Oje Ken Ollivierre (born 14 June 1981), popularly known as Protoje, is a Jamaican of Afro-European heritage, a contemporary

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

singer and songwriter. His mother is Jamaican singer and lawyer Lorna Bennett, 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'', 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.

Music career

He was born in Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica. 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. 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'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 Ini Kamoze and group Black Uhuru as influences when recording the album. In December 2014 Protoje was included on BBC Radio 1Xtra'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'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'', 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. 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, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

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 and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

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

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

. The deal allowed him "a certain level of creative control" and included artists

Lila Iké Lila Iké (born Alecia Tameka Grey; January 23, 1994) is a Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter. After releasing multiple singles, Iké released her debut studio album ''The ExPerience'' in May 2020. Career Grey was born in Christiana, Manche ...

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

*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 (Side B)'' *2018: ''A Matter of Time'' *2020: ''In Search of Lost Time'' (Deluxe version released in 2021) *2022: ''Third Time's the Charm'' *2023: ''In Search of Zion'' *2024: ''The Jamaican Situation (A Soundtrack, Side A)''

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 and Sevana) *2017: "Blood Money" *2018: "Bout Noon" *2018: "Criminal"' *2020: "Switch It Up" *2021: "Still Blooming" (featuring

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