“THE GRAMMYS DIDN’T SNUB OMI” SAYS OLIVIA “BABSY” GRANGE!

Member of Parliament for Central St Catherine, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, said singer OMI was not snubbed by the Grammys. According to the politician/producer, who worked with OMI’s manager, Clifton Specialist Dillon, to promote the careers of Shabba Ranks and Patra, says it was simply not OMI’s time.

Grange, who spoke to the STAR at the recently concluded Shaggy and Friend’s concert, said despite OMI’s chart-topping accomplishments in 2015, the artiste perhaps needed to engage the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) more. NARAS is the body that hosts the annual Grammy Awards.

“I don’t think OMI was snubbed. I think it is a process and in a way you have to make yourself available in the process. You have to go for it, and in some instances where one is not nominated, it is because you did not engage the academy,” she said.

The artists nominated in the Best Reggae Album category for this year’s Grammy Awards are Jah Cure, Morgan Heritage, Luciano, Barrington Levy and Rocky Dawuni, while Kanye West’s All Day, which features a sample of Noel ‘Rozah Rose’ Ellis’ Dance With Me, has been nominated in two categories.

supports foreigners

The former culture minister, who made the grounds of Jamaica House available for the Shaggy and Friends concert during her reign, also expressed that she supports foreigners who produce and perform reggae music. However, she said the onus is on Jamaican artists to be more professional in order to compete with overseas-based artists.

“I see sometimes the controversy about non-Jamaican artists being nominated for the Grammy or being given title of Reggae Artist of the Year, but we gave the world reggae music and you will find that others will take that music, and they will market it and get the type of record sales that some of our artists will not get. What we have to do is step up our efforts in marketing and promoting our music, so that we can keep up pace with persons on the international scene,” she said. Grange also stated that the Jamaican Government should be doing more to support the music industry.

A similar view was recently expressed by recording artist Chronixx, who vented on social media that the government was not helping with the development of the music industry.

“I’m laughing at the Jamaica government! And the poor people who applaud them and hang orange and green flags outside their board houses and on trees planted on ‘capture land’. I’m laughing at this dumb government who have never erected a live music venue in honour of reggae music even though it is the only reason why people are still visiting this beautiful island of bankruptcy. I’m laughing because I know something that ‘they don’t know’,” Chronixx posted.