Shenseea, Vybz Kartel Earns First Solo Reggae Grammy Nomination

The Grammys announced five albums as nominees for Best Reggae Album, with Shenseea earning her first solo nomination and Vybz Kartel receiving his first Grammy nomination since being released from prison earlier this year.

The albums that are nominated are Take It Easy by Collie Buddz, Never Gets Late Here by Shenseea, Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired by the Film (Deluxe) soundtrack album by Various Artists, Party With Me by Vybz Kartel and Evolution by the Wailers.

The Grammy criteria for selection in this category is that albums must contain greater than 75% playing time of new reggae recordings.

Of the nominees, Vybz Kartel stands out as he earns his first Grammy nomination ever for ‘Party With Me’ released in May of this year. The nomination comes months after he was released from prison in July after winning his appeal at the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and having his murder charge overturned.

Shenseea is also earning her first solo nomination, having been nominated on past projects of other artists like Kanye West. Never Gets Late Here is Shenseea’s second studio album which was released in May of this year. The album features 14 tracks and collaborations with Coi Leray, dancehall artist Masicka, producers Rvssian, Di Genius, Afrobeats artist Wizkid, and Latin bestseller Anitta.

For Collie Buddz, this is his second nomination, having received the nod in 2023 for ‘Cali Roots Riddim’. His current project released in September 2023, is a 12-track album and features several dancehall artists Demarco, Bounty Killer, reggae artist Keznamdi, and others. The album is produced by Buddz and longtime collaborator, Jason ‘J-Vibe’ Farmer was released by Harper Digital owned by Buddz.

As for The Wailers, this is their second Grammy nomination in the same category. The reggae group was previously nominated for their album One World in 2020. The current project features 12 tracks and collaborations with Gramps Morgan, Mykal Rose, Marcia Griffiths, and Emily Estefan.

The Bob Marley: One Love movie soundtrack is the only various artists’ project submitted and features 10 tracks of inspired songs for the film released in February 2024. Among the artists featured on this album are artists Shenseea, Skip Marley, Mystic Marley, Daniel Caesar, Bloody Civilian, Kacey Musgraves, Wizkid, Jessie Reyez, Leon Bridges, and Farruko.

The 67th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will take place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 2, 2025.