Damian Marley Biography

The youngest son of reggae legend Bob Marley, Damian Marley followed in his father’s footsteps and developed a prolific career as a reggae artist. He started performing in 1992 when he was 13.

Early Life

Damian Robert Nesta “Jr. Gong” Marley was born in Kingston, Jamaica on 21 July 1978. Damian was 2 years old when his father, raggae artist Bob Marley died.

Career Beginnings

At 13 years old he founded the Shepherds which fell apart in the 90s and Marley focused on a solo career. Damian surprised people with the release of his debut album Mr. Marley, in which he was singing and not deejaying, as expected. His sophomore LP, Halfway Tree, inspired by his mother and father, won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.

Success

In 2005, Marley issued Welcome to Jamrock and was certified gold in the US. Its lead single, of the same name, talked about poverty, politics, and crime in Jamaica. Controversial in his country, the song was praised for its honesty by Western critics. The single reached number 13 on the UK Singles chart and number 55 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In addition, the album won Damian another 2 Grammys in 2006, making him the first Jamaican reggae artist to win twice in one night. The collab album between rapper Nas and Marley was issued in 2010, entitled Distant Relatives. The project was inspired and focused on African ancestry. It debuted at number 2 on Billboard 200, number 4 on Billboard Digital and number 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Rap Albums, and Reggae Albums charts.

SuperHeavy

SuperHeavy was the name of the band Marley formed with the Rolling Stone British lead vocalist, Mick Jagger, and Indian musician A. R. Rahman. The supergroup released their self-eponymous LP in 2011. Its lead single Miracle Worker was released on iTunes and found moderate success. Damian announced his latest album Stony Hill will arrive in July 2017. The lead single, Nail Pon Cross was already revealed in 2016.

Photo credit: HuffingtonPost