A recurring message in the music of the Marley family is that music exists to educate as well as entertain. Many of late patriarch Bob Marley's most enduring compositions contain political or social messages as powerful as the reggae rhythms, and Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers later warned people around the world that those who don't know their cultural past don't know their future. Lessons from Marley
By John Berger
Jeberger@starbulletin.comDamian "Jr. Gong" Marley, the youngest of Bob Marley's sons, says that message is equally important today.
"I definitely see that, and a good example was last night in Albuquerque. There were a lot of Native Americans there, and they said they love the music and it inspires them to get into their own culture," he said earlier this week. He returns to Hawaii this weekend with his older brother Stephen. Damian will be featuring the music off his new album, "Halfway Tree," released by Motown on Sept. 11. The disc marks an impressive step forward for the performer.
Stephen, head of the Marley Boyz production team, and producer of Damian's landmark 1997 "Mr. Marley" album, again shares his talents as producer. He's created a fresh blend of modern reggae grooves, powerful drum and bass lines, hard-edged hip-hop and commercial dance hall tracks, then added spoken word tracks and a sound bite from Jimmy Cliff's reggae film classic, "The Harder They Come."
The brothers collaborated as the primary song writers, with assists from several guests on individual tracks -- Bunny Wailer, Treach from Naughty By Nature, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare among them.
Song topics range from straightforward Rastafari social and political messages to slightly lighter subjects such as problems caused by irresponsible sex. The Marley Boyz' subtle wit and humor adds spice and flavor elsewhere.
The "Halfway Tree" title reflects Damian's position as the son of Bob Marley and Cindy Breakspeare, Jamaica's 1977 Miss World. The Halfway Tree area in Kingston marks the dividing line between "uptown" and "downtown," or, between the wealthy and the poor.
Stephen, Julian and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley & The Ghetto Youth Crew, with Bounty Killer, Capleton, Yami Bolo and Daddigan Marley family returns to Hawaii
Where: Waikiki Shell
When: 7 p.m. today
Admission: $30, $25 and $20
Information: 591-2211
Also: Tomorrow in Hilo at the Edith Kanakaole Multi-Purpose Stadium and Sunday on Maui at the MACC Amphitheater
"My father is from the ghetto and my mother from uptown, so I come like a half-way tree as a bridge between them," he said.
He was born Damian Robert Nesta Marley in Kingston on July 21, 1978, and began playing music as a child. Some of his earliest efforts were as a member of the Shepherds, a group that included the offspring of other reggae artists, and played at the Reggae Sunsplash Music Festival in '92.
Damian next got into deejaying (the Jamaican term for rapping). His first single, "Deejay Degree," was released in 1993. He followed it with "Sexy Girls On My Mind" in 1994, and in 1995 contributed a song titles "School Controversy" to a compilation album, "Positively Reggae," with proceeds benefiting Jamaica's Leaf of Life Foundation. Damian became a spokesman for the organization and its programs aiding children who are HIV-positive.
He was still in high school when he started work on his breakthrough album, "Mr. Marley." The finished album hit big in Hawaii on the strength of the Marley Boyz' remakes of several of their father's songs and Damian's musical calling card -- "Me Name Junior Gong." The song was a hit locally, along with "One Cup of Coffee" and "Now You Know" from Julian's debut album.
On his new album, Damian gives thanks first to His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassi I before thanking his parents: "I am the product of your lack of prejudice. Thanks for breaking the rules."
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