FIEN
EST. 1971
Joensuu Finland 17.–19.7.2015

Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley (JAM)

Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley

Damian Robert Nesta Marley was born in 1978 to parents Bob Marley and Cindy Breakspeare, Miss World 1976. As a young adult, he developed a passion and a gift to speak for those who cannot always speak for themselves. A self-proclaimed ‘Spiritual Revolutionary’, Damian has worked assiduously to carve his own niche in music history and to add a new perspective to the Marley legacy for the 21st century.

By 1996, Damian had already made his stamp as a different kind of Marley when he released his first solo album Mr. Marley, a heavily dancehall-influenced album produced by his brother Stephen Marley. His second album Halfway Tree was released in 2001 by a major record label and showcased Damian's unique gift for blending dancehall, reggae and hip-hop styles. This album won Damian much recognition and remained on the Billboard Top Reggae Album Charts for 158 weeks and earned him his first Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2002.

While honored by this recognition by the global music fraternity, Damian continued to work in the studio, laying the groundwork for the tracks that would become his highly anticipated album, Welcome To Jamrock. Hit single Welcome to Jamrock was listed as one of the Top 100 Songs of the Decade by Rolling Stone, and at the 2006 Grammy Awards, he won Best Reggae Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance for Welcome to Jamrock. Damian 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. The New York Times called Welcome to Jamrock the “best reggae song of the decade.”

Welcome to Jamrock led the pathway to Damian's critically acclaimed collaboration with Nas for 2010's much lauded album Distant Relatives – a project which explored the relationships between reggae, hip-hop and Africa. Damian continued to cross musical boundaries in 2012, as he went on to partner with Skrillex for their groundbreaking track Make It Bun Dem. Damian recently released two other singles; Set Up Shop and Affairs of the Heart which both received widespread airplay.

Damian continues to tour with his band all over the world as a way of entertaining and healing as he continues to spread the message for those whose voices cannot be heard. Damian is currently in the studio working on his upcoming solo album.


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