Written By: Donovan Watkis (JR)
When Usain Bolt and the other Jamaican track stars won track and field’s highest accolades at the Olympics, they did so in the name of Jamaica. They were rightfully celebrated with a great welcome and awarded top honors.
Likewise, when Jamaicans entered TV show competitions in Britain and the United States, they too said they were performing in the name of Jamaica. They won, and they were rightfully celebrated and honored with millions in corporate support.
Recently new Reggae sensation Koffee became the first and youngest woman to win a Grammy for best Reggae album. This adds to her many successes in the music industry.
The album “Rapture” went number one on the Reggae iTunes chart and continues to do well. She accepted her award gracefully by saluting her fellow nominees and in the name of Jamaica and Reggae music. Before winning the Grammy, she was celebrated with curated playlists from world leaders like Barrack Obama and his wife, Michelle. She appeared on significant shows aboard with the confidence of a seasoned entertainer. Koffee represents something fresh and exciting for Reggae music and Jamaican music in general. Her five-song EP was unprecedented, and her successes were not predictable.
She does not follow the usual pattern and fashions of the typical Jamaican woman singer by flouting her stuff and boasting about her sexual prowess. However, the nineteen-year-old is the most exciting thing to happen for Reggae music in the last five years. Her songs are about her blessings and wins prophesying over her own life.
It would only be right for the players of the industry, corporate, and government entities to celebrate her rightfully with the national awards and accolades that she deserves having achieved music’s highest honors at such a young age.
All the purses, jets, parades, and appearances should be brought out for her in the same way we have celebrated our athletes. Celebrating Koffee is celebrating Reggae music. This is just the beginning for Koffee, and as she progresses to the next level of her career with massive chart-toppers, Jamaica stands to benefit from her achievements in the same way we benefit from our top athlete’s success.
Koffee is an inspiration for all young girls who have a dream. In her own words: “Third form me say make me try a ting,” were her ambitious sentiments of going after her dream while she was only a student. Every young boy and girl can feel the spirit of that sentiment.