This year 39 artists submitted albums for Reggae Grammy 2010 consideration from which the final five albums were selected to be voted on. The eligibility period ran from October 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009.

The actual 2010 Grammy Awards ceremony itself will be held on January 31, 2010 at the Staples Centre in downtown Los Angeles, California, USA.

The final five:-1. Rasta Got Soul — Buju Banton [Gargamel Music, Inc.]
2. Brand New Me — Gregory Isaacs [Tad's Record]
3. Awake — Julian Marley [Ghetto Youths/Tuff Gong/Universal Republic]
4. Mind Control: Acoustic — Stephen Marley [Ghetto Youths/Tuff Gong/Universal Republic]
5. Imperial Blaze — Sean Paul [VP/Atlantic]

The full list of nominees:-

1. The Aggrolites – IV
2. Anthony B – Rise Up
3. Buju Banton – Rasta Got Soul
4. Benaissa – Tables Turn
5. Ce’cile – Waiting
6. De Apostle – King Of The V.I.
7. Easy Star All-Stars – Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band
8. Lutan Fyah – Justice
9. Terry Ganzie – Loose And Running
10. Gyptian – I Can Feel Your Pain
11. Inner Circle – State Of Da World
12. Gregory Isaacs – Brand New Me
13. The Itals – Let Dem Talk
14. Jah Cure – The Universal Cure
15. John Brown’s Body – Re-Amplify
16. Kronik – Breaking Loose
17. Lady G – Rated G
17. Terry Linen – A Better Man
19. Julian Marley – Awake
20. Stephen Marley – Mind Control – Acoustic
21. Mavado – Mr. Brooks…A Better Tomorrow
22. Mishka- Above The Bones
23. Fantan Mojah – Stronger
24. Sean Paul – Imperial Blaze
25. Prezident Brown – Common Prosperity
26. Queen Ifrica – Montego Bay
27. Rebelution – Bright Side Of Life
28. Tarrus Riley – Contagious
39. Sizzla – Ghetto Youth-Ology
30. Mikey Spice – Walk A Mile
31. T.O.K. – Our World
32. Shango Trex – Shango Trex
33. Various Artists – Chemistry Riddim
34. Various Artists – The Hit List
35. Various Artists – National Pride
36. Various Artists – Reggae Gold 29
37. Various Artists – Reggae Jammin Vol. 1
38. Glen Washington – Destiny
39. Westbound Train – Come And Get It
Who would you like to/think will win?

1. Jamaican music (this include roots rock reggae, dancehall reggae, ska, rock steady, mento).
2. Gangsta (or bad boy) Style (Jamaica introduced the style conscious to wearing their shirts outside their pants.
3. The foundation for rap (Jamaica invented the concept for rap back in the late 1960s/early 1970s and called it "toasting". On Bob Marley’s "Put It On" he sings: ‘I’m not boasting…feel like toasting’…).
4. Dub (instrumental version of a track’s A side, usually spiced up with echo and other effects).
5. The Remix (we call it the version where you basically have the one rhythm and slight variation of content on it. For instance you could have a singer, a rapper, an instrumentalist, etc. all doing their own special performance on the one basic rhythm track).
6. The DiscoMix (long-playing 12" vinyl records, now largely obsolete.).
7. Bob Marley & the Wailers (Marley’s ability to unite opposing politicians and sensitise the world to the dynamics of Jamaica’s indigenous music, the beauty of our local woman in the form of a Jamaican Miss World and politics is still a landmark).
8. Personalities (Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Mary Seacole).
9. Rastafarianism.
10. Dreadlocks.
11. Bauxite (Jamaica is currently the world’s second largest exporter of Bauxite, falling short only to the much larger Australia. In an earlier decade it was the world’s biggest exporter of bauxite, the raw material for aluminium).
12. World, record breaking athletes (among them, of course, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Donald Quarrie, Merlene Ottey, Herbert McKenley, just to name a few).
13. Inspiring Holiday Destination (home of author Ian Fleming, creator of the James Bond novels; through Sandals Jamaica invented the all-inclusive holiday resort concept.)
14. Jamaican patois (Ali G’s displacement of Jamaican language and style is what gave the character his quirky resonance).
15. Gold (at one point Jamaica was the gold capital of the world, attracting many pirates from all parts of the globe.).
16. Sugar.
17. Rum.
18. Liquor (Tia Maria and others).
19. Ganja (Jamaica’s term for marijuana; also called The Weed, among others.).
20. Blue Mountain Coffee.

Can you think of other ways Jamaica has impacted on the world?

Ground-breaking film The Harder They Come has come again! But this time it’s reincarnated as a colourful stage play which  kicked off its North American tour in Toronto on Tuesday.

Like the 1972 film on which it’s based, the musical was written by Jamaica’s Perry Henzell who died in 2006, but not before he’d written the script for a musical based on his tale of a would-be musician who becomes a wanted man in the mean streets of Kingston, Jamaica.

British producer Jan Ryan brought it to the stage and Theatre Royal Stratford East and UK Arts International have teamed with Mirvish Productions to premiere it in Toronto.

The film, with its track of famous songs such as The Harder They Come, You Can Get It If You Really Want and Many Rivers to Cross, brought lead player, singer and song-writer Jimmy Cliff to superstardom. Cliff’s character, based on a real-life Jamaican criminal, cannot negotiate the politics of the music industry and turns to crime. Many of the issues tackled in the film is still pertinent today so should resonate with audiences around the world.

The Toronto production, the first stop on an international tour, runs June 21 through Aug. 23 at the Canon Theatre.

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