Zachary Cichocki
Damian Marley
Following in his Fathers
Footsteps
Damian
ÒJr GongÓ Marley is quickly becoming a commanding voice in the genre of Reggae.
He is Rastafari and thus advocates for the Rastafarian guiding principals of
one love, one planet, and freedom for all nations in his music and in his life.
Over a career of almost two decades he has put out three solo albums and one
remix album and has been awarded three Grammys. He is an extremely versatile
musician whose songs vary from upbeat to solemn, from love songs to songs with
social messages. Damian Marley started his first band when he was only 13-years
old. The band consisted of himself along with two other children of famous
Reggae musicians. Named ÒThe Sheperds,Ó the group performed a number of shows
in Jamaica mostly covering songs first made known by their parents. Of these
shows the biggest was the Reggae Sunsplash music festival in 1992. Twenty years later he released
the controversial ÒWelcome to Jamrock...Ó The album highlights the poverty
stricken state of Kingston, Jamaica, as well as remaining true to Rastafarian
beliefs by promoting love and speaking out against war and oppression. The
title track ÒWelcome to JamrockÕs raw depiction of the way of life for a
Jamaican citizen living in Kingston upset many people since it directly
contradicts the image of beautiful sandy beaches and the hedonistic paradise
that is marketed aboard. I hope to bridge those two decades by
examining the meaning behind his lyrical message as he progressed from a young
man trying to follow in his famous fatherÕs footsteps, to the man who uses his
unique style to attempt to better the world he lives, carving out his own niche
by melding the history of Reggae music and Jamaica itself.
As Damian Marley said in a 2002 interview with Urban Exchange Magazine:
"It's
the message. Rastafari music is
not everyday typical, it's something you can learn something from. We see
ourselves as spiritual revolutionaries, that's really what we're about."
(Damian Marley 2002)
DamianÕs
father, Bob Marley, was born in the northern half of Jamaica in an area named
Nine Miles. He was taken by his father to Kingston as a child beleaving that he
would receive an education. However, instead of enrolling Bob in school, his
father simply left him with an elderly couple and left never to speak to Bob
again. When his mother discovered
the truth, she immediately brought him back to Nine Miles. This 18- month trip
to Kingston would end up shaping MarleyÕs life forever; it was during this time
that he was first exposed to music.
His family would eventually move to Kingston permanently, and when he
was 16 he recorded his first single there. Over the years the senior Marley
cultivated a style of song writing that both sounded good and conveyed a
meaningful message to his audience. Various experiences in his life shaped his
beliefs and led him to begin practicing the religion of Rastafarianism. The
influence of Rastafarian beliefs can be clearly seen in his music. Not only did
Marley use his music to spread his Rastafarian beliefs but also as a means to
speak about the oppression and injustices he witnessed occurring in peopleÕs
everyday lives. ÒCould You Be
LovedÓ for example, was written by Marley after witnessing the poor quality of
the Jamaican school system along with the poverty and oppression that was daily
life in Kingston. Gary M. Dorsey interprets a few lines in his own words after
each line:
Don't let them fool you
(Them are referring to the leaders of
the community and Babylon. Do not listen to their rhetoric, because it is
false)
Or even try to school you, oh! No
(In its simplest form this is saying
do not allow them to fool you, similar to the previous analysis, however the
message is larger; the lines may be speaking about the deplorable treatment
Rasta children receive in Jamaican Schools. Children are not allowed in the
schools without shoes. For a country whose average weekly income is less than
fifty dollars, many are unable to afford shoes. The lyrics may also be speaking
about the validity of what is taught in Jamaican schools. Schools in Jamaica
use outdated books and teach predominantly of white explorers as heroes and
Great Britain as the light at the turn of the century that helped the Jamaican
people. The history books do not speak about slavery, and do not mention where
many of the children descended from, and instead the books refer to Great
Britain as a savior, instead of an oppressor. Bob Marley wanted the world to
know about the educational injustice that is taking place in The Jamaican
school system.) (Dorsey)
Marley also attempted to
educate people with his music. As noted, he did not have any respect for the
Jamaican school system because of its treatment of Rasta children. This
negative feeling towards the school system caused Marley to write Buffalo
Soldier, after reading about the black American soldiers decorated in the late
1800s. Gary Dorsey again offers his insight into the lyrics:
Buffalo
Soldier, Dreadlock Rasta There was a Buffalo Soldier
In the heart of America
Stolen from Africa, brought to America
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival
(Buffalo Soldier is a symbol of a
strong free animal, but in this context it refers to Africans who were brought
to America, and forced to fight against the Native American Indians- The Native
American Indians called the Black men Buffalo Soldiers because their hair was
tightly woven and to them, resembled that of the curly and matted Buffalo's
coat. It is ironic, that the Africans who were being oppressed, fought for the
American Cavalry, who was fighting against the Native American, another oppressed race. The Dreadlock
Rasta, signifies Bob Marley and the Rastafarian movement. Today, the war of ÒdownpressionÓ
(sic) is being fought by Rastafarians, wearing their hair long in dreadlocks.
They have been fighting for their freedom for centuries. Africans were fighting
for their freedom when they were in Africa. They kept resisting the best they
could upon being captured in Africa- The resistance continued when they were
put on ships for Jamaica and America, although the resistance was survival
because of the misery on the ships. The Africans were forced from their homes,
families, and forced to live a life without freedom. They continued to fight
after their arrival) (Dorsey)
All of these convictions
shaped the artist that Bob Marley became and neither Reggae music nor Jamaica
itself would be the same without him.
Damian
ÒJr GongÓ Marley was born in Kingston, Jamaica on July 21, 1978. He was the
only child of an extra-marital affair between Bob Marley and JamaicaÕs 1976
Miss World, Cindy Breaksphere. Bob
Marley died when Damian was only two years old. Still, at a very early age the youngest of Bob MarleyÕs sons
began singing in his auntÕs living room.
It soon became apparent that he would follow in his fatherÕs footsteps
when at the age of 13 he started a band called The Shepherds. Along with
Damian, other members included Shiah Coore, who is the son of Third World
guitarist Cat Coore, and Yashema Beth MecGregor, the daughter of Freddie
McGregor and Judy Mowatt. The group mainly preformed covers of their parentÕs
music and in 1992, when Damian was 14 years old, they were featured at the
Reggae Sunsplash and Sunfest music festivals in Jamaica. This is a prime
example of how the groupÕs roots played a large role in its exposure. Even as a young man Jr. Gong had
tremendous stage presence and confidence which improved after every performance.
The Shepherds success was short lived and the band members went their separate ways.
This did not hinder Jr. GongÕs musical career in any way, and he went on tour
with the 1993 Shabba Ranks World Unity Tour. Later that year with the help of
his older brother, Stephan, Jr. Gong released his first single ÒDeejay Degree,Ó
on his fatherÕs record label, Tuff Gong.
This early single revolved around the Òhook,Ó
Fresh
new deejay wit a deejay degree,
com a
chat with Jr. Gong the youngest Marley,
Even at this relatively
young age DamianÕs style and technique was unique from that of the rest of his
family. He utilized ÒtoastingÓ or ÒdeejayingÓ which is talking or chanting,
usually in a monotone melody, over a rhythm or beat. Over the next two years he
would release two more singles on as many labels. In 1995 he earned a slot on
the charity compilation ÒPositively ReggaeÓ with the song ÒSchool Controversy.Ó
The proceeds of the record sales benefited the Leaf of Life Foundation, a
Jamaican organization that helps HIV-positive children. He was even selected as
the spokesperson for the Positively Reggae campaign. This was a high-profile position for a 17-year old and it
granted him significant exposure.
After
performing with his brothers Julian and Ziggy a number of times in the
mid-1990s Damian made his debut album which was released in September of 1996.
The album was named ÒMr. MarleyÓ and was recorded while Damian was still in
high school. Once again older brother, Stephen, produced the album along with
co- writing many of the songs. Throughout DamianÕs career Stephen has been an
ever present influence helping him and teaching him from when he first started
making records. In an interview with IFCs Henry Rollins, Damian described this
relationship:
He
(Stephen) is my producer, so itÕs that same relationship that youÕve had from
when you were just learning to do, play ball and these things. ItÕs that same
kinda relationship that carries over into the studio where you have an older
brother who is a mentor, you know dat, who is true to ya, you know what I mean,
whoÕs really care for ya an know what you like you know what he likes, you know
what I mean, so it works great that wayÉ (Damian Marley)
The album is a combination of DamianÕs
reggae roots along with upbeat dancehall tracks. One song, ÒOld War Chant,Ó is
one example of the latter. The trackÕs beat is very fast and although it seems
somewhat simplistic at first when you listen closer you realize that there are
numerous subtle changes in the beat and it actually has a much longer
progression before repeating. Jr. Gong showcased the flow of a professional
keeping a constant pace throughout. Despite having the definite feel of a
dancehall track, the lyrics do have something to say, comparing Jamaica to ÒOld
VietnamÓ and outlining the struggles of Jamaica and her people throughout
history. The song starts:
Down in a the ghetto is
like old Vietnam
Gun shot a bust with grenade and bomb
First fi survive a fi iron lion
Learn fi trod through great tribulation
Learn to survive off the plantation
Plant up potatoes wi plant up yam
Turn over soil cause food have fi nyam
Satta a mi yard a mi base a mi ranch
Mi saw mouth shotgun and mi gold sixpence
Jus yesterday a man rip off mi fence
And if mi catch him a shhhh silence
ÒFirst if surive a fi iron
lionÓ is a reference to Bob Marleys ÒThe Iron Lion ZionÓ which is a song
directly related to the Rastafarian beliefs that Zion is the promised land,
modern day Ethiopia and the Òiron lionÓ is the Lion of Judah which represents
Haile Selassie I, the former Ethiopian emperor whom Rastafarians regard as
their Messiah. The Ògreat tribulation,Ó is referring to hardships faced during
slavery as well as the next line Òlearn to survive off the plantation.Ó He continues speaking of new problems.
Now people own homes but they still live in a world of violence, the last four lines
describe him sitting in front of his house with a shotgun to protect his
possessions Òmi gold sixpence,Ó and his home, saying that if he finds the
person who stole from him, Òrip off mi fence,Ó heÕll kill him. In another verse
he denounces the callousness and the violence by saying no matter how big or
tough you are he will not respect you if you live like that, Òeveryday you get
up tek on, you naw give.Ó Then he
gives a shout out to ÒRaggamuffinsÓ which is a slang term for people who listen
to Raggamuffin music, a sub-genre of dancehall
music or reggae, in which the instrumentation primarily consists of electronic
music. For example:
You
use to brag how you kill and laugh
How you wicked and a rip out men heart
Carry dead man gwan thing of a wharf
Well I Jr. Gong a show you say you soft
Now Jr. Gong no matter how you brawd or you big
We naw show respect if you don't love how you live
Everyday you get up you tek on, you naw give
Big up Raggamuffin you respect, him solid
Back to the issue wey wi di a deal wid
Before long ÒMr. Marley,Ó
was gaining Damian a fair amount of publicity. He noted,
"When we went to Hawaii in 1997, we had three songs on the charts
there: "Me Name Junior Gong,' "One Cup of Coffee' and "Now You
Know,' a tune from Julian's debut album."(Damian Marley1997) This popularity earned both Damian and
Julian an appearance on the 1997 travelling alternative rock festival
Lollapalooza which exposed the two to a completely new group of music fans.
This
success however, turned out only to be the beginning. In 2001, Jr. Gong
released ÒHalfway TreeÓ on Ghetto Youths International/Motown, which showcased
not only his talent as a singer songwriter but also his versatility and his
ability to put a social message across. Stephan Marley produced the album as
well as singing on it, and helped Damian meld traditional reggae rhythms and
more contemporary hip-hop beats. The title ÒHalfway TreeÓ comes from an
intersection in Kingston which separates the cityÕs privileged areas from its
less privileged areas. The name also refers to Damian himself, the son of an
underprivileged father and an uptown mother. The title also reflects Damian's
wish that all segments of society would be able relate to his music.
ÒParadise
Child,Ó a song featuring Mr. Cheeks, an American rapper who was once a member
of the Lost Boyz, is a love song that has a definite hip-hop beat. This embrace
of hip-hop is something that was not seen in ÒMr. Marley,Ó and shows a great
deal of growth in Jr. GongÕs development up to this point. He still has tracks
like ÒEducated Fools,Ó which are politically and socially charged and which
follow in the reggae tradition his father made famous. But it is clear he embraced his
own style and sound. Damian explained in an interview on Juice TV, ÒÉI am a fan
of urban music, I love urban music, hip-hop music, that style of music, so of
course I want to make the music IÕm a fan ofÉÓ (Damian Marley) He also said:
I love
hip-hop music, ... It's rebel music is how I like to speak about it. Hip-hop
and reggae come from the same community as far as class -- they both come from
the bottom of society. (Damian Marley)
The album won Damian a
Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2001. However despite all the success he had
seen in his career to that point, Damian remained humble. Speaking of his 2001
Grammy award he said:
ÒA
Grammy in reggae is good..,Ó but the ultimate goal for Damian and his brothers
is the advancement of Reggae itself. He puts it best by saying: ÒWe just
want to uplift Reggae music. So it can reach the levels where it can be
nominated as "Album of the Year" not just "Reggae Album" of
the year. It's not just something one person can do but something that more
than one people can contribute to. I do some of the production on the drum
machine. Stephen is the head - the big brother. He's the captain of the ship
and the ship always needs other sailors. We really want to uplift reggae music
and bring it to front. (Damian Marley)
This drive and commitment,
stemming from a desire to educate people about JamaicaÕs plight and the
promotion of reggae and Rastafarianism
to the rest of the world separates him from other main stream reggae
artists today whose only goals seem to be to make money and promote violence.
But despite winning the award the public at large in America was still
generally unaware of Damian's
music.
All
that changed when ÒWelcome to JamrockÓ hit stores. ÒWelcome to Jamrock,Ó was
put out on the Tuff Gong/ Ghetto Youths label and hit the streets running with
over 86,000 copies sold in the first week alone. The title track, ÒWelcome to
Jamrock,Ó became an instant classic in clubs and on the radio in both Jamaica
and America. The album itself is a hard hitting, unapologetic social commentary
on the state of Jamaica and more precisely the state of Kingston. ÒWelcome to
Jam rock,Ó was the product of several years of work and planning by not only
Damian himself but also a number of other artists. When asked about whether the success of the project was
surprising, Jr. Gong responded:
I spent
a lot of time thinking and this is the fruit of that labor. The song might be a
'success' so why be blind to that? But success can't surprise given the time
put into it. (Damian Marley)
As noted earlier, the album is an in-depth look at the
poverty and political violence ravaging the streets of Jamaica. This depiction
is in stark contrast with the beautiful beaches and exotic jungles advertised
in tourism ads. Jr. Gong sings:
Welcome
to Jamrock
Camp
whe' te thugs dem camp at
Two
pound a weed inna van backÉ.
Some
bwoy nuh know dis
Dem
only come around like tourist
On
the beach with a few club soda, Bedtime storiesÉ
Di
thugs dem wi' do whe' dem got to
And
won't think twice to shot you
Don't
mek dem spot you
Unless
you carry guns alot too...
These lines illustrate two
worlds on opposite sides of the tracks, whose only contact with each other is
facilitated by the sale of drugs and where violence is a way of life. He goes
on to say that the police are aware of this illegal activity but are powerless
to stop it and heeds a warning to whoever makes the mistake of running their
mouth or who acts ÒtuffÓ because this violence is a way of life and nothing is
stopping ÒdemÓ from dropping you Òlike a bad habit.Ó
Police
come inna jeep an' dem can't stop it
Some
say dem a playboy, a playboy rabbit
Get
drop like a bad habit
So
no bother pose tuff if you don't have it,
This is also paralleling the
line,
Don't
mek dem spot you
Unless
you carry guns alot too,
This last line in
particular, seems to speak to the perpetuation of violence that has become a
necessity as well as a life style in a world where the strong, or rather the
ones with the guns, take what they want.
The last line in the verse is, ÒRastafari stands alone!Ó which addresses
the fact that all this violence is in direct contrast to the Rastafarian way of
life and that in this city of drugs and bloodshed Rastafari literally and
figuratively Òstands alone.Ó
Another
song on the album is named, ÒConfrontation.Ó This song begins with an ethopian prayer said by Haile
Selassie and a strong drum beat acompanied by some violins come in which create
a feeling of urgencey. The track peaches peace and all the downfalls and
pointlessness of war. The chorus demonstartes Jr GongÕs utter disdain for
war:
See
it deh know the innocent going up in vapors and
propoganda
spreading inna the sunday papers
not
even superman coulda save you with him cape cause
Red-a
judgement a blaze, blaze, ya
and
Babylon a gamble the youth dem life like racehourse
and
gi dem a uniform and shave dem head with razors
and
now the clock a strike war, don't be amazed cause
inna
dem churches tryin to save...savioursÉ
In the first line Jr Gong is
saying that innocent people who have no personal qualm or reason to fight Ògo
up in vapor,Ó dissapear as if they never existed. The use of the word ÒpropogandaÓ
in the second line is pretty clear. Propoganga is not news, it is something
that is fabricated to insight fear and hate. He goes on to say in the last few
lines of the verse that the government, Òbabylon,Ó is leaving the lives of the
youths to chance and the only thing anyone can do is go to church and pray.
Later in the song he highlights all the sacrifices individuals have to make for
war:
can't
wear jheri curl...IN WAR,
no
diamond and pearl...IN WAR
can't
drink weh a serve...IN BAR,
gas
we fuck up yuh nerves...IN WAR
With
this song and with this album Damian Marley addressed a number of highly
provocative issues in an intense and thoughtful way. After listening to ÒWelcome
to Jamrock,Ó it is clear that Damian Marley is not only a talented musican but
someone who will ask the questions that no one else will ask and be the voice
of thoses without a voice, just like his father before him. The Jamaican
Journalist Ian Boyle has hailed Jr Gong as a "cultural prophet"
revitalizing the degraded and decadent contemporary dancehall scene (Boyle),
and goes as far as to say, ÒBob Marley has, indeed, been reincarnated.Ó He puts it best when speaking of Damian
MarleyÕs role in Jamaican culture when he says,
God
knows Jamaica needed a Damian Marley. That he is part of a whole renaissance of
consciousness, roots/rock reggae music is particularly delightful to people
like me who have long stood against the backwardness, slackness/bling bling and
gun talk lyrics of the dancehall. How refreshing to see a concert recently with
only culturally conscious Rastafarians 'bunning fire' on Babylon's false
values, its materialism and oppression of the poor and marginalized. (Ian
Boyle)
Rather
than rest on the artistic laurels and social awareness of his father, he has
been able to lift the cause even higher with his own work. He has
effectively emerged from his father's shadow, not to pass him but to stand with
his memory in an effort to raise awareness of Jamaica's plight and plant
seeds of hope for Her future.
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<http://www.uvm.edu/~debate/dreadlibrary/dorsey.html>
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