno Mars, Daddy Yankee, Jay-Z, Julia Michaels, Justin Bieber, Logic, Luis Fonsi, and more are officially the songwriters nominated for Song Of The Year at the 60th GRAMMYs — who will GRAMMY voters choose?
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Jan 23, 2018 - 1:10 pm

The Song Of The Year category at the 60th GRAMMY Awards represents a diverse range of genres, from pop to hip-hop and R&B. Not to mention, these songs all have great stories behind them, from the summer hit of 2017 to Bruno Mars' fourth nomination in the category.

Song Of The Year Nominees | 60th GRAMMY Awards

The nominees include "Despacito," performed and co-written by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber, was also created by the talents of songwriters Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd, Erika Ender and Marty James Garton. "4:44," performed and written by Jay-Z was co-written by producer No I.D. Julia Michaels' collaborators on "Issues" were Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, and Justin Drew Tranter.

"1-800-273-8255," performed by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid was co-written by the performers along with Arjun Ivatury. In addition to Mars, who performed and co-wrote the nominated track, other songwriters nominated for "That's What I Like" are Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus, and Jonathan Yip.

Which song do you think GRAMMY voters will choose to win Song Of The Year? Cast your vote now!

Polls

Who will GRAMMY voters choose for Song Of The Year for the 60th GRAMMYs?

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 28 airing live on CBS from 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT.