The Carib Voxx team has taken on the daunting task of ranking the albums of Oje “Protoje” Ollivierre, and I assure you it was no walk in Emancipation Park. Protoje, a Grammy-nominated reggae artiste, has released five full studio albums. With a new album on the horizon, yesterday announced as “Third Time’s the Charm” by Protoje at his sendoff party. Entertainingly keeping to his time-related album names, analysts are going to have a ball. With all this excitement the discussion of a favorite Protoje album emerged. Tempers flared, lyrics were recited, and after endless discussions and arguments, the placement is as follows:
5. In Search of Lost Time
In CARIB VOXX’s last Protoje-related article, the time-related album names were addressed. ‘In Search of Lost Time’ is one of the best uses of this concept as it was released after the COVID-19 outbreak. It may be translated as being in search of the time lost during that peak pandemic period. Separate from the impressive title, the album contained bangers like ‘Switch it up‘ featuring an in-form and hot Koffee, the soft ‘Same So’ and the track that had Jamaica singing “If I ever make it in life”, ‘Like Royalty’ featuring the Unruly Boss Popcaan. Another impressive feature was Wiz Khalifa, who, of course, has his say on the “weed” topic track ‘A Vibe’. Regardless of the individual hits, the project in its entirety is immaculate, starting with a vibe that it maintains throughout the whole listen. Always willing to bring new sounds to the table, this project was also strongly infused with other musical influences, but by no means failing at it.
4. The 8 Year Affair
The year 2013 saw Protoje release “The 8 Year Affair,” and with longer locs than his debut album he followed up “Seven Year Itch” numerically. “Here we are once more meeting up along this journey, as I express what’s going on in this mind of mine…” he said in his intro to start his second studio album. On his mind were tracks like “Kingston Be Wise,” which was the standout track of that album, along with “Who Dem a Program,” tackling societal issues as he does so often and entertainingly. The album was released by Don Corleon Records and, like its predecessor, featured the “one drop” beat.
3. Ancient Future
It is his third full-length studio album, and Diggy cooked it to perfection, ital of course. The album starts with my personal favourite, ‘Protection’, featuring the melodic Mortimer. Both combined to make the “Winta” James-produced track iconic. It is in this track where the impressive “two up in the hand and another on the brain” line was delivered, paving the way for other references in later albums. The Ancient Future album brought forward a new Protoje sound, one more infused, one that we have grown to love. Released by Overstand Entertainment and his In.Digg.Nation Collective Label, the album includes the highly successful track ‘Who Knows’ with fellow reggae revolutionary Chronixx. ‘Who Knows’ has 175 million views on Youtube and 61 million streams on Spotify, and regardless of who you are, I know this song was a part of your day daily after its release. ‘Ancient Future’ ages like wine, with the perfect taste of nostalgia and a mix of new flavours.
2. Seven Year Itch
“I’ve been doing this for seven years never make a dollar never make a change” Oje Ollivierre infamously known in the music industry as Protoje, begins his debut album, “Seven Year Itch.” Also produced by Don Corleon Records, the project had a more traditional “one drop” beat to it, compared to the later albums. Inarguably the album that put Protoje on the map with tracks like “Rasta Love”, “Ja” and “Dread”, “Seven Year Itch” has tracks cemented in the culture and is a must-play in its genre. You could say that the place that these tracks hold in music is what ranks the album where it is. “Rasta Love,” one of the album’s most well-known tracks, with Kymani Marley on the unforgettable hook, has received over 127 million views on YouTube in the 11 years since its release, and over 53 million streams on Spotify. The album has a nostalgic effect, as I vividly remember a young boy running around on my television as I watched the music video for ‘Dread’ as it charted on Video Alley Reggae Top Ten. Later in life, I understood that rubbers weren’t a pencil top. When his locks were nowhere near now, when “Time” began, when Protoje sang, “But now my music is demanding me, this is my seven year itch.”
1. A Matter of Time
There is a special place for this album in the hearts of Protoje and reggae fans alike. Other than the obvious musical quality and the welcomed hip-hop influences, one reason is for the track “Blood Money,” which took the airwaves by storm. The track was a bold voice by the artiste, speaking out against corruption of all sorts with a graphic description of places and injustices that are taking place on the island. “Mi nah watch nuh face, beg nuh more pardon,” he began the song without hesitation. You could say the track was an educational one as it mentioned many hills and gardens, geographically and politically.
The unforgettable A Matter of Time concert is the second reason for this project’s popularity. Pre-covid Hope Gardens memories include taking your picture in front of the massive album cover-like backdrop, then proceeding to the stage to see the likes of Lila Ike, Mortimer, Chronixx, and the main man, Protoje, as well as the rest of the In.Digg.Nation Collective. Then came the lighter moment of hearing the various renditions of the “Blood Money” track. There are not enough words.
A Matter of Time is a Grammy-nominated album, and rightly so. This accolade reveals how loved this project is locally and internationally, also creating a rage as the album was coupled with a 16-city tour of Europe. This album is also one of the first times many have heard the artiste swear, again unapologetically. However, on the softer side, the album has tracks like “Like This”, where he sang the line connecting other albums;”… and plus, I told you one was in the brain, and this was not even it”, and “Bout Noon”, which later saw Lila Ike and Mortimer feature on the “Winta” James production, making the track a bit more special each time. You could say Proto had found his place in time, and I would say one of the top 10 Jamaican albums made in this generation, but that’s another list.
