LOS ANGELES, CMC – Jamaican recording artist Keznamdi, Sunday night, won the 2026 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album, defeating fellow Jamaican artists to take the coveted prize in his first nomination for the album Blxxd & Fyah. The other four contenders were: Lila Iké (Treasure Self Love), Vybz Kartel (First Week Out), Jesse Royal (No Place Like Home), and Mortimer (From Within).
In August 2025, Keznamdi released the 13-track Blxxd & Fyah.
“Reggae music has always been a music that defends truths and rights, and African liberation and black man redemption,” said Keznamdi in accepting the award, while lauding his parents and his team.
“We represent Jamaican culture and dancehall and reggae,” said Keznamdi.
In fusing classic reggae as the root with soul spirit, rock energy, and hip-hop attitude, his biography states that he delivers 11 tracks worthy of passing down.
“I want to show bloodline is about your legacy, and your legacy isn’t about the work you do but about your family. I’m speaking on the struggles of the commoner, having loved ones out here, defending them, doing what you’re supposed to do, and playing a role to ensure you’re making this life better for your children.
“Tomorrow is never promised. It’s not just investing in your business; it’s investing in your bloodline. It’s what I’m trying to do,” he adds.
The biography states that a tight bond at home prepared Keznamdi to build a formidable legacy both personally and creatively.
Born in Kingston, the Jamaican capital, the biography says he remained surrounded by music “as mom and dad led the iconic reggae outfit Chakula.”
By five years old, Keznamdi contributed his first track, “Mix A Color,” to the Save the World children’s compilation and “turned heads locally.”
“Music is a service. I want to live in service. My duty is to show people that if you have a dream, believe in it, and work hard, you can achieve it. I want to be an example of that.”
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