For Culture and Entertainment Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange, it is high time the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album be presented during the ceremony’s live television broadcast.

Speaking at a press briefing at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on Monday, to welcome Koffee, who won this year’s reggae Grammy for her EP Rapture, Grange insisted that the music should be promoted to prime time coverage after 35 years.

“One of the things that I am going to work very hard to achieve is to get the reggae category carried live. Reggae is featured in the main show many times but is not treated as a category that is carried live. Now there are many other genres that are treated that way as well so it is going to be a tough fight — but nothing is impossible. As Jamaicans we love a fight, and we always get what we want. So, that is something that we are all going to have to work towards,” she said.

“It’s going to be a journey. It was a journey to even get reggae as a category in the Grammys years ago, but we achieved it. So, this is now the next stage. We are going to step it up. It won’t be easy, but it isn’t impossible,” Grange continued.

The presentation of the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album takes place a few hours before the live television broadcast. The winner, along with other categories like the blues, gospel and classical, is announced during the live telecast.

The reggae category was installed in 1984 and presented the following year. Originally, it was called Best Reggae Recording, with the inaugural award going to Black Uhuru for their project Anthem. The name of the category was changed in 1992 to Best Reggae Album. Ziggy Marley holds the record for most wins in this category, with seven as of 2017. Those include his time as leader of the Melody Makers with his brother Stephen and sisters Sharon and Cedella.

Other winners include Stephen Marley, Damian “Junior Gong” Marley, Morgan Heritage, Shaggy, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Sean Paul, Jimmy Cliff, Shabba Ranks, Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Burning Spear and Toots & The Maytals.