Spice still ‘won’ despite not getting reggae Grammy, says music pro

Artiste, producer and songwriter Olaf Blackwood, who contributed to seven of the songs on Spice’s Grammy-nominated album 10, believes that she still ‘won’ despite the reggae going to US band SOJA.

“Even being nominated, it is still a win. It is hard when you don’t get the victory you wanted, but a nomination is still victory in itself. I just want to tell Spice to keep pushing through, keep going at it because this was validation that she has what it takes,” he told THE STAR. Blackwood was echoing the sentiments of The New York Times which said that 10, which debuted at number six on the Billboard reggae album chart, was already a winner for this accomplishment. Blackwood also noted that this would also count as his first time being on an album nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Reggae Album category.

The cries for support for the reggae genre have grown louder since the 64th Grammy Awards announced SOJA as the winner for the Best Reggae Album award yesterday. Washington DC-based SOJA won for its album Beauty in the Silence which ironically stirred a lot of noise on social media. As the only non-Jamaican reggae act that was nominated, some persons felt the selection was unfair. But nominees Spice, Jesse Royal and Gramps Morgan were quick to remind their fans to continue lending their support for the betterment of the reggae and dancehall genres via posts on Instagram. Spice posted “Besties don’t cry we’ve come a long way. Remember I came from homeless to this day, so I’m really still very humbled and grateful, I see all your support and disappointments but you know we never give up, we back at it again tomorrow.” Under a post of popular selector and producer ZJ Sparks, Gramps Morgan simply said “Reggae lovers, please support reggae music.” Meanwhile, Jesse Royal asked fans to “Protect, Preserve, and Serve Reggae.”

SUPPORT

Blackwood also expressed concerns about the support that reggae is receiving but also made it clear that he was not one of the industry professionals who was upset by SOJA’s win.

“I don’t care about this white reggae or black reggae…UB40 was not Jamaican and had white artistes but still contributed greatly. A body of work ought to be judged based on the quality of the body of work, not popularity, and if something is more fitting to the genre, then go ahead. We have to be objective in this,” Blackwood said.

“Reggae has done so much for our country and it has inspired so many people in different countries and artistes of other genres…it is such a beautiful music. It really just needs the support it deserves…that also includes the support it needs to get locally,” he continued.