39 albums have won the award and Ziggy Marley has won the Best Reggae Album Grammy more times than anyone else; he did it 1989, 1990, 1998, 2007, 2014, 2015, and 2017. While the Marley family took home the most Best Reggae Grammy awards, it is Sean Paul’s ‘Dutty Rock’ that holds the title as most successful Grammy winning Best Reggae Album, ‘Dutty Rock’ that has been certified triple Platinum (3,000,000) in the U.S.
Here is the list of ‘Best Reggae Album’ winners and the year they won from 1984 to 2023, ranked based on album equivalent units sold in the U.S. as of 2023.
- 2004 – Sean Paul – Dutty Rock – Total Units: 3,500,000
- 1996 – Shaggy – Boombastic – Total Units: 1,200,000
- 2006 – Damian Marley – Welcome To Jamrock – Total Units: 1,200,000
- 1994 – Inner Circle – Bad Boys – Total Units: 1,100,000
- 1989 – Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers – Conscious Party – Total Units: 1,000,000
- 1992 – Shabba Ranks – As Raw As Ever – Total Units: 679,000
- 1993 – Shabba Ranks – X-Tra Naked – Total Units: 522,000
- 1990 – Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers – One Bright Day – Total Units: 500,000
- 2007 – Ziggy Marley – Love Is My Religion – Total Units: 352,000
- 2008 – Stephen Marley – Mind Control – Total Units: 336,000
- 2002 – Damian Marley – Halfway Tree – Total Units: 248,000
- 2005 – Toots & The Maytals – True Love – Total Units: 221,000
- 2018 – Damian Marley – Stony Hill – Total Units: 167,000
- 2010 – Stephen Marley – Mind Control (Acoustics) – Total Units: 162,000
- 2020 – Koffee – Rapture – Total Units: 152,000
- 2014 – Ziggy Marley – In Concert – Total Units: 147,000
- 2012 – Stephen Marley – Revelation Pt. 1 – The Root Of Life – Total Units: 114,000
- 2019 – Sting & Shaggy – 44/876 – Total Units: 96,000
- 1998 – Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers – Fallen Is Babylon – Total Units: 86,000
- 1987 – Steel Pulse – Babylon The Bandit – Total Units: 79,000
- 2001 – Beenie Man – Art and Life – Total Units: 68,000
- 1988 – Peter Tosh – No Nuclear War – Total Units: 56,000
- 2013 – Jimmy Cliff – Rebirth – Total Units: 57,000
- 2000 – Burning Spear – Calling Rastafari – Total Units: 42,000
- 2022 – SOJA – Beauty In the Silence – Total Units: 35,000
- 2015 – Ziggy Marley – Fly Rasta – Total Units: 31,000
- 1985 – Black Uhuru – Anthem – Total Units: 31,000
- 1986 – Jimmy Cliff – Cliff Hanger – Total Units: 29,000
- 2017 – Ziggy Marley – Ziggy Marley – Total Units: 25,000
- 2016 – Morgan Heritage – Strictly Roots – Total Units: 17,000
- 1999 – Sly & Robbie – Friends – Total Units: 15,000
- 1997 – Bunny Wailer – Hall Of Fame: A Tribute To Bob Marley’s 50th Anniversary – Total Units: 11,000
- 2009 – Burning Spear – Jah Is Real – Total Units: 9,000
- 2021 – Toots & The Maytals – Got To Be Tough – Total Units: 9,000
- 2011 – Buju Banton – Before The Dawn – Total Units: 8,000
- 2003 – Lee Scratch Perry – Jamaican E.T – Total Units: 5,000
- 2023 – Kabaka Pyramid – The Kalling – Total Units: 4,700
- 1991 – Bunny Wailer – A Tribute To Bob Marley – Total Units: 1,200
- 1995 – Bunny Wailer – Crucial! Roots Classics – Not enough available
Here are the year the albums won and streaming data:
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“Anthem” (1985) by Black Uhuru Album Sales: 31,000.
(Pure Album Sales: 24K On Demand Streams: 3.3M)
Black Uhuru’s Anthem, released in 1983 and internationally in 1984, was the first album to have won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Recording in 1985. The album has been released in multiple versions, including a box set, that feature various track listings and mixes.
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“Cliff Hanger” by Jimmy Cliff(1986) Album Sales: 29,000
(Pure Album Sales: 27K On-Demand Streams: 1.1M)
Cliff Hanger by Jimmy Cliff, was released in 1985 through CBS Records. The album featured collaborations with members of Kool and the Gang and included two songs co-written by La Toya Jackson. It was the only album to beat a Marley at the awards. Cliff Hanger won the Grammy Award from among the nominees like Working Wonders by Judy Mowatt, Play The Game Right (Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers), Burning Spear (Resistance) and Alive in Jamaica by the Blue Riddim Band.
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“Babylon The Bandit” by Steel Pulse(1987) Album Sales : 79,000
(Pure Album Sales: 71K, Streams: 9.5M)
Steele Pulse were the first non-Jamaican reggae band to win the award in 1987. The group was also the first reggae band to appear on the Tonight television show.
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“No Nuclear War” (1988) by Peter Tosh – Album Sales : 56,000.
(Pure Album Sales: 31K Streams: 25.5M)
No Nuclear War is the seventh and final studio record by Peter Tosh. It was released on September 21, 1987, ten days after Tosh’s death. The album was honored with a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1988. It was Tosh’s second Grammy nomination, “Captured Live” having been nominated in the same category three years prior.
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“Conscious Party”(1989) Album Sales :1 Million.
(Album Sales and on-demand streams since 1991 : 110k, Pure Sales: 100K, Streams: 2.5M)
The album is Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers’ third album. It became popular with the hits “Tumblin’ Down” and the reggae classic “Tomorrow People”. In 2009, “Tomorrow People” was grudgingly voted the “85th Greatest One-Hit Wonder of the 80s” by VH1.
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“One Bright Day” by Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers(1990)- Album Sales -500,000.
(Album Sales Equivalent Streams & Sales since 1991: 21k, Pure Album Sales: 9K Total Streams: 1.6M)
One Bright Day is the fourth album by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, released in 1989. It won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1990. Capitalizing on the momentum they received the previous year Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, were the first and only reggae group to be awarded back to back Best Reggae Album at the Grammys. The album is certified gold and reached number 23 on the Billboard 200.
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“Time Will Tell- A Tribute To Bob Marley” by Bunny Wailer(1991) Album Sales: 1,200.
(Pure Album Sales: 1.2K Streams: N/A.)
Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley is an album by Bunny Wailer, released through Shanachie Records in 1990. In 1991, the album won Wailer the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Recording. The album features a 10 songs made popular by Bob Marley, including “Stir It Up,” “No Woman No Cry,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” and “Exodus,” as well as Wailer’s own interpretation of “One Love.” A critical success, the album earned Wailer praise for his skillful and heartfelt renditions of Marley’s classic songs.
- “As Raw As Ever”(1992) and “X-tra Naked”(1993) by Shabba Ranks
Shabba Ranks won the reggae Grammy twice; Raw As Ever was well received by critics and the audiences.
It went straight to number 1 on the on the top R&B/Hip Hop albums chart and peaked at 89 on the Billboard 200 chart.
X-tra Naked known as his ‘bedroom album’, it had “Slow and Sexy” which peaked at number 33 on the hot 100 and sold Gold in the U.S. The album helped to separate Shabba from his dancehall counterparts.
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“Bad Boys” by Inner Circle(1994) Album Sales 1.1M
(Pure Album Sales: 900K Streams: 362.6M)
The first version of this album was titled “Bad to the Bone” The U.S. version released in 1993, as a re-issue won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 94′. Both Bad to the Bone (international version) and Bad Boys contain the singles “Sweat (A La La La La Long)”, “Rock with You”, and “Bad Boys”.
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“Crucial! Roots Classics”(1995) by Bunny Wailer Album Sales: N/A
(Pure Sales-N/A Streams- N/A)
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“Boombastic” (1996) by Shaggy Album Sales: 1,200,000
(Pure album Sales: 1M , Streams: 201.4M)
Shaggy
Shaggy’s third studio album released on July 11, 1995 spawned the single of the same name which was one of the few Jamaican songs to debut at No. 1 on the British singles chart. The song was so impactful that Shaggy is forever known and “Mr. Boombastic, fantastic, romantic lover”, A.K.A “Mr. Luva Luva”, lines from the song. Boombastic (Virgin 1995) confirmed his commitment and success to the music industry.
On August 27, the song was certified platinum for selling 1 million records in the United States by the (RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).
Released only two months earlier on June 5, it was the second single from his third studio album,Boombastic(1995). The album won the Grammy award for Best Reggae Album in 1996.
Part of Boombastic- the album’s success is due to the song’s involvement in a Levi’s commercial which became popular all over the world in key music markets. Theclaymation commercialfeatured the song playing as a man used the core of his Levi’s jeans to save a woman from a burning building as they both swing on a makeshift zipline into each other’s arms.
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“Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley’s 50th Anniversary”(1997)by Bunny Wailer – Album sales 11,000
(Pure Album Sales: 11K Streams: n/a)
Bunny Wailer’s ‘Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley’s 50th Anniversary’ earns Grammy win for Best Reggae Album. The album, released via RAS Records, showcases Wailer’s vocal prowess and masterful blend of classic reggae and modern dub styles, impressing critics at Billboard Magazine.
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“Fallen Is Babylon” (1998) by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers Album Sales : 86,000
(Pure Album Sales 82K Streams: 2.3M)
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“Friends” by Sly & Robbie (1999) Album Sales: 15,000.
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“Calling Rastafari” (2000) by Burning Spear Album Sales: 42,000
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“Art and Life” by Beenie Man(2001) Album Sales: 68,000
(Pure Sales: n/a Streams: 92M)
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“Halfway Tree” (2002) by Damian Marley Album Sales : 248,000.
(Pure Album Sales: 194K, Streams: 59.6M)
The album was co-produced by Damian Marley and his brother Stephen Marley. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart, after selling 2,000 copies, during its first week of release in the United States.
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“Jamaican E.T” By Lee Scratch Perry (2003) Album Sales: 5000
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“Dutty Rock” (2004) by Sean Paul Album Sales: 3.5 Million
(Sales: 2.8M , Streams: 824.2M)
Sean Paul’s sophmore album reacclimatized the world to dancehall music. Released on 12 November 2002, it features two US number-one singles, “Get Busy” and Beyoncé’s “Baby Boy” which features Sean, became one of the biggest hits of 2003, spending nine weeks at number one. The album also spawned the 106& Park number 1 single “Gimme the Light”, plus other club bangers: “Like Glue” and “I’m Still in Love with You”.
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“True Love” (2005) by Toots & The Maytals Album Sales 221,000
(Sales: 121K Streams: 94M)
Toots & the Maytals’ album True Love features collaborations with Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Trey Anastasio, No Doubt, Shaggy, Gentelman, Ben Harper, Bonnie Raitt, Manu Chao, The Roots, Ryan Adams, Keith Richards, The Skatalites and more. The album was produced and conceived by Richard Feldman and released on the V2 label.
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“Welcome to Jamrock” (2006) by Damian Marley-1.2M
(Sales: 900K,Streams: 366.3M)
Third time was a charm for Damian Marley with Welcome To Jamrock. The album released September 12, 2005, just before the Grammy nominations cut off date, Marley won two Grammy Awards for the album at the 2006 ceremony, Best Reggae Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance (for the track “Welcome to Jamrock”). He is the only reggae artist to win two Grammy awards at a single ceremony.
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“Love Is My Religion” (2007) by Ziggy Marley Album Sales: 352,000.
(Pure Sales: 183K Streams: 157.3M)
Ziggy Marley’s second solo album, “Love Is My Religion,” was released on July 2, 2006 by Tuff Gong Worldwide, the label owned by his father Bob Marley. The album carries on the reggae-pop sound and themes established in his first solo album “Dragonfly” which was released after the end of Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers in 2000. Love Is My Religion was awarded the Best Reggae Album in the 49th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles in 2007.
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“Mind Control” by Stephen Marley(2008) Album Sales: 336,000
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“Jah Is Real” (2009) by Burning Spear Album Sales : 9K
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“Mind Control (acoustics)” (2010) Stephen Marley Album Sales: 162,000
(Pure Album Sales: 27K Streams: 133.1M)
“Before The Dawn” by Buju Banton (2011) Album Sales : 8K
(Pure Album Sales: 7K Streams: 1M)
After being snubbed for previous releases, Buju Banton released Before The Dawn while he was battling for his freedom in a Florida Court while facing a drug case. Before the Dawn was released September September 28, 2010. This album was recorded at the artist’s own Gargamel Music studio on Carlyle Boulevard in Kingston, Jamaica.
While on trial Banton was permitted to give one concert between court cases, which took place on January 16th, 2011 to a sold-out crowd in Miami. A few weeks after the concert, Before The Dawn won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album but Banton was not permitted to attend the ceremony. On February 22nd, 2011, the legendary reggae artist was convicted of conspiring to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine, using a firearm in connection with drug trafficking, and using communication wires to facilitate drug trafficking. He was acquitted of the charge of attempting to possess five or more kilograms of cocaine.
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“Revelation part 1 : Root of life”(2012) by Stephen Marley Album Sales: 114,000
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“Rebirth” (2013) by Jimmy Cliff Album Sales: 57,000
(Pure Album Sales: 48K Streams: 7.6M)
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“In Concert” (2014) by Ziggy Marley – Album sales 147,000
(Pure Sales: 8K Streams: 138M)
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“Fly Rasta” (2015) by Ziggy Marley Album Sales 31,000
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“Strictly Roots” (2016) by Morgan Heritage Album Sales 17,000
(Sales: 10K Streams: 12M)
Strictly Roots by Jamaican reggae group Morgan Heritage, released on March 31, 2015, earned them a Grammy award for Best Reggae Album in 2016. The album reached the top of the Top Reggae Albums chart in both 2015 and 2016. The album features guest appearances from Chronixx, Stephen Marley’s son Jo Mersa Marley, Gil Sharone, Jemere Morgan, Eric Rachmany, J Boog and Bobby Lee Jefferson, the bassist and vocalist of Soldiers of Jah Army. The track listing includes songs such as “Strictly Roots,” “Child of JAH” featuring Chronixx, “Light It Up” featuring Jo Mersa Marley and “Celebrate Life.”
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“Ziggy Marley” (2017) by Ziggy Marley Album Sales: 25,000
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“Stony Hill” (2018) by Damian Marley Album Sales: 167,000
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“44/876” (2019) – Sting & Shaggy Album sales 96K
(Pure Album Sales: 59K Streams: 42.4M)
Sting & Shaggy’s collaborative album 44/876 was released on 20 April 2018 by A&M Records, Interscope Records and Cherrytree Records. 44/876 debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 7,658 units. It is Sting’s first top 10-album since Sacred Love (2003), and Shaggy’s first since Hot Shot (2000). They went on a mulit-city European tour which earned the gentlemen an impressive US$10 million According to Billboard Magazine securing the number four place on the Hot Tours chart.
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“Rapture” by Koffee (2020) Album Sales: 152,000
Rapture by Koffee
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“Got To Be Tough” (2021) by Toots & The Maytals Album Sales: 9,000
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Beauty In The Silence by SOJA
- Album Sales: 35K
(Pure Sales: 7K Streams: 37M)
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Kabaka Pyramid – ‘The Kalling’: 4700 units
- Pure sales – 400
Kabaka Pyramid collecting his Best Reggae Album award at the Grammys 202
The Kalling by Kabaka Pyramid surged to No. 1 on the U.S. Reggae iTunes Chart following its Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in February. The album previously peaked at No. 2.
Before the win it earned lifetime album sales equivalent units of 2900. This includes 400 pure copies and total on-demand streams (audio + video) during its lifetime equalling 3 million.
