Aidonia, Agent Sasco Among Honourees at 2026 Excellence in Music Ceremony
Dancehall powerhouses Aidonia and Agent Sasco will be honoured for their contributions to BPI-certified projects, alongside other honourees including the late J Capri, reggae veterans Richie Stephens and Glen Washington, and renowned producer Robert Livingston
Aidonia is set to receive recognition for his contribution to the globally successful Platinum-certified hit
Aidonia, Agent Sasco, reggae veterans Richie Stephens and Glen Washington, iconic saxophonist Dean Fraser, and producers Robert Livingston and Christopher Birch are among the Jamaican and Caribbean-connected music contributors set to be recognised at the 2026 Excellence in Music Ceremony.
Late music figures including J Capri, Gregory Isaacs and production duo Steely & Clevie will also receive posthumous recognition at the event, organised by Back 2 Da Future Music Limited in collaboration with Royalty Network Inc.
Formerly known as the Grammy Certificate Ceremony, the event returns to Jamaica for its sixth staging on Tuesday, September 15, at The Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston. This year’s ceremony will honour contributors to Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated projects, while selected honourees will also receive BPI-certified Silver, Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum discs.
Dancehall star Aidonia will be recognised for his iconic single “Fi Di Jockey,” which was sampled on will.i.am and Cody Wise’s BPI-certified Platinum hit “It’s My Birthday.” Agent Sasco is set to receive two Grammy Certificates and a BPI-certified Platinum disc for contributions to internationally recognised projects including Sean Paul’s Live N Livin and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly.
Dancehall and reggae veteran Agent Sasco (Photo: Jamar Cleary)
Late dancehall artiste J Capri will receive posthumous BPI Silver recognition for her contribution to Charly Black’s “Whine & Kotch.” Richie Stephens will receive five Grammy Certificates and three BPI-certified discs connected to projects involving Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Rihanna, Drake and Soul II Soul, while Glen Washington will receive two Grammy Certificates for contributions to Capleton’s Still Blazin’ and Third World’s Ain’t Givin’ Up. Producer Robert Livingston will also receive two BPI-certified discs connected to Shaggy’s Hot Shot and Best of The Boombastic Collection.
Kennedy Mensah, founder of Back 2 Da Future Music Limited, said the ceremony will also present a special award to Anthony Brightly of Black Slate. “This line-up shows the real depth of Jamaica’s contribution to global music,” Mensah said. “Behind that record are musicians, writers, producers, engineers, harmony singers, featured artistes and creative minds who helped make the music what it became.”
He added that the ceremony is about “documenting those contributions properly and giving these individuals their night in the spotlight.”
After introducing BPI disc presentations on a smaller scale in 2025, the Excellence in Music Ceremony will expand the recognition this year, continuing its focus on celebrating and documenting Jamaica’s contribution to the international music industry.
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