Damian Marley | |
|---|---|
 Marley performing in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Jr. Gong |
| Born | Damian Robert Nesta Marley (1978-07-21)21 July 1978 (age 47) Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | |
Damian Robert Nesta Marley (born 21 July 1978) is a Jamaicanreggae musician. The second youngest child ofBob Marley, he is the recipient of fourGrammy Awards.[1]
Marley is the youngest son of legendaryreggae singerBob Marley.[2] He is the only child born to Marley andCindy Breakspeare, a Jamaican jazz singer and crownedMiss World 1976. Like several of Bob's children, Damian was born out of wedlock and outside of Bob's marriage to singerRita Marley.[3] After seeing the filmDamien - Omen II, which is about the coming of the Antichrist, one of Bob's last requests in Germany was to have Damian's name changed. "Damien being a devil...It was inappropriate for him as a Rastafarian to have a child with that name," Bob said and Damian's name was later changed.[4]
Damian was two years old when his father died. His nickname "Junior Gong" is derived from his father's nickname of "Tuff Gong".
At the age of 13,[5] Marley formed a musical group by the name of the Shephards, which included the daughter ofFreddie McGregor and son ofThird World's Cat Coore. The group opened the 1992Reggae Sunsplash festival.[6]The band fell apart in the early 1990s, and Damian started his solo career.[7]
With the backing of his father's label, Tuff Gong, he released his 1996 debut albumMr. Marley, which surprised many who were unaccustomed to hearing a Marleydeejaying rather than singing.[8]Marley released his second studio albumHalfway Tree. The name "Halfway Tree" comes from his mother Cindy Breakspeare being from the rich part of town, and his father Bob Marley coming from the poor part of town, thus him being "a tree halfway in between the 'rich' world and 'poor' world."[9] Additionally, Halfway Tree is a well-known landmark that marks the cultural center of Half-Way-Tree, the clock tower that stands where the historical eponymous cotton tree once stood is featured prominently behind Marley on the cover of the album. The album was released on 11 September 2001 and received the2002 Grammy Award forBest Reggae Album. It was co-produced by Damian Marley and his brotherStephen Marley, who had also produced Damian's debut albumMr. Marley.
Marley released his third studio albumWelcome to Jamrock which was released on 12 September 2005 in the United States and 13 September 2005 in the United Kingdom. The album sold 86,000 copies in its first week of release,[10] and was eventually certified gold after selling 500,000 copies in the United States.[11]
Damian's half-brother,Stephen Marley, was a producer and co-writer of thehugely successful song of the same name. The lyrics to the single "Welcome to Jamrock", which was performed over ariddim produced bySly and Robbie forIni Kamoze some 20 years earlier,[12] centered around poverty, politics and crime in Jamaica. While the single was controversial at home over its perceived negative viewpoint of the island,[10] many praised the content of the song. Dr Clinton Hutton, professor at theUniversity of the West Indies, said of the single: "'Jamrock' uses the icon of the inner city, of alienation, of despair, of prejudice, but of hope, of Jamaican identity, to remind us of the fire of frustration, the fire of creativity, the fire of warning to open up our eyes and look within to the life we are living. And still some of us don't want to hear and to look and say enough is enough."[13] The single reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart[14] and number 55 on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart.[15] It was also number 100 on the Top 100 Songs of the Decade listing byRolling Stone.[16]
Other notable singles from the album include "The Master Has Come Back", "Road to Zion" featuringNas, and "Khaki Suit" featuringBounty Killer andEek-A-Mouse.[17]
At the 2006 Grammy Awards, he won Best Reggae Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance forWelcome to Jamrock. He is the only Jamaican reggae artist in history to win two Grammy Awards on the same night. He is also the only reggae artist to win in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category at the Grammy Awards.In 2008, he made an appearance on singerMariah Carey'sE=MC² album as a featured artist on the album track "Cruise Control". At the2009 Grammy Awards news of a collaborative album between Marley andNas was announced, when Nas told MTV reporters "Right now, I'll tell you first, I'm working on an album with Damian Marley. We tryin' to build some schools in Africa with this one, and trying to build empowerment. We're tryin' to show love and stuff with this album. So, the record's ... all about really the 'hood and Africa also as well."[18]
On 17 May 2010, Marley releasedDistant Relatives, a collaborative album withNas. The album title refers not only to the bond between the artists but the connection to their African ancestry, which inspired the album both musically and lyrically.[19] They have previously collaborated on "Road to Zion", on Marley'sWelcome to Jamrock album. The album joins two different flavours of music with Marley's dub-rock aesthetic and Nas' flow. Damian and Stephen produced much of the album. The proceeds of this album will go to building schools in the Congo.[20]
The album debuted at number five on the USBillboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 57,000 copies.[21] It serves as Nas's tenth top-ten album and Marley's second top-ten album in the United States.[21] The album also entered at number four onBillboard'sDigital Albums,[22] and at number one on itsR&B/Hip-Hop Albums,[23]Rap Albums,[24] and Reggae Albums charts.[25]Internationally,Distant Relatives attained some chart success.[26][27] It entered at number 33 on theEuropean Top 100 Albums chart.[28] In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 30 on theUK Albums Chart and at number four on theR&B Albums Chart.[29][30] In Canada, the album entered at number 9 on theTop 100 Albums chart.[31] In Germany, it debuted at number 38 on theMedia Control Charts.[32]
The first single, "As We Enter", was released oniTunes on 23 February 2010.[33] It peaked at number 10 on the iTunes Hip Hop/Rap charts and number 41 on the iTunes Music charts. The single debuted at number 39 on theUK Singles Chart.[34]At a sold-out panel discussion on theAfrican diaspora and its relation to music, sponsored byNational Geographic, Damian and Stephen Marley and Nas were among the several hip-hop and reggae musicians voicing their solidarity. The discussion focused on the collaborations between artists of the two genres, and highlighted theDistant Relatives project.[35]
The existence ofSuperHeavy was secret until May 2011.[36]Mick Jagger, English musician and the lead vocalist of rock bandThe Rolling Stones, announced its formation on 20 May 2011.[37] SuperHeavy wasDave Stewart's idea.[37] Inspired by the sounds washing into his home inSaint Ann's Bay, Jamaica, Stewart urged Jagger to fuse their sound with that ofIndian orchestras.[38] Stewart and Jagger had mutual liking for Indian orchestrations; thus,A. R. Rahman was added to the supergroup, as well as British singer Joss Stone.[39] The name of the band is said to be inspired byMuhammad Ali.[40]The group began recording theirself-titled debut album in early 2009 at a studio in Los Angeles. They recorded about 35 hours of music.[citation needed] The album was previewed atJim Henson Studios, Los Angeles, on 30 June 2011. The band played eight of the recorded songs at the event.[41]
"Miracle Worker" was released oniTunes as the album's lead single on 7 July 2011.[42] It is areggae song performed by Marley, Stone and Jagger.[43][44] The single entered at number 195 on theUK Singles Chart.[45] The music video was released on YouTube on 12 August 2011. Directed by Stewart and filmed atParamount Studios in Los Angeles, the video features all five members of the band.[46]"Satyameva Jayathe" (thenational motto of India, which literally translates as "Truth Alone Triumphs") was released as the second single from the album on 9 August 2011, a week beforeIndia's Independence Day on 15 August. Composed by Rahman to have an Indian feel, Jagger sings inSanskrit on the song, which also features Stewart, Stone and Marley.[47][48] The song premiered exclusively onRadio Mirchi 98.3 FM on 9 August across twenty-two Indian cities, andTata DoCoMo is set to simultaneously promote the song and the album on mass media.[49]"Beautiful People" reached number 64 on the DutchSingle Top 100 chart.[50]
Damian also worked with electronic artistSkrillex on a song called "Make It Bun Dem" in 2012.[51] This song also appears in the 2012 gameFar Cry 3. Affairs of the Heart was a massive hit in Jamaica, topping the reggae charts.[52]
Damian Marley released his fourth studio album,Stony Hill, in July 2017. Its first single "Nail Pon Cross" was released in August 2016. The album won theGrammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the60th Annual Grammy Awards.
Marley has described his music as "dancehall andreggae. I've noticed ... people trying to separate the two of them," he continues. "It's Jamaican culture in general. I don't try to classify or separate."[53]Distant Relatives fusedhip hop andreggae musical elements,[54] Marley and Nas also incorporatedsamples from African music into the album.[55] The album's lyrical content heavily revolves around themes concerning Africa, from ancestry and poverty,[55][56] withsocial commentary of the United States and Africa.[54][57] The track "Count Your Blessings" reflects on the plight of Africa.[58]
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Rap | US Reg. | FRA [59] | SWI [60] | UK [61] | |||
| 1996 | Mr. Marley
| — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | |
| 2001 | Halfway Tree
| — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | |
| 2005 | Welcome to Jamrock
| 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 188 | — | 34 | |
| 2017 | Stony Hill
| 65 [64] | — | — | 1 [65] | 104 [66] | 26 | 94 | |
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Rap | US Reg. | FRA [59] | |||||||
| 2010 | Distant Relatives (withNas)
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27 |
| ||||
| 2011 | SuperHeavy (withSuperHeavy)
| 26 | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 2013 | Set Up Shop Vol. 1[67] (with various artists)
| — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 2014 | Set Up Shop Vol. 2[68] (with various artists)
| — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 2015 | Set Up Shop Vol. 3[69] (with various artists)
| — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Rap | FRA [59] | UK [14] | ||||||
| 2005 | "Welcome to Jamrock" | 55 | 18 | 12 | — | 13 |
| Welcome to Jamrock | ||
| "The Master Has Come Back" | — | — | — | — | 74 | |||||
| "Road to Zion" (featuringNas) | — | 57 | — | — | — | |||||
| 2006 | "Beautiful" (featuringBobby Brown) | — | — | — | — | 39 | ||||
| "All Night" (featuringStephen Marley) | — | — | — | — | 79 | |||||
| 2007 | "Now That You Got It" (Gwen Stefani featuring Damian Marley) | — | — | — | — | 59 | The Sweet Escape | |||
| 2010 | "As We Enter" (Nas and Damian Marley) | 116 | 18 | 16 | — | 39 | Distant Relatives | |||
| 2011 | "Nah Mean" (Nas and Damian Marley) | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2011 | "Set Up Shop" | — | — | — | — | — | Set Up Shop Vol. 1 | |||
| 2012 | "Affairs of the Heart" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Make It Bun Dem" (Skrillex and Damian Marley) | 106 | — | — | 87 | 58[70] | Non-album single | ||||
| "Can't Keep Me Down" (Cypress Hill andRusko featuring Damian Marley) | — | — | — | — | — | Cypress X Rusko | ||||
| 2013 | "Riot" (Sean Paul featuring Damian Marley) | — | — | — | — | — | Full Frequency | |||
| 2014 | "Hard Work"[74] | — | — | — | — | — | Set Up Shop Vol. 2 | |||
| 2016 | "Nail Pon Cross" | — | — | — | — | — | Stony Hill | |||
| 2017 | "Medication" (featuringStephen Marley) | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "So Am I" (Ty Dolla Sign featuring Damian Marley andSkrillex) | — | — | — | — | — | Beach House 3 | ||||
| 2018 | "Living It Up" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2019 | "Love With A Quality" (Karol G featuring Damian Marley) | — | — | — | — | — | Ocean | |||
| 2021 | "What Do You Say" (Common and PJ featuring Damian Marley) | — | — | — | — | — | A Beautiful Revolution Part II | |||
| 2022 | "No Fear"[75] (Sean Paul featuring Damian Marley andNicky Jam) | — | — | — | — | — | Scorcha | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||||||
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CAN [76] | ||||
| 2010 | "Liquor Store Blues" (Bruno Mars featuring Damian Marley) | 105 | 97 | Doo-Wops & Hooligans |
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| 2017 | "Bam" (Jay-Z featuring Damian Marley) | 47 | — | 4:44 | |
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