Back 2 Da Future to Honor Jamaica's Influential Musicians

Kingston, Jamaica — The Grammy Certificate Ceremony 2025, being hosted by Back 2 Da Future Music Ltd. in collaboration with The Royalty Network Inc. and Steely & Clevie Productions, will spotlight some of Jamaica’s elite session musicians whose mastery behind the scenes helped shape the soundtracks of generations. Often unsung but profoundly influential, these musicians will receive their official Grammy-winning or Grammy-nominated certificates on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at the Audi Showroom in Kingston, Jamaica.

Among the over twenty-five honourees are eight of Jamaica’s most accomplished instrumentalists and arrangers, whose fingerprints are etched across Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated reggae, dancehall, and crossover albums that propelled Jamaican music onto the world stage.

Dean Fraser, saxophonist, arranger, and cultural icon, will be honoured for his contributions to six Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning albums this year, including Toots and the Maytals’ True Love (2005), Burning Spear’s People of the World (1988), and Beenie Man’s Art & Life (2001), on which he served as vocal arranger. This follows on from last year’s Ceremony where he received 9 winning Certificates and this year is receiving his nominated Certificates from just the 1980s.

Ansel Collins, the unwitting catalyst for this Grammy initiative, whose keys lit up Toots and the Maytals’ Grammy-winning True Love (2005) and also helped define reggae’s rhythmic DNA on classics like “Stalag 17” and “Double Barrel,” will also be recognised.

Paul “Wrongmove” Crossdale, keyboardist and composer, will receive Grammy certificates for his acclaimed work on three Grammy-winning albums courtesy Of The Royalty Network Inc: Shabba Ranks’ As Raw As Ever (1992), Shaggy’s Boombastic (1996), and Beenie Man’s Art and Life (2001).

Wilburn “Squidly” Cole, revered drummer and co-producer, will be awarded for his work on a staggering range of projects, including Damian Marley’s Welcome to Jamrock (2006), Stephen Marley’s Revelation Pt. 1 (2012), and Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1999).

Bertram “Ranchie” McLean, whose rhythmic touch graced Sly & Robbie’s One Pop Reggae (2011), will be posthumously honoured for his guitar work that underpinned the roots revival era.

Dennis “Jah D” Fearon, a master arranger and keyboardist, will be recognised for his work on Gregory Isaacs’ Grammy-nominated Mr. Cool (1997).

John “Screw” Samuels, studio drummer, will receive his certificate for playing on Freddie McGregor’s Anything for You (2003), which earned a Grammy nomination.

Lloyd “Gitsy” Willis, one of the most recorded guitarists in Jamaican history, will be honoured for his contributions to Jimmy Cliff’s Breakout (1993) and Freddie McGregor’s Anything for You (2003), both Grammy-nominated albums.

“Session musicians have long been the silent heartbeat of reggae,” said Kennedy Mensah, CEO of Back 2 Da Future Music Ltd. “These are the creatives whose names are rarely in lights, but without whom the music wouldn’t move us. They deserve not just applause, but legacy recognition.”

The 2025 Grammy Certificate Ceremony will celebrate over twenty-five contributors to Grammy-recognised projects. The event, officially endorsed by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, will be livestreamed globally, ensuring Jamaican excellence is honoured on an international stage.

About Back 2 Da Future Music Ltd.

Back 2 Da Future Music Ltd. is a London-based independent music publishing and performing rights administration company managing a catalogue of some 40,000 copyrights on behalf of more than 200 songwriters, composers, and producers worldwide. With a deep focus on Black music genres — particularly reggae and dancehall — the company ensures that creators across generations receive recognition and royalties for their contributions to global music culture.

About the Grammy Certificate Ceremony

Back 2 Da Future Music Ltd. is spearheading the Grammy Certificate Ceremony in collaboration with US-based music publishing company, Royalty Network Inc. and Steely & Clevie Productions to honour the unsung contributors behind Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated albums from musicians and engineers to producers and songwriters, who have historically gone unrecognised, especially in the reggae and dancehall genres. Following the 2024 inaugural ceremony, the 2025 staging uniquely celebrates Jamaica’s creative legacy, featuring red carpet glamour, media coverage, and a global livestream. The event aims to recognise the architects of reggae’s international success and finally give them their flowers. The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sports has officially endorsed the event. The event partners include ATL Automotive Jamaica & Tastee Jamaica Limited.