Band SOJA poses with the award for Best Reggae Album "Beauty in the Silence" in the press room during the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022.
There has been a flurry of accusations aimed at the Recording Academy—including those of bias and race-based favoritism—after American band SOJA (Soldiers of Jah Army) upstaged Jamaican artists Spice, Jesse Royal, Sean Paul, Gramps Morgan, and Etana, to win the Best Reggae Album Grammy Award for their album Beauty In The Silence.
The most critical question which, interestingly, has not been raised, is whether enough Jamaican artists, producers and engineers — who number in the thousands — have made a concerted effort to register to become voting members of the Recording Academy.
Considered the most prestigious in the world, the Grammys are a peer-voted music award presented by the Recording Academy, an American “learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals” which recognizes achievements in the music industry of songs and music that are popular worldwide.
But Shaggy maintained that the Recording Academy was not to be blamed and that artists themselves ought to play their role by registering with the organization so that they can cast votes.
“Every year that the Grammys come out people are disgruntled about it and this one is no different. It is what it is. I always tell people if you want to make a change, register and get involved and be a part,” Shaggy had explained.