Jamaican reggae veteran Beres Hammond, OJ is among four Jamaicans who will receive honorary degrees from The University of the West Indies (UWI) during its 2023 graduation ceremony in November.

In a release on Monday, The UWI announced that the regional university’s 75th jubilee celebrations will commemorate the outstanding contributions made by these individuals to their communities and the wider society. Other Jamaicans who will be presented with an honorary degree include the late businessman Lascelles Chin, Ambassador Audrey Marks, and Professor E. Dale Abel.

The honourary degrees will be issued during the institution’s graduation ceremonies between November 3 and November 4.

In explaining its decision to award Hammond with the prestigious award, The UWI said: “Throughout a five-decade career, Hugh Beresford Hammond has thrilled generations with his smoky-sweet voice. From the funked-up Reggae jams of the 1970s fusion band ‘Zap Pow’, where he was a lead singer, to the lush instrumentation of his 1976 album Soul Reggae, to the spare digital beat of his 1985 dancehall breakthrough, What One Dance Can Do.”

They also complimented Hammond for “his spontaneous method of composing, and unwillingness to compromise on the quality of his sound, made a home studio the natural choice for many and continues to attract a steady stream of Jamaica’s most talented musicians”.

A total of 14 Caribbean nationals are to receive honorary degrees from The University of the West Indies this year. The honorees will celebrate their achievement with hundreds of students across the five campuses, Cave Hill, St Augustine, Mona, and Global (formerly Open Campus) campuses, who are graduating and marking the end of their studies.

Hammond will join the elite list of Jamaican musical talents such as Rita Marley and Jimmy Cliff, who have received honourary degrees from the university.

His honourary degree comes less than two months after he was presented with the Elite Icon Award at the inaugural Caribbean Music Awards ceremony in Brooklyn, New York. The Rock Away artiste also received the Order of Jamaica in 2013 for his exceptional and dedicated contribution to the Jamaican music industry.