The musical prodigy, Protoje blends hip hop, soul and jazz into his native sounds of reggae and dancehall. Born and raised in Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica, his parents were successful musicians themselves, mother Lorna Bennett and father calypso king Mike Ollivierre. Along with a collective of fellow artists,getting mainstream attention for their addictive melodies and conscious lyrical messages in a movement dubbed the “reggae revival.”
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. 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 third album Ancient Future topped the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart, and his sixth studio album Third Time’s The Charm was nominated for a Grammy.
In 2020, the musician signed a major deal with RCA Records in partnership with Six Course Records and his label and management company In.Digg.Nation Collective, which covered his album deal as well as deals for rising female artists Lila Iké, Sevana and Jaz Elise.
Discography
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
2022: Third Time’s the Charm
