Dancehall invested – Artistes who’ve received Nat’l Awards

The National Honours and Awards Act was brought into effect on July 18, 1969. According to the Government of Jamaica, “it was to recognise those who, by their service and contribution, have had a meaningful and significant impact on national life”. Over the years, many notable musicians have been deemed to fit these criteria and have been honoured for their contributions. Yet it is noticeable that the vast majority of these individuals have been traditional reggae acts while for dancehall musicians, there have only been a few.

One of the first dancehall acts to receive a national award was Ewart ‘U-Roy’ Beckford who, in 2007, was inducted into the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer “for his contribution to the development of Jamaican music for over 40 years”. At the same ceremony, Orville ‘Shaggy’ Burrell, was invested the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander for his “contribution to the music industry”. On the morning of the awards ceremony, Shaggy told The Gleaner, “Me is a man wey nuh normally get nervous pon nutt’n, but mi get nervous dis morning. An jus fi get recognise fi what yuh do ... is probably one of the best awards mi get wey mi feel good. An fi si sey me, at such a young age, can deh inna di same company like a Burning Spears, weh mi feel fi him, it did long overdue, and Sir Coxsone Dodd was also honoured and man like Luciano, it was a great feeling,”

In 2016, Rexton ‘Shabba Ranks’ Gordon was inducted into the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer for his contribution “to the music industry, locally and internationally”. At the ceremony, he brought his mother, Constance Christie, affectionately referred to as Mama Christie, as his guest. And when Shabba received his award, she bellowed a string of hallelujahs. As she told THE STAR, “I shouted some hallelujahs on the grounds of King’s House. I don’t think anybody else has ever done that. It was joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Two years later in 2018, Winston ‘Yellowman’ Foster, as one of the early trailblazers of dancehall, was conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer.

Sean Paul Francis ‘Sean Paul’ Henriques was invested into the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander in 2019. A major moment in his more than 20-year career, shortly after, Sean Paul told Billboard: “I have watched people receive this award all my life, basically, and to know that I’ve taken certain steps that have brought me to this point now, I almost can’t believe it. I am very proud that my country has seen my works. All I really try to do is emulate the greats that I’ve learned from. I owe this to them and to the Jamaican people for giving me the opportunity to entertain.”

Then, in 2021, Lt Stitchie, was invested into the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer. A year later, Jeffrey Campbell, ‘Agent Sasco’, was honoured with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer for his “outstanding contribution to music, philanthropy, and positive pro-social message to the youth”.

At yesterday’s ceremony, Wayne ‘Wayne Marshall’ Mitchell was conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer for his contribution to entertainment. Two other members of the local music fraternity honoured were reggae acts Tarrus Riley and Marcia Griffiths. Then as hip hop celebrates its 50th year, one of its early pioneers, Clive ‘DJ Kool Herc’ Campbell, was invested into the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander “for his role in the international recognition of reggae music and his pioneering role in the development of hip hop”.

Still, these national honours awarded to dancehall acts have not gone without their criticism. This past February, during the Reggae Month Salute ceremony, Beenie Man put Minister of Culture, Entertainment and Sports, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange on the spot when he stated: “Babsy, when yuh ready fi gimme mine? My awards mi a talk bout dis time … Mi nuh want no OD. A OJ yuh fi give mi - Order of Jamaica.”

In April of this year, Shaggy stated that Bounty Killer deserved a national award. “Mi a fight fi him get a Order of Distinction or suppm due to the fact that this guy has started a whole heap a people career, Mavado, Kartel, Wayne Marshall, you name it, dem man yah. Him nuh ramp fi bring people pan stage.” Shaggy was making reference to the musical collective created by Killer in 2003 - Alliance. The likes of musicians to come out of the collective include Vybz Kartel, Mavado, Aidonia, Bling Dawg, Wayne Marshall, and others.

National awards are determined by the Chancery of the Orders of the Societies of Honour, a division of the Office of the Prime Minister. To kick-start the selection process, the public is invited to nominate persons to be considered for the eight National Honours and Awards where nominations open in January of each year and close at the end of March. It is hoped that more people will continue to nominate deserving dancehall acts and they are indeed selected, especially female dancehall musicians, who as a group, have been overlooked as national awards honorees despite their tremendous role in the development of the genre.

J.T. Davy is a member of the historical and political content collective, Tenement Yaad Media, where she co-produces their popular historical podcast, Lest We Forget. She is also a writer at the regional collective, Our Caribbean Figures. Send feedback to jordpilot@hotmail.com and entertainment@gleanerjm.com.