'Junior' carries on the Marley vibe.Byline: Carolyn Lamberson The Register-Guard Damian Marley Damian Marley (born July 21, 1978 in Kingston, Jamaica), is a three time Grammy-winning reggae artist and is the youngest son of reggae legend Bob Marley. Damian was two years old when his father died, and is the only child born to Marley and Cindy Breakspeare, Miss World 1976. is not surprised that his single "Welcome to Jamrock" made a big splash Big Splash could refer to:
"I get asked that and it's foolish to say surprised," Marley said, speaking by phone from Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , where the night before he'd performed on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Jay Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an Emmy-winning American comedian, writer who is best known as the current host of NBC television's long-running variety and talk program The Tonight Show. Biography Leno was born in New Rochelle, New York. ." "When you make music, you always have a hope that it will do that (take off), so when you have the hope and you're thinking of it that way, you don't really feel surprised. `Maybe you would say that I wouldn't expect 'Jamrock' to be a radio hit. But it's a powerful song, so I feel very thankful and I feel blessed, rather than sur- prised." It's also not a surprise that Marley would become a reggae star. He is, after all, the youngest child of late reggae icon Bob Marley. His older siblings - three-time Grammy winner Ziggy Marley David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born October 17, 1968, Trenchtown) is a Grammy-winning Jamaican musician. He is the oldest son of Rita and Bob Marley1, the legendary roots reggae singer. among them - have followed in Dad's footsteps. Nor is it a surprise that the youngest Marley takes a decidedly political stand in his music. The single "Welcome to Jamrock" - with "jamrock" a euphemism for Jamaica - details the daily struggles of life in Jamaica, the side of the island that the tourists rarely see. "It's `welcome to Jamaica' but not to tourist board Jamaica," Marley said. "We wanted to welcome people to what Jamaicans are living in Jamaica." Political edge is still there In recent years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time reggae scene has been dominated by the dancehall dance·hall n. 1. or dance hall A building or part of a building with facilities for dancing. 2. See ragga. dancehall Noun a style of dance-oriented reggae style of music, which doesn't tend to delve into politics. It's party music. Marley's single and latest album - also called "Welcome to Jamrock" - mixes a club-friendly dancehall style with hip-hop, R&B and roots reggae. He even samples his dad's "Exodus" on "Move!" Marley isn't sure if people are more receptive to political messages in reggae these days, but the political wing of the genre does seem to be gaining some ground. "I don't think that (`Jam- rock') would have been less relevant 10 years ago. I think the fact that some of that political music is now getting exposed, that's what I really think it is," he said, later adding that some people will dig the beats while others dig the message. "It's all good as long as you listen." The 24-year-old Marley - whose nickname "Jr. Gong" is a reference to his father's nickname, "Tuff Gong" - first hit the scene as a teenager, releasing his debut record, "Mr. Marley," in 1996. His major label debut, "Halfway Tree," won a Grammy for best reggae album in 2001. Marley and his band were through Eugene this past spring and played a show at the Jungle. Since then, the "Jamrock" single hit big and got some airplay air·play n. The broadcasting of an audio or audiovisual recording on the air over radio or television. airplay Noun the broadcast performances of a record on radio on MTV MTV in full Music Television U.S. cable television network, established in 1980 to present videos of musicians and singers performing new rock music. MTV won a wide following among rock-music fans worldwide and greatly affected the popular-music business. , the "Jamrock" album has been released, and the band has opened a string of dates for U2. This week, the band will make a return trip to Eugene. It will take the stage at the McDonald Theatre on Thursday with a whole new show. "We have a new album out and we have a lot of new music that most people have never seen me perform before," he said. "That's really what's changed: the music." The new album took about two years to make, Marley said, mainly because they'd do some work in the studio, head out on tour, then return to the studio. The idea for some of the songs are older than that, he added. "Welcome to Jamrock" features a number of guest appearances. Bobby Brown, Eek-a- Mouse, Bounty Killer, the Roots' Black Thought and Nas all contributed vocals. The next single, "Road to Zion "Road to Zion" is the 2nd US single to be taken from Damian Marley's Welcome to Jamrock, while "The Master Has Come Back" was released in Europe. It contains a sample from "Russian Lullaby" by Ella Fitzgerald Video ," features Nas. He and Marley recently met up again to shoot the video in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . Marley, an avowed a·vow tr.v. a·vowed, a·vow·ing, a·vows 1. To acknowledge openly, boldly, and unashamedly; confess: avow guilt. See Synonyms at acknowledge. 2. To state positively. hip-hop fan, said it was great collaborating with Nas. "It was great for me to be associated with Nas musically," Marley said. "I've been a fan of his music and his lyrics and what he stands for. `In the rap world, you have few rappers who stand up (and) who have something uplifting to say, so I respect Nas for that." Marley again teamed up with his older brother Stephen Marley, who produced the album and contributed vocals on four tracks. This is a collaboration that will continue well into the future, Marley said. "We do everything as a team effort," he said. "In the case of me over the years, you've not seen me on the road without at least one of my brothers. `We're always working together." CONCERT PREVIEW Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley When: 8 p.m. Thursday Where: McDonald Theatre, 1010 Willamette Tickets: $21 advance, available through TicketsWest; $22 day of show CAPTION(S): Damian Marley returns to Eugene on Thursday with a new album and plenty of new music. |
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