Monday, January 28, 2008

2008 Excellence in Music Entertainment Awards Categories/Nominees


DJ of the Year (Male)
Shaggy
Vybz Kartel
Beenie Man
Munga Honorebel
Busy Signal


DJ/Singjay of the Year (Female)
Macka Diamond
D’Angel
Queen Ifrica
Lady Saw
Timber-Lee


Vocalist of the Year (Male)
Tarrus Riley
Da’Ville
Coco Tea
Jah Cure
Richie Spice


Vocalist of the Year (Female)
Alaine
Cherine Anderson
Cecile
Etana
Tami Chynn


Producer of the Year (Dancehall)
Robert Livingston for Big Yard Music
Donovan Bennett for Don Corleon Records
Stephen McGregor for Big Ship Music
Mario C for 357 Records
Christopher Birch for Birch Hill Records


Producer of the Year (Reggae)
Kemar McGregor for No Doubt Records
Joseph Bogdanovich & Andrew Prendergast for Down Sound Records
Arif Cooper for Fresh Ear Music
Donovan Germaine for Penthouse Records
Robert Livingston for Big Yard Music


Best New Artiste (Male)
DeMarco
I-Octane
Munga Honorebel
Bugle
Serani


Best New Artiste (Female)
Natalie
Barbee
Miss Triniti
Irie Love
Timber-Lee


Duo/Group of the Year
Brick & Lace
T.O.K
RDX
Voicemail
Chaka Demus & Pliers


Biggest Comeback Artiste of the Year
Ninja Man
Ray Darwin
Anthony B
Chaka Demus & Pliers
Coco Tea


Song of the Year (Dancehall)
‘Church Heathen’
‘Back It Up’
‘Gully Side’
‘Wine Pon Yuh’
‘Nah Go A Jail’


Song of the Year (Reggae)
‘She’s Royal’
‘Sticky’
‘The World Is A Cycle’
‘Below The Waist’
‘Board House’


Top International Artiste of the Year
Junior Reid
Collie Buddz
Stephen Marley
Shaggy
Sean Paul


Album of the Year
‘Too Bad’ Buju Banton
‘Parables’ Tarrus Riley
‘Mind Control’ Stephen Marley
‘On My Mind’ Da’Ville
‘The Living Fire’ Chuck Fenda

Recording Artiste of the Year
Mavado
Beenie Man
Shaggy
Queen Ifrica
Munga Honorebel


Cultural Artiste of the Year
Lutan Fyah
Queen Ifrica
Etana
Tarrus Riley
Pressure


Breakthrough Artiste of the Year
Brick & Lace
Pressure
DeMarco
Etana
Alaine


Song Writer/Lyricist of the Year (M/F) (Reggae/Dance Hall)
Assassin
Vybz Kartel
Busy Signal
Cham
Queen Ifrica

Singjay of the Year
Mr. Vegas
Mavado
Lutan Fyah
Nesbeth
Pressure


Best Collaboration of the Year (Dance Hall)
‘Baby Father’
Vybz Kartel/D’angel
‘Dying’
Mavado/Serani
‘Dreaming Of You’
Beenie Man/Alaine
‘Gun Rise’
Teflon/I-Octane
‘Give It Up To Me’
Beenie Man/Barbee


Best Collaboration of the Year (Reggae)
‘Always On My Mind’
Da’Ville/Sean Paul
‘Missing You’
Barbee/Junior Kelly
‘Bonafide Girl’
Shaggy/Rik Rok/Tony Gold
‘Coming Over Tonight’
Chuck Fenda/Cherine Anderson
‘Revolution’
Edee/Irie Love


Rhythm of the Year (Reggae)
Guardian Angel produced by Arif Cooper for Fresh Ear Music
Jamdown produced by D. Drummond for Danger Zone Records
Stop The Fighting produced by D. Germaine for Penthouse Records
Shanty/Panty Town produced by Robert Livingston for Big Yard Music
Solomon produced by Robert Livingston for Big Yard Music


Rhythm of the Year (Dancehall)
Airwaves produced by Fire Links for Fire Links Records
Heathen produced by Robert Livingston for Big Yard Music
Raging Bull produced by Donovan Bennett for Don Corleon Music
Tremor produced by Stephen McGregor for Big Ship Music
Silver Screen produced by Donovan Bennett for Don Corleon Music


Most Uplifting Lyrics
‘Save The Juveniles’ by Lutan Fyah
‘Show More Love To The Youths’ by Sizzla Kalonji
‘Conscience’ by Cham
‘Nah Go A Jail’ by Busy Signal
‘Daddy, Don’t Touch Me There’ by Queen Ifrica


Honour Awards
Reggae Role Model of the Year
Dancehall Role Model of the Year
Best Original Dance Move of the Year
Video of the Year (Reggae/Dancehall)
Show of the Year (Local)
Show of the Year (International)
International Friends of Reggae Awards (Two intl. superstars will each receive)

Dancehall Award Category

'Academic' split between REGGAE, DANCEHALL
published: Sunday | May 6, 2007

Melville Cooke and Krista Henry, Gleaner Writers




(Top) Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley performs at 'Welcome to Jamrock' at the Constant Spring football field, Constant Spring, last year. - Winston Sill/FreelancePhotographer and (Bottom)Lloyd Stanbury, chairman of the Reggae Academy, addresses the audience at the launch of the Reggae Academy and Awards at the Caribbean Business Club, New Kingston, on Monday, April 23. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

"Reggae has positioned our small island as a powerful force in the global marketplace," noted Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller at the launch of the Reggae Academy Awards, held in late April at the Caribbean Business Club, 3M Building, New Kingston.

However, Jamaica has placed its music and those who make it on a podium for the world to appreciate, with an awards show that would identify the best and bestow a trophy in recogniton.

A reggae awards made for Jamaicans by Jamaicans is long overdue. Reggae has been a driving force behind the island, helping to carve for many the island's unique cultural identity.

When the first Reggae Academy Awards get going in February 2008 it will not only fill the gap, but also make the distinction between reggae and dancehall, with separate awards for each genre.

Unlike most reggae awards overseas, most notably the Grammys, the Reggae Academy Awards will cover Jamaican music in the widest sense, honouring equally both roots reggae and its off-spring, dancehall. While most awards recognise roots reggae acts with a few token dancehall acts in between, the Reggae Academy Awards will each year recognise the gifted, rising and sometimes overlooked dancehall acts.

According to www.myspace.com/reggaeacademy"The Reggae Academy is conceived in recognition of the need to create an award event to recognise and celebrate excellence in the work of creative and technical persons in the local and international reggae music communities, such as producers, songwriters, vocalists, engineers and music video directors."

While Jamaican music has been recognised overseas, locally official praise for the entertainment fraternity has been slim. Across the globe countless reggae and dancehall artistes have been acknowledged by various organisations. There are the Canadian Reggae Music Awards, which has been established for over 20 years, and the Washington DC Annual Reggae Music Awards established in 2007. There is also the International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA), which began in 1982, and in the United States the Grammys started a now somewhat controversial but still coveted reggae award in 1984.

According to Lloyd Stanbury, chairman of the Reggae Academy Awards, "There are enough different participants in dancehall to warrant them having their own whole section. We're catering to

reggae and dancehall. There are enough producers, singers and DJs who are putting energy into dancehall".

He adds that, for example, the committee doesn't believe that a Third World and a Vybz Kartel should be placed in the same category as they are totally different types of music. "Reggae has enough sub genres for us to do this. We are looking at reggae in its broadest sense," Stanbury said.

The reggae categories presently are tentative and include Best Reggae Song - Songwriters Award, Best Male Reggae Vocal Performance, Best Female Reggae Vocal Performance, Best Reggae Vocal Performance By Duo, Group or Collaboration, along with their corresponsind dancehall counterparts. Like the Grammy awards the nominees will be determined by members of the Academy who must be involved in the marketing or production of music. Stanbury stated that the Academy is open to applications by singers, musicians, music producers, studio engineers, video directors, artiste managers, agents, radio, club and sound system DJs, entertainment journalists, record label executives and students from around the world who are involved in the making and promotion of reggae recordings.

Some members of the entertainment community are very supportive of the Reggae Academy Awards' dual format. Jerome Hamilton of Headline Entertainment states "I'm fine with keeping two separate categories. Local awards tend to make the separation. What needs to be done is to define what constitutes dancehall separate from reggae. I hope that the Academy gets a very strong support and representation. I'm imploring members of the industry to be a part of the Academy and for the people to embrace it."

However, it may just be in making this definition where the Reggae Academy Awards may run into difficulties. While the music of Shabba Ranks, who won back to back Grammy Awards in 1992 (As Raw As Ever) and 1993 (X-tra Naked) is very different from that of the 1991 winner Bunny Wailer (Time Will Tell - A Tribute to Bob Marley) and Inner Circle, who won in 1994 with Bad Boys, the definitions have since blurred.

So the question of where to put the 2006 Grammy winner, Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley's Welcome to Jamrock, in which he not only delivers hardcore deejay lyrics on roots reggae rhythms, as in Khaki Suit, but also croons in There For You, would arise.

Then there are also the singjays,such as Vegas, who easily balance on the thin line between deejaying and singing with songs such as Don't You Know, as well as outright singers such as Wayne Marshall, who drops witty songs such as Uranus on a dancehall rhythm.

That 'academic' sifting and separation will be left to the members of the acdemy who have the power to nominate persons in the first place, then vote on the clutch of actual nominees to determine the final winner.

And it is that final winner who will whip out an acceptance speech and thank all, reggae or dancehall fans - and, most likely, both - in February 2008.