Kaya, the tenth studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, has re-entered the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart at No. 10, marking its tenth week on the chart decades after its original release.
Originally released on 23 March 1978, the album was recorded between January and April 1977 at Island Studios in London, England, during the same sessions that produced the band’s landmark album Exodus. Many of the recordings from those sessions were later divided into two releases, with Exodus arriving in 1977 and Kaya following in 1978.
Produced by the band themselves, Kaya showcased a softer, more relaxed side of Marley’s songwriting. While Exodus focused heavily on political themes and social commentary, Kaya leaned toward themes of love, peace, and spirituality, creating one of the most melodic and uplifting albums in the group’s catalog.
The album’s release also coincided with the historic One Love Peace Concert, which marked Marley’s triumphant return to Jamaica after a period of exile in London following the 1976 assassination attempt.
Several songs on Kaya were updated versions of tracks originally recorded in 1971 for Soul Revolution Part II. The album produced enduring classics including “Is This Love” and “Satisfy My Soul,” both of which remain staples of reggae radio and Bob Marley’s global legacy.
The album reached the top five on the UK Albums Chart and earned gold and platinum certifications across several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. In 2018, a 40th anniversary remix edition was released, further cementing the album’s enduring influence.
Back on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart for the week of March 14, 2026, five artists occupy the ten available positions. Stick Figure commands the largest studio album share of the chart with three albums, representing 30% of all albums on the chart. World on Fire(#4), Wisdom(#4), and Set in Stone(#9)—have accumulated a combined 920 weeks on the chart, which accounts for approximately 34.4% of the total chart longevity among the top ten. This gives Stick Figure the strongest sustained presence in terms of cumulative weeks.
The week’s most popular reggae albums, based on multi-metrics consumption, blending traditional album sales, streaming-equivalent albums, and track-equivalent albums, as compiled by Luminate. Top make No. 10, an album must sell an average of 1500 units in the US for the chart week.
Bob Marley & The Wailers also hold three albums on the chart (30%) with Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers at the top, Exodus(#8), and Kaya. Together these albums total 456 weeks on the chart, representing about 17.0% of the total weeks across the top ten. While Marley matches Stick Figure in number of albums, the total chart weeks are lower because one of the entries (Kaya) has comparatively fewer weeks.
Sean Paul appears with two albums, Dutty Classics Collection re-enters at No. 2 and Dutty Rock remains at No. 5, giving him 20% of the albums on the chart. Combined, these releases account for 567 weeks on the chart, which is approximately 21.2% of all chart weeks represented in the top ten.
UB40, with Greatest Hits at No. 6 spends 381 weeks, representing about 14.2% of total chart weeks while Shaggy, with Best of Shaggy: The Boombastic Collection, moves down to No. 2 with 352 weeks, making up roughly 13.1% of the total weeks.
