Julian Marley, Antaeus’ ‘Colors Of Royal’ Wins ‘Best Reggae Album’ At 2024 Grammy Awards

Julian Marley and Antaeus’ Colors Of Royal album has won the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.

Presenter Patti Austin announced the winner during the 66th Annual Grammy Awards premiere ceremony, which was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 5.

Marley and Antaeus came out ahead of Buju Banton’s Born for Greatness, Beenie Man’s Simma, Collie Buddz’s Cali Roots Riddim 2023, and Burning Spear’s No Destroyer.

While Julian Marley, currently touring Australia, couldn’t attend, Greece-born producer Alexx Antaeus accepted the award. Expressing gratitude, Antaeus acknowledged the academy, its members, his mother, and his wife Hana and dedicated the win to the people of Jamaica.

“And I’d like to dedicate this to the people of Jamaica, who have accepted me as one of their own. And they have lived up to the motto of the country, ‘Out of many, One,'” he said.

Released via Antaeus’ Monom Records in March 2023, the 8 track Colors of Royal was the producer’s first Grammy nomination.

Dancehall producer NotNice contributed to the album with the song, Robbed. Mr. Sonic, Sean Alaric, and Prince Productions also contributed to the album’s tracks, which include The Tide Is High, Roll and Made For Your Love.

This marks Julian’s third nomination, with his previous nods for the albums Awake in 2009 and As I Am in 2020. His brother Stephen Marley secured the award in 2009 for the acoustic version of Mind Control, while Koffee’s EP Rapture claimed victory in 2020.

The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album “recognizes excellence in albums of reggae music, including roots reggae, dancehall and ska music”. The nominations and award are bestowed to “albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new reggae recordings.” The winning album’s featured artists, producers, and engineers are also eligible for the award if they contributed to more than 50% of playing time on the project, the Recording Academy stipulates.

The category had 65 entries late last year, a slight dip from 67 in 2022 and a sharp decline from 125 in 2021.

Last year, Well Done singer Kabaka Pyramid’s The Kalling won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.

In 2022, the award went to American reggae band SOJA‘s album Beauty In The Silence, while Toots & the Maytals’ Got To Be Tough emerged as the winner in 2021.