Who will it be?

The winners in the 61st Grammy Awards will be revealed tonight. However, ahead of the ceremony at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, the winner in the Best Reggae Album category will be announced at a pre-event ceremony.

This year’s nominees for Best Reggae Album are:

As the World Turns — Black Uhuru; 
As the World Turns — Black Uhuru;

As the World Turns — Black Uhuru;

A Matter of Time — Protoje; 
A Matter of Time — Protoje;

A Matter of Time — Protoje;

Reggae Forever — Etana; 
Reggae Forever — Etana;

Reggae Forever — Etana;

Rebellion Rises — Ziggy Marley and
Rebellion Rises — Ziggy Marley and

Rebellion Rises — Ziggy Marley and

44/876 — Sting & Shaggy
44/876 — Sting & Shaggy

44/876 — Sting & Shaggy

This is the first nomination for Etana. She will attend the event. Released on March 8 last year, Reggae Forever debuted at number one on the Billboard Reggae Album chart. It became her second chart-topper and fifth charting title. It has to date sold more than 2,000 copies according to sales tool Nielsen Music.

As the World Turns has given veteran reggae act Black Uhuru its seventh nomination. The group won the category (then known as Best Reggae Recording) in 1985. This album was released on September 7.

Ziggy Marley is going for his eighth win in the category. As lead singer of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, he has won the award 3 times and 4 times as a solo act. Rebellion Rises has given Marley his 13th nomination to date. Sony Music Latin released the album in May last year. It has so far sold 8,427 and topped the Billboard Reggae Album chart a week after its release.

A Matter of Time is the first nomination for Protoje, whose album was released by In.Digg.Nation Collective/Easy Star Records last June.

This is Shaggy’s sixth nomination with 44/876, a collaborative album with British rocker Sting. He previously won in 1996 for Boombastic. 44/876 is the biggest selling reggae album of 2018 according to Billboard Magazine. It spent 23 weeks at number one and has sold over 52,000 copies.

As to who will win, most bets are on Shaggy and Sting’s 44/876. The duo enjoyed a high-profile year, appearing in mainstream media stateside while touring the US and in Europe.

Sometimes the Grammys take on a sentimental tone, and it could likely go to veteran act, Black Uhuru. As for Marley, Jamaicans have often voiced their outrage at a Marley winning the award. I do not think this will be an easy win for Ziggy. Sting and Shaggy’s 44/876 will be the likely winner. Even though Shaggy will host the pre- show, a performance or appearance at the Grammy no longer guarantees a win these days. Neither is the Grammy determined by sales.

However, my choice would be Etana’s Reggae Forever.