The Grammys got it right - persons pleased with reggae nominations

Jamaicans, for the most part, seem to be satisfied with the nominees in the Best Reggae Album category for the 2018 Grammy Awards

Chronixx, Morgan Heritage, Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley, J Boog, and Common Kings were named yesterday.

In recent times, many have lashed out at the Grammys for being biased and have voiced their disgust at the ratio of non-Jamaicans to Jamaicans nominated in the category.

But this year's list has not caused any major outcry of injustice.

Gussie Clarke, veteran music producer, believes the 'calm' surrounding yesterday's revelation is as a result of the category being more reflective of the genre this year.

Clarke told THE STAR that he believes the latter is on account of key players (particularly on the local music scene) becoming more involved in the Grammy process.

"The whole thing about the Grammys is that it is a process. Many did not understand that and so without fully grasping the details surrounding how it works and becoming involved in it, many complained about it being unfair or not reflecting authentic reggae music," he said. "In previous years, we did not get ourselves in line to be relevant to the process and so what we thought would have made it into the list did not."

FEWER COMPLAINTS

Clarke said industry insiders decided to not only voice their grouse about the perceived bias but also became a part of the process.

"People have now made it their duty to understand how the Grammys work, so in recent times there has been less complaints and more work. I wouldn't say everybody is satisfied with the category this year, but so far we have heard fewer complaints. I for one am much more satisfied this year than I have been in previous years," he said.

The veteran producer also highlighted that because more people became more involved in the process, this year's category could prove to be far more competitive compared to previous years where a 'clear cut' winner could be singled out from the get-go.

Copeland Forbes, veteran artiste manager, also voiced his satisfaction with the nominees.

Like Clarke, he believes the so-called bias over the years has led many persons to want to become more educated on the Grammy process and as a result, more people are getting involved in who makes the final cut.

"I am pleased. I actually predicted the three Jamaicans in the runnings this year. They are three solid albums from three solid artistes and unlike in previous years where a winner could be decided on from the nominations were revealed, this year it might not be that easy," he said. "This year is one of the first years in a long time where we have some great albums from a variety of artistes. It will be interesting to see who walks away the winner."