BERES Hammond, Sizzla, Ziggy Marley, Sly and Robbie & the Jam Masters and American rapper Snoop Lion are nominees for the Best Reggae Album category of the 56th annual Grammy Awards.
Nominations were announced Friday evening during a Grammy concert from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
Hammond picked up his second nomination with One Love, One Life. His first nomination was for 2001’s Music is Life.
Sizzla earned his first nomination with The Messiah, which like the Hammond set, is distributed by VP Records.
Marley earned another call for the live album Ziggy Marley in Concert (Tuff Gong Worldwide). This is his fourth solo Grammy nomination and his third in the Best Reggae Album category. He won in 2006 for Love is My Religion.
Reggae Connection (K’Z Records) has given Sly & Robbie their 10th overall Grammy nomination and ninth for Best Reggae Album. They won in 1999 with Friends, distributed by Elektra Records. “It feels good to be nominated for the Grammy. What we have always wanted to do was to make good music,” said drummer Sly Dunbar shortly after the nominations were announced.
Rap legend Snoop Lion (formerly Snoop Dogg) has been nominated for his debut reggae album, Reincarnated, which was released in April. It is the best selling reggae set this year. To date, it has sold over 80,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan.
The Grammy Awards take place January 26 at the Nokia Theatre.