Artist Profile

Damian, Julian, and Stephen Marley

By Nirav ⋅ June 18, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

New age reggae has a very different set of artists compared to the Bob Marley days. You have your dancehall bump in the club artists, your island soulful vacation mood artists, your weed smoking layback in the crib too slow to move artists, and then you have the Marley’s.

The Marley’s stand out far outside the realm of the norm. I consider them a distinct group of artists and brothers who inherited the wisdom and soul of Bob Marley, while still adapting to the new culture and politics of our generation. They stand firm as the roots of conscious reggae music.

Stephen started his career piggybacking on their father’s tunes. Whether it was doing covers or festivals in his respect, he kicked off with Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers. Julian had more of a low-key start, learning to play various instruments and getting involved in a production company. Damian, the popular “Jam Rock” artist, is the youngest of all Bob’s kids and holds three Grammy’s to his name. He apparently is the first and only Jamaican reggae artist in history to win two Grammy Awards on the same night.

What I appreciate about all three Marley’s is that I can see the purpose behind their music. Their music and lyrics speak to a revolution. A revolution of the mind and a revolution against tyranny in any form that it shows up. Their father’s music had a similar overtone and that was a big reason he was and is so respected by all musicians and all genres of music. This set of brothers have managed to do something similar while keeping the tone a little more fresh and little more “hip hop”. I put the quotes because hip hop is an ever changing force and can help classify any form of conscious music.

The Marley’s have managed to collaborate and work with some of the best in the hip hop industry. Artists like Mos Def, Black Thought, Nas, Alicia Keys, and many more. Keep a look out for this set of brothers. I expect them to come out with some killer albums soon! If you’re looking for some of their best work, make sure to check out Welcome to Jamrock (2005) by Damian Marley, Mind Control (2007) by Stephen Marley, and Lion in the Morning (1996) by Julian Marley.

Tags: hip hop, reggae