Protoje’s debut album Seven Year Itch has officially surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify.
This is his second project to cross the milestone and the only artist from the reggae revivalist era to have two albums reach 100 million streams.
Originally released on January 25, 2011, Seven Year Itch was launched at the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, Jamaica. While most of the early sales came from physical CDs, the album signaled a shift in reggae music—bridging traditional roots with contemporary themes and a fresh sonic approach.
Executive produced and distributed by his cousin Don Corleon, the album reflects a pivotal moment in Protoje’s career. After experimenting with hardcore dancehall earlier on, he reemerged with a conscious, polished sound that blended soul, hip hop, and roots reggae into a distinct modern style.
The project includes standout singles like “Arguments,” “Dread,” and the Ky-Mani Marley collaboration “Rasta Love”—a song whose themes mirror the 2003 film One Love in which Ky-Mani starred.
The Marley influence is also on the album’s interlude In The Streets. Bob Marley wrote the original song “Children Playing in the Streets,” which was first released by his children’s band, the Melody Makers, in 1979.
Another highlight, “JA,” is a reworked version of a track that first gained underground popularity on the 2005 Jay and Bobo mixtape, widely circulated among university students in Jamaica.
Beyond the radio hits, deeper cuts like “Wrong Side of the Law” and “On the Road” showcase Protoje’s lyrical balance of social commentary, romance, and ganja culture. With clever pop culture nods and a globally resonant message, Seven Year Itch laid the foundation for a new era in reggae—and still stands as one of the genre’s most influential albums of the 2010s.
