"I think it would be a travesty if Snoop wins. He, like Matisyahu and
many others before him, have used a Rasta-influenced format and warped
it toward their own ends," said Steffens.
Snoop (formerly Snoop Dogg) is nominated for Reincarnated. He says his
conversion to Rastafari was inspired by a visit to Jamaica in 2012 when
he experienced a spiritual awakening while meeting with a group of
Rastafarian elders.
Sly and Robbie and the Jam Masters' Reggae Connection, Sizzla's The
Messiah, One Love, One Life by Beres Hammond and Ziggy Marley in Concert
are the other nominees for Best Reggae Album.
Steffens formed the Reggae Committee and served as its chairman until
2011. He has openly criticised the selection process, claiming that
judges favour albums produced by the Marley family.
The Marleys have dominated the category since it was established in
1985. Brothers Ziggy, Damian and Stephen have won Grammys as solo acts,
while Ziggy and Steve won multiple times as members of Ziggy Marley and
the Melody Makers.
Steffens, considered an authority on Bob Marley and the Wailers,
believes this year's nominees maintain the trend of mediocre selections.
"The nominations this year fit into the pocket of name recognition more
than anything else, regardless of sales or actual quality," he said.
Reincarnated, with sales of over 80,000 units, is the best selling
reggae album for 2013. The year has been poor in terms of sales by
Jamaican artistes, with American reggae bands performing better on the
Billboard charts.
The Snoop set attracted mass coverage from mainstream media in the
United States, due to his conversion from 'gangsta rap' icon to cultural
artiste.
The lanky rapper (real name Calvin Broadus) is one of the godfathers of
gangsta rap which emerged out of southern California's impoverished
communities in the early 1990s with hardcore rap acts such as NWA and
Ice T.
The 56th annual Grammy Awards is scheduled for the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on January 26.
