2020s

Grammy era and next generation

16 moments · page 1 of 1

1838–2026 · Reading moment 281 of 296

  1. Music
    January 26, 2020

    At the 62nd Grammy Awards, 19-year-old Koffee wins Best Reggae Album for her debut EP "Rapture" — the first woman and youngest artist to win the category — opening the door for a new generation of female reggae voices on the world stage.

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  2. May 23, 2020

    Beenie Man and Bounty Killer face off in a Verzuz battle streamed to millions worldwide, reigniting the legendary dancehall rivalry for a new digital generation and drawing one of the largest audiences in the Verzuz series history.

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  3. Culture

    Reggae Sumfest pivots to a global virtual broadcast during the COVID-19 pandemic, streaming performances from Tarrus Riley, Koffee, Gyptian, Shenseea, Sizzla, Agent Sasco, and others to fans locked down around the world — keeping Jamaica's flagship festival alive when stages went silent.

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  4. Artist
    March 2, 2021

    Bunny Wailer, the last surviving founding member of The Wailers and a three-time Grammy winner, passes away in Kingston at age 73. A pioneer of roots reggae and nyabinghi drumming, his death closes a chapter on the original trio that took Jamaican music to the world.

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  5. Skillibeng's "Crocodile Teeth" becomes a global dancehall phenomenon, earning a remix with Nicki Minaj and pushing the East Kingston deejay into international charts — a defining moment for the new wave of raw, minimalist dancehall production.

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  6. Shenseea becomes the first female dancehall artist nominated for Best New Artist at the MTV Video Music Awards, following a breakthrough run of hits including "Lodi" and collaborations that cement her as dancehall's leading female star of the decade.

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  7. Music

    Spice releases "Emancipated," her first fully independent album after parting with VP Records — a bold statement of artistic freedom from the Queen of Dancehall that tops charts and sparks industry-wide conversation about artist ownership in reggae and dancehall.

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  8. Music
    February 5, 2023

    Kabaka Pyramid wins the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album for "The Kalling" at the 65th Grammy Awards — a landmark victory for the Reggae Revival generation and conscious dancehall rooted in Rastafari philosophy.

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  9. Movement

    Reggae Sumfest returns to full in-person capacity in Montego Bay with a lineup spanning generations — from Beres Hammond and Bounty Killer to Valiant, Masicka, and Ayra Starr — signaling the post-pandemic revival of Jamaica's live music economy.

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  10. Culture

    Valiant's "Dunce Cheque" and the "Taliban" riddim dominate dancehall globally, exemplifying a new era of Kingston street culture driving viral hits through social media rather than traditional radio — reshaping how Jamaican music finds its audience.

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  11. Music
    February 4, 2024

    Julian Marley and producer Antaeus win the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album for "Colors of Royal" at the 66th Grammy Awards — continuing the Marley family's dominance in the category while showcasing a new collaborative production approach.

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  12. February 14, 2024

    "Bob Marley: One Love" premieres worldwide, bringing the legend's story to a new generation of moviegoers. The biopic reignites global interest in reggae's origins and sparks renewed chart activity for the Marley catalog decades after his passing.

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  13. Music
    February 2, 2025

    The soundtrack to "Bob Marley: One Love" wins the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 67th Grammy Awards — a family-affair victory involving Cedella, Stephen, and Ziggy Marley as producers, tying the film's cultural moment to reggae's highest honour.

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  14. Culture

    Reggae Sumfest celebrates its milestone staging with a lineup bridging dancehall's old guard and new stars, reaffirming Montego Bay as the spiritual home of the world's greatest reggae and dancehall festival after nearly four decades.

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  15. Music

    Keznamdi wins the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album for "BLXXD & FYAH" at the 68th Grammy Awards — the latest chapter in Jamaica's unbroken run of reggae Grammy winners and a signal of the genre's continued evolution on the world stage.

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  16. JamaicansMusic.com relaunches as a modern archive of Jamaican music history — preserving 1,150+ news articles, hundreds of artist profiles, the Island Chronicle timeline, and the Sonic Timeline for a new generation of fans and researchers worldwide.

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