Son of reggae singer Lorna Bennett and calypso singer Mike Ollivierre from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Oje Ken Ollivierre was born on June 14, 1981 in Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica. His family background naturally led him towards music, which he embraced for good in 2005 with the mixtape Lyrical Overdose, Volume 1. In 2011, his album The Seven Year Itch won acclaim for the quality of its contemporary reggae and the song "Rasta Love" with Ky-Mani Marley. Spotted internationally, Protoje released The 8 Year Affair in 2013. Released in spring 2015, his third album Ancient Future, featuring a collaboration with Chronixx on "Who Knows", is No. 1 on the US reggae charts and praised by the European press. In 2018, A Matter of Time is nominated for a Grammy Award, and two years later Protoje and Chronixx produce a remix of the track "Underdog" for Alicia Keys. The same year, 2020, sees the release of the album In Search of Lost Time (#6 on the Billboard 200), with contributions from Koffee, Wiz Khalifa, Lila Iké and Popcaan. Other guests such as Jesse Royal, Jorja Smith, Samory I and Iotosh grace the Grammy-nominated Third Time's the Charm (2023) at #8, followed by a collaboration with Zion I Kings for In Search of Zion (2023). In 2026, Protoje returns with The Art of Acceptance, on which he is joined by half-brothers Stephen and Damian Marley, Jesse Royal, Masicka, Shenseea and Pressure Busspipe.
Read All
Read Less