He has been called many things before. Singer, songwriter. Pioneer. A driving force behind important creative shifts in Jamaica. Perpetual student of music. Philosopher, mentor, brother. Miss B son. If there were a thousand ways to describe recording artist Protoje, now there are a thousand and one. Call him GRAMMY-nominated.
The Recording Academy™recently released its nominees for the 61st GRAMMY Awards® with a pool of five for the "Best Reggae Album" category. Among them is A Matter Of Time, Protoje's 4th studio album. The response has been a new wave of elation among a generation of music lovers inspired and influenced by the Reggae Revival movement for which the artist has been a leading figure. Protoje himself is delighted by this acknowledgement coming from the prestigious music academy.
"We have been putting in a lot of work in the United States over the past few years," said the 37-year-old who has devoted almost 10 full years to his craft, ever since his first single "Arguments" was released in April 2009. "While it is not a validation for my entire career, it is still highly appreciated."
A Matter Of Time has been hailed glowingly by the likes of Billboard as a "remarkable, truly progressive reggae album" and The Independent as "rich, varied and digestible on several levels." Paper Magazine called it "cinematic and as great a testimony as any to new-age reggae," while Rolling Stone says the album "balances ambition and tradition." Indeed, the groundbreaking sound throughout the 10-track album was concocted by producer extraordinaire Winta James of Overstand Entertainment, the very same who was behind "Who Knows," one of the decade's loudest reggae anthems.
The nominated album includes certified hits "Blood Money" (declared the #1 song of the year by Jamaican media stalwart Mutabaruka), "Bout Noon," "No Guarantee" (featuring Chronixx) and "Like This."