The Grammy Awards are scheduled for January 26 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Five nominees (Beres Hammond, Ziggy Marley, Sizzla, Snoop Lion and Sly and Robbie) are up for Best Reggae Album. Leading up to the big event, the Jamaica Observer presents a daily reflection on the reggae category. Today, we look at Beenie Man’s Art & Life.

AFTER the disappointment of 1999 when he was widely expected to win with Many Moods of Moses, Beenie Man copped the Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2001 with Art & Life.

The Virgin Records set was the deejay’s third nomination. In addition to Many Moods of Moses, Beenie Man’s other nod was for The Doctor.

Art & Life was nominated along with Life Is a Miracle by British deejay Pato Banton; Let Me be The One (Dennis Brown); Private and Confidential (Gregory Isaacs); and Equality by the Wailing Souls.

Released in July 2000, Art & Life featured songs produced by The Neptunes, Tony Kelly and Salaam Remi.

Art & Life contained the hit songs Crazy Notion, Haters and Fools, Love Me Now (with Wyclef Jean), Girls Dem Sugar (with R&B singer Mya), and Heights by Great Men.

Art & Life opened at number one on the Billboard Reggae Album chart, number 68 on the magazine’s Top 200, and number 18 on the R&B Hip Hop charts. It eventually sold over 400,000 units.