Vybz Kartel, Shaggy, Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Masicka and Alkaline lead a crowded dancehall field competing for Best Reggae Album recognition.
World Music Views can confirm that 22 dancehall and dancehall-influenced projects are among the 119 albums submitted for Best Reggae Album consideration at the 2027 GRAMMY Awards.
The announcement was made on Monday following the Grammy Awards opening the 2027 first round voting to eligible voters.
Last year 15 dancehall projects were submitted and 22 projects represent approximately 18.5% of all submissions in the category, which encompasses reggae, dancehall and related styles.
The overall field has expanded considerably from the 73 albums submitted for the 2026 GRAMMY Awards, representing a 63% increase in entries for the upcoming 69th annual ceremony.
Vybz Kartel, Masicka, Alkaline Among Leading Dancehall Names
Two-time GRAMMY nominee Vybz Kartel returns to the competition with God and Time, following consecutive Best Reggae Album nominations for Party With Me in 2025 and Heart & Soul in 2026.
Kartel’s latest entry follows another commercially successful album cycle. God and Time debuted at No. 6 on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart, marking his 12th appearance on the ranking.
Masicka, one of contemporary dancehall’s leading commercial performers, enters with Forever Reign. The album debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart, the highest debut among the new Jamaican dancehall studio albums released during the eligibility period.
Alkaline is also in contention with NPT, which debuted at No. 10 on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart. Both Masicka and Alkaline are seeking their first Best Reggae Album nominations.
The three projects, alongside Grammy winner Buju Banton’s Too Too Bad, give the category a strong representation of dancehall’s most recognizable contemporary voices.
Former GRAMMY Winners Return
Among the most experienced contenders is Shaggy, whose album Lottery appears on the entry list.
The international dancehall star is a two-time GRAMMY winner, having previously won Best Reggae Album for Boombastic in 1996 and 44/876, his collaborative project with Sting, in 2019.
Shaggy has also received multiple nominations throughout his career, including for Clothesdrop, Intoxication, Summer in Kingston, Out of Many, One Music and Com Fly Wid Mi.
Buju Banton, another former winner, is represented by Too Too Bad. The veteran entertainer won Best Reggae Album in 2011 for Before the Dawn and has received several nominations, including for Friends for Life, Too Bad, Rasta Got Soul, Upside Down 2020 and Born for Greatness.
Beenie Man is also seeking another nomination with Eminence. The self-proclaimed King of the Dancehall won Best Reggae Album in 2001 for Art and Life and returned to the nominees’ list in 2024 with Simma.
Together, Shaggy, Buju Banton and Beenie Man bring decades of GRAMMY history to the 2027 competition.
New-Generation Dancehall Artists Enter the Race
Beyond the established stars, several younger dancehall performers have secured places on the entry list.
They include Ayetian with Jampack, Armaniii with The Impact (Deluxe): PGLA Edition, Rajahwild with Lost Youth, Nhance with Romantic Monsta, and Ai Milly with Old Milly.
Other submissions include Squash with F.A.M.E (Faith Always Move Everything), Shawn Storm with Growth, Sikka Rymes with Still Strong, and Vershon with To a Queen.
Their inclusion illustrates the expanding participation of contemporary dancehall artists in a category historically dominated by roots reggae and traditional reggae recordings.
However, the genre faces competition from several prominent reggae acts, including Ziggy Marley, Chronixx, Protoje, Burning Spear, Capleton, Queen Ifrica and Kabaka Pyramid.
The presence of so many recognizable names does not guarantee nominations. Recording Academy members must first vote to determine which projects advance to the final ballot.
First-round voting runs from October 12 to October 22, 2026, with nominations for the 69th Annual GRAMMY Awards scheduled to be announced on November 16.
The 2027 ceremony is scheduled for February 7.
The Dancehall GRAMMY Question
Dancehall has historically enjoyed international commercial success but has struggled to secure consistent victories in the Best Reggae Album category.
Sean Paul’s Dutty Rock won the award in 2004, while more recent dancehall projects by Spice, Shenseea, Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel have received nominations without winning.
Full List of Dancehall and Dancehall-Influenced Submissions for the 2027 GRAMMY Awards
- Alkaline — NPT
- Armaniii — The Impact (Deluxe): PGLA Edition
- Ayetian — Jampack
- Buju Banton — Too Too Bad
- Beenie Man — Eminence
- Devin Di Dakta — Omega 11
- D’Yani — Live Life & Prosper
- Iyara — Moments
- Jayds — Beast
- J’Calm & Tony “CD” Kelly — Emotions
- Vybz Kartel — God and Time
- Masicka — Forever Reign
- Ai Milly — Old Milly
- Nhance — Romantic Monsta
- Rajahwild — Lost Youth
- Sikka Rymes — Still Strong
- Shaggy — Lottery
- Squash — F.A.M.E (Faith Always Move Everything)
- Shawn Storm — Growth
- Roe Summerz — She Loves Me, I Think
- Vershon — To a Queen
- Xyclone — I Am Xyclone
Source: Recording Academy 69th GRAMMY Entry List, Category 71 — Best Reggae Album; World Music Views classification. Submissions are not official nominations.
