Still basking in her Grammy nomination, ‘Queen of Dancehall’ Spice says the nod from the Recording Academy is particularly satisfying because it was achieved despite her refusing to ‘tone down’ her lyrical content in the face of criticism.

Speaking with OBSERVER ONLINE, Spice reflected on times during her nearly two decades in the industry that she was bashed by listeners and music insiders who felt that, as an influencer and role model, she should produce more ‘clean’ content.

“It really is a great accomplishment to be the first hardcore female dancehall artiste to be nominated in the Best Reggae Album category. I am just so grateful especially because of all I had to endure to get here. I remember when people used to frown on my songs and ask if me can’t sing nuttn better. But I am so happy that even when people say me a do slackness, I never gave up,” she said.

“There was a lot of bashing that came from certain songs that I did and I just kept going. I believed in myself and I went all the way to a Grammy nomination. To see now that I have such a historical title, it really means a lot to me and it shows that you should always stay true to yourself because authenticity does pay off in the long run.”

With the Recording Academy’s announcement late last month, Spice made history in the Best Reggae Album category by becoming the first hardcore female dancehall artiste to earn a nod. She was among two females nominated for the award this year, the other being reggae songstress Etana, who Spice had nothing but praise for while pointing out that the I Am Not Afraid singer has also faced tremendous backlash from critics throughout her career.

“I am a super fan of Etana. I know each and every one of her songs and I can sing them word for word. I am extremely happy for her. I love her, my sister from another mother. I have been a supporter of her journey and I remember when people used to say all kinds of unkind things about her. She never let that break and now she’s a two-time Grammy nominee,” she said. “If that’s not perseverance, I don’t know what is. I really want her to know that it doesn’t matter what happens next year, we are both winners, both history makers. We both fought hard to get where we are and we are both showing everyone the power that exists in strong, black women.

“My journey to this moment has been publicly documented which is the best thing about this. People were able to see the struggles,” Spice continued. “They saw me fight as a woman in a male-dominated industry. They have seen me become my own producer, my own manager, my own record label for the past ten years just doing it all by myself.”

Heaping praises onto Shaggy for “believing in her vision”, Spice said she considers Mr Boombastic a hero.

“I am grateful to VP Records for finally putting this body of work out there but I am even more grateful to Shaggy. I call him my hero because he came into my career path at a time when I really needed that person who believed in my dream, to take my hand and stand beside me the way he did.”

With the Grammy nod now under her belt, Spice has a message for anyone who believes this is the farthest she can go in music. For the So Mi Like it deejay, her latest accomplishment is a testimony that she is definitely not done yet.

“I think for me there’s so many other things that I dream to do and the fact that I am able to achieve this one at this juncture in my career it proves to me that anything is possible so it doesn’t stop here for me,” she said. “For me, the work and the journey has just begun.”