Bobby Shakes (Orett Robinson) Boston, Massachusetts bobby@bobbyshakes.com
Awards & Nominations Committee The Recording Academy 3030 Olympic Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90404
Re: Proposal to establish a Best Jamaican Music Album category
Dear Members of the Awards & Nominations Committee,
I write to propose a new category: Best Jamaican Music Album. Jamaican music has outgrown the single word "reggae," and the Grammys should recognize it as the global force it is.
I have photographed live music since 1996: more than 10,000 shows and over 500 artists. I founded bobbyshakes.com in 1998, one of the earliest reggae platforms online. I am Bristol-born, with family roots in Jamaica going back over 400 years. I have watched this music travel the world from the front of the stage, and I have watched the industry keep it in one box.
The case
One island, many sounds. Sean Paul's "Get Busy" was built on the Diwali Riddim, which draws on Indian music and carries both West and East Indies. Vybz Kartel's latest work leans toward Africa. Other Jamaican artists drive their records with hip hop or shape them with R&B. These are all Jamaican artists, and all of them are filed under one label.
The motto is the argument. Jamaica's motto is "Out of Many, One People." The music follows the same principle: many influences, one source. A category should honor that range rather than reduce it to a single sound.
"Reggae" has become a box. To much of the world, reggae means one tempo and one era. Today's Jamaican artists are judged against that template instead of on the merit of their work. Dancehall, which began as the name of the venue where the music was played, has become a genre in practice, yet it has no home at the Grammys. Everything is folded into Best Reggae Album.
There is precedent. The Academy already recognizes music by culture and language, not only by sound. The Latin categories show that a cultural lane can hold many styles under one roof.
Anticipating your concerns
I want to address the obvious objections directly.
"World music" is a term the Academy retired. In 2020 the Academy renamed Best World Music Album to Best Global Music Album, because "world music" was seen as othering non-Western artists. I agree with that decision. That is why I propose "Best Jamaican Music Album": it names the source plainly and avoids the old baggage.
A category tied to a nation, not a sound. Non-Jamaican artists have been nominated for, and have won, Best Reggae Album. I do not propose taking that away. Best Reggae Album can remain open to the world. Best Jamaican Music Album would sit beside it and honor the source culture across every style its artists create.
Dancehall is already recognized elsewhere. Streaming services carry dancehall playlists, and the industry uses the word daily. My point is narrower: the Grammys alone fold all of it into one reggae award. A Jamaican category ends that, without forcing the Academy to police the line between reggae and dancehall.
Eligibility and volume. A new category must draw enough qualifying entries each year. Jamaica releases a steady volume of albums across reggae, dancehall, and crossover styles. I would welcome the chance to help document that volume for the Committee.
The request
I respectfully ask the Committee to:
1. Create a Best Jamaican Music Album category, open to albums by Jamaican artists across all styles, from roots reggae to dancehall to crossover.
2. Keep Best Reggae Album open to artists worldwide.
3. Invite input from Jamaican artists, producers, and the Jamaican music industry as the criteria are written.
As the Academy considers how to treat AI-generated music, I also support a separate category for it. Human artists should not compete against machines for the same award. The same principle applies here: a category should reflect who made the music and where it comes from.
Jamaican music is bigger than one word. It is global, and it deserves a category that says so. Thank you for your time and consideration. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this proposal further.
Respectfully,
Bobby Shakes (Orett Robinson) Editorial Photographer & Broadcaster bobby@bobbyshakes.com bobbyshakes.com | flyahs.com X: @bobbyshakes