A Marley Reggae Monopoly?

Last year popular/iconic reggae music ambassador Freddie McGregor publicly said that the Grammy Awards for best reggae album was tainted. His overall consensus was that the Marley family has somewhat monopolized the category which was evident in them continuously winning the award with mediocre productions at best. Many involved in reggae music believe that the only album produced by the Marley's which was a clear cut winner was, Damian Marley's Welcome To Jamrock. Pundits have cited an example of clear conflict of interest which is just short of corruption in the fact that "Orly Agai Marley", who is the wife of Ziggy Marley serves as the governor of the Los Angeles chapter of the Grammy Executives. Basically she has a hand in determining which albums gets selected each year. When you look at the albums that are nominated each year and eventual winners, it's hard to not see that there's a case of at least clear cut favoritism. As a reggae music connoisseur, I'm always hoping that the best product gets recognized each year. The fact that Ziggy Marley has won eight such awards and the likes of Beres Hammond is still yet to win one is concerning. Uncle Beres is one of (if not) the best reggae vocalist the genre has seen in the past three decades. Now this by no means is us taking digs at the Marley family. They have been amazing ambassadors of the culture and it's not their fault if they've received additional perks because of their last name. However, we believe that the fact that they are so heavily invested in this art form that they too would want what's best for the culture.  

The only way the genre can positively evolve and expand is if we hold everyone involved accountable and reward everyone accurately for their hard work and dedication to the culture. If we settle for mediocrity then we'll render the genre stagnant and stifle the growth of reggae music globally. 

#bobmarley #Reggae #Reggaemusic #Grammyawards #Ilbc #IlovebeingCaribbean #Caribbeanculture #Worldmusic