Oje Ken Ollivierre (born 14 June 1981), popularly known as Protoje, is a Jamaican of

Afro-European Black Europeans of African ancestry, or Afro-Europeans, refers to people in Europe who trace full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. European Union In the European Union (EU) as of 2019, there is a record of approximately 9,6 milli ...

heritage, a contemporary

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

singer and songwriter. His mother is Jamaican singer and lawyer

Lorna Bennett Lorna Bennett (born 7 June 1952 in Newton, Saint Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer who twice topped the Jamaican singles chart in the early 1970s, and who is best remembered for her reggae version of "Breakfast in Bed". Biog ...

, best known for her 1972 rendition of "Breakfast in Bed".Johnson, Richard (2015)
'My best work yet': Protoje pours it all in latest set
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...

'', 11 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015 His father is a former calypso singer Mike Ollivierre from the island nation of

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...

Music career

He was born in

Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica Saint Elizabeth, one of Jamaica's largest parishes, is located in the southwest of the island, in the county of Cornwall. Its capital, Black River, is located at the mouth of the Black River, the widest on the island. History Saint Elizab ...

. Protoje first gained notice for his 2005 mixtape ''Lyrical Overdose Volume 1'', featuring mostly hip hop-influenced songs. With a guest appearance by Busy Signal, however, his future career was leveled as a reggae and dancehall artist. In 2010, Protoje began working with Don Corleon Records, run by his cousin and popular Jamaican producer Don Corleon. After releasing "Dread", "JA" and "Roll" in 2010, Protoje's debut album, entitled ''The Seven Year Itch'', was released on 25 January 2011. The first single off the album, dubbed "Arguments" (2009), was responsible for his early popularity in Jamaica. In 2011, he released another single off the album entitled "Rasta Love" featuring

Ky-Mani Marley Ky-Mani Marley (born 26 February 1976) is a Jamaican singer and musician. His name is of East African origin, and means "Adventurous Traveler". He is the only child of Bob Marley with Anita Belnavis, a Jamaican table tennis champion. In 2001 ...

. His second album, ''The 8 Year Affair'', was released 12 February 2013. "Who Dem a Program" was the first single released from the album in January 2012, with "This Is Not a Marijuana Song" following mid-year. "Kingston Be Wise" was heavily promoted via traditional and social media. On the day of its release, 5 November 2012, the music video became the most viewed YouTube link among internet users in Jamaica. The hashtag #KBW was used on Twitter. The song "Kingston Be Wise" (a remake of

Ini Kamoze Ini Kamoze ( , born Cecil Campbell; 9 October 1957) is a Jamaican reggae artist who began his career in the early 1980s and rose to prominence in 1994 with the signature song "Here Comes the Hotstepper". The single topped the US ''Billboard'' ...

's song "England be nice") was featured in the video game ''

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...

'' on the in-game "Blue Ark" radio station, increasing its popularity further and making an international name for the reggae artist. Protoje cited

artist

and group

Black Uhuru Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful per ...

as influences when recording the album. In December 2014 Protoje was included on

BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...

's 'Hot for 2015' list. His third album ''Ancient Future'' was initially set for release in September 2014,Dyer, Deidre (2014)
Interview: Protoje on the Reggae Roots Revival and His Low-Key Love of Pop Music
, ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'', 4 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014 but was put back until March 2015. Produced by Phillip "Winta" James, the album includes the song "Who Knows", a collaboration with Chronixx, which was released as a single. Two tracks from the album, "Answer to Your Name" and "Criminal" were released ahead of the album as exclusives on the ''England Be Wise'' mixtape for BBC 1xtra DJ

Toddla T Thomas Mackenzie Bell (born 22 February 1985), better known by the stage name of Toddla T, is an English DJ, record producer, remixer and songwriter from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Biography Bell was raised in Sheffield where he attended Ki ...

. Two weeks after its release it topped the ''Billboard'' Top Reggae Albums chart. "Who Knows" was certified Silver by BPI in 2022. On 14 June 2016, Protoje released Side B of his fourth studio album, ''Royalty Free'', as a free download to the public on his website. His 2018 album, ''A Matter of Time'', received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination in the Best Reggae Album category. On 27 March 2020, Protoje joined Chronixx on a remix of

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

' song ''Underdog''. On 13 April 2020, Protoje announced a new label deal with

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. The deal allowed him "a certain level of creative control" and included artists Lila Iké and Sevana who he had been mentoring under his own In.Digg.Nation label. On 28 August 2020, Protoje released his fifth studio album In Search Of Lost Time, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. On 23 September 2022, Protoje released his sixth studio album Third Time's The Charm, which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and has secured him a Grammy Nomination.

Discography

Mixtapes

*2005: ''Lyrical Overdose Volume 1'' *2011: ''This Is Protoje'' *2013: ''Music from My Heart'' *2015: ''Kingston Be Wise (Toddla T Meets Protoje)''

Albums

*2011: ''Seven Year Itch'' *2013: ''The 8 Year Affair'' *2015: ''Ancient Future'' *2016: ''Royalty Free'' *2018: ''A Matter of Time'' *2020: ''In Search of Lost Time'' (Deluxe version released in 2021) *2022: ''Third Time's the Charm''

Singles

*2009: "Arguments" *2010: "Dread" *2010: "JA" *2010: "Roll" *2011: "Rasta Love" (featuring "Ky-Mani Marley") *2012: "Who Dem a Program" *2012: "This Is Not a Marijuana Song" *2012: "Kingston Be Wise" *2013: "I&I" *2013: "Resist Not Evil (Militancy Riddim)" (Overstand Entertainment) *2014: "Who Knows" (featuring Chronixx) *2014: "Stylin'" *2015: "Answer to Your Name" *2015: "Bubblin'" *2015: "Sudden Flight" (featuring

Jesse Royal Jesse Te Ahukaramu Royal (born 22 March 1980) is a professional rugby league footballer from New Zealand who currently plays for the Kurri Kurri Bulldogs in the Newcastle Rugby League. He has previously played in the NRL for the Newcastle Knigh ...

and Sevana) *2017: "Blood Money" *2018: "Bout Noon" *2018: "Criminal"' *2020: "Switch It Up" *2021: "Still Blooming" (featuring Lila Iké and Izy Beats) *2022: "Hills" *2022: "Family" (featuring Jesse Royal)

References

External links

*
Exclusive Video Interview with Protoje @ Reggae.Today – (2015 Reggae.Today)
{{Authority control 1981 births Living people Jamaican reggae singers Jamaican male singer-songwriters People from Saint Elizabeth Parish Jamaican Rastafarians Performers of Rastafarian music Jamaican people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines descent Easy Star Records artists