Burning Spear won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in Los Angeles on Sunday for his latest album Jah Is Real.

It’s the second time the Spear has lifted the prestigious music industry gong. He also won Best Reggae Album for Calling Rastafari in 1999.

Jah Is Real beat popular Jamaican releases like Intoxication by Shaggy and Let’s Get Physical by Elephant Man as well as Repentance, the Andrew WK produced comeback album from Lee Scratch Perry.

The Jamaican Daily Gleaner commented, “Like several past winners of the Best Reggae Album Category, Jah Is Real is unknown in Jamaica” hi-lighting the schism between the home-grown dancehall and one drop styles of the island and the more traditional roots sound favoured in Europe and other parts of the world.

The win also strikes a blow against the traditional music industry as Jah Is Real was released by Burning Spear’s own label and distributed largely online. Spear has been very vocal of late about his struggles within the business and is doubtless feeling vindicated by this result.