Jamaican Reggae Superstar Koffee made history on Sunday when she copped her first Grammy becoming not only the first woman to do so but also the youngest to ever do it. She was awarded for her incredible album “Rapture”.
In her acceptance speech she “thanked all the producers and everyone who helped to make Rapture what it is today.” She paid her respects to Julian Marley, Sly & Robbie & Roots Radics, Steel Pulse and Morgan Heritage “for all the input them have made in the reggae industry” and she ended her speech with “This one is for Reggae. This one is for Jamaica.”
The fast-rising reggae sensation was born Mickayla Simpson.
Toast has been Koffee’s breakout song from her Reggae EP album- Rapture which was released last year, since then, it became a massive hit snatching the hearts of many globally with its compulsive beats. Rapture had debuted at number one on the Billboard Reggae albums chart and stayed there for 32 weeks strong.
This year, Koffee was up against a slew of notable reggae artists whose albums were nominated for the award, these are Mass Manipulation – Steel Pulse, As I am- Julian Marley, The Final Battle: Sly & Robbie vs. Roots Radics -Sly & Robbie & Roots Radics) and Third World’s More Work to be done. All of which are previous nominees except Koffee.
Over the years, Grammy reggae judges have also favored the Marley family who traditionally would claim the award for best reggae album, but Koffee has challenged and broken that narrative.
In a previous interview with VIBE, Koffee shared her thoughts on being a woman musician in a male-dominated genre such as reggae. “I feel like it’s a big responsibility, and ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.’ So I don’t look at it as, ‘Oh, I’ve made it.’ But I acknowledge that I’m in a position where I have a responsibility now to fulfill and to pull through. It just pushes me to work harder, make more things happen, and just keep it going.”
Koffee came all the way through for women, the Caribbean and sweet reggae music!