HOT 91.7 FM Inner Circle: Ian Lewis wants reggae and dancehall split at the Grammys
Written by Ariel Newbold on October 6, 2026
Ian Lewis is the bassist and co-founder of Inner Circle, the Jamaican band behind “Bad Boys” (the Cops theme) and “Sweat (A La La La La Long).” Inner Circle formed in Kingston in 1968 and won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 1993 for Bad Boys.
Lewis says the tension between reggae and dancehall could ease if the two genres stopped competing in the same Grammy category. In his words, the split would let the industry “stop comparing them.” He calls them distinct Jamaican art forms with different musical construction, performance styles and messaging, and says the split isn’t about putting either one down.
Background that makes it interesting:
• Dancehall and reggae currently share one Grammy category, Best Reggae Album.
• The Marley family has won that category 14 times.
• Reggae Grammy voters are often described as not being close followers of the genre. The category’s founding chairman has said the Academy once tried to drop it entirely.
The timing matters because dancehall is having a big year. Vybz Kartel’s God & Time debuted at No. 6 on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart in 2026, and Kartel’s earlier album Heart & Soul was Grammy-nominated.
