At the Gibbons federal court in Tampa, Florida federal court today, United States District Judge Tim Moody gave the announcement and declared December as the time for a new trial. The mistrial decision came after 4 long days of deliberation by a jury.

It seems that the 2-night drum vigil held by Rastafarian elders at Buju Banton’s Carlisle Avenue Gargamel Studios actually worked. Twice today the jurors told Judge Moody that they could not reach a decision, prompting the mistrial declaration.

This is a temporary reprieve: Banton remains charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5Kg of cocaine. If he is found guilty in December he’ll face a possible sentence of 20 years to life in prison. Both of Banton’s codefendants have already signed plea agreements in exchange for lesser charges.

David Markus, Buju Banton’s lawyer, has begun the process of requesting bail for Banton; we’ll know more about whether bail is awarded tomorrow.

The case has already been running for nearly a year after Banton was arrested in a sting operation last December and accused by an FBI informant of attempting to purchase cocaine with the goal of reselling it. He is also charged with aiding his codefendants in possessing a firearm during the course of cocaine distribution. The event was captured on a surveillance camera but Banton was not present for the actual purchase.

Buju Banton has maintained his innocence from the beginning of this ordeal, claiming that the government informant pressured him to make the purchase. Specifically, he explained that he only discussed cocaine to impress the informant, who he believed to be related to the music business. Banton’s lawyers have used this to build an entrapment defense for the singer.

Stephen Marley, son of Bob Marley, spoke as a character witness for Banton during the trial.

Buju Banton’s next album, Before the Dawn, containing 10 songs recorded in 2009, is scheduled to be released tomorrow.

This article is part of a continuing series about Buju Banton’s arrest, accusations, and trial. For more information about the trial, please see these related articles:

1. Buju Banton mistrial, new trial in December, September 27
2. Buju Banton still waiting for drug trial verdict, from September 24
3. Buju Banton cocaine defense lawyer claims entrapment, from January 27
4. Buju Banton drug arrest: dancehall reggae star buys cocaine from undercover cops, from December 15, 2009

In the meantime, here’s a Buju Banton music video, Power of Prayer by Gargamel himself.

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Damian Robert Nesta Marley was born on July 21st, 1978 in Kingston, Jamaica to his mother Cindy Breakspear and father Bob Marley. Cindy Breakspear was Jamaica’s Miss World in 1976.

Damian Marley was raised in a Kingston suburb by both Cindy and Rita Marley, along with 12 siblings; 10 on his father’s side and 2 on his mother’s side. As a teenager, Damian performed with musical group The Shepherds alongside Shiah Coore (son of Cat Coore of Third World) and Yashema Beth McGregor (daughter of Judy Mowatt of the I-Threes and Freddie McGregor). The group had moderate success in Jamaica, performing at the Reggae Sunsplash music festival in 1992, but ultimately disbanded.

After leaving The Shepherds, Damian turned to deejaying (the Jamaican equivalent of rapping), and in 1993 releases his debut single Deejay Degree, on his family’s Tuff Gong label. He followed it the next year with his release of Sexy Girls on My Mind for the Main Street label and in 1999 released School Controversy, a song featured on the Epic/Sony Wonder compilation Positively Reggae. The compilation raised money and awareness for the Leaf of Life Foundation, an organization assisting children who are HIV positive. Although he was only a teenager, Damian Marley was selected as the spokesperson for Positively Reggae, and was introduced to the international press and public.

In 1996 Damian Marley collaborated with his older brother Stephen Marley to release his first album, Mr. Marley, while still in high school. The album featured upbeat dancehall-style songs, many of which were co-written by Stephen and Damian. The Marley brothers recorded the album at the Marley Music 48 track-recording studio. Included on this album is the infamous track, Me Name Jr. Gong, in which Damian tells of his nickname, derived from his father’s nickname “Tuff Gong”. “Tuff Gong” also became the name of the label created by Bob Marley in the mid-60′s (before he signed with Island Records), an independent record label still in existence, controlled by the Marley family, and part of Damian’s future musical career. Me Name Jr. Gong held the number 1 slot in Hawaii for many weeks.

Damian Jr. Gong Marley’s next album, Halfway Tree was produced by Stephen Marley and released in 2001 by Marley Boyz productions. The album’s title was both a reference to the Halfway Tree area of Kingston, where the privileged rich and the desperate poor geographically meet (a theme common in Damian’s music) and the fact that his father is from the ghetto and his mother is from uptown, leaving Damian like a bridge between the two. In this musical expression, Damian mixed hip-hop and dancehall styles with fantastic results; the album received a great deal of critical acclaim. Both Stephen and Damian are awarded praise and recognition for this project, including the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album, a category not added to the Grammys in the mid-1980s.

2004 was a big year for Damian Marley. In addition to participating in the 27-city Bob Marley Roots, Rock, Reggae Festival tour with his four brothers, Ziggy Marley, Julian Marley, Stephen, and Ky-Mani Marley, Damian released the hit single Welcome to Jamrock, a song released on the Tuff Gong label that makes a big splash on the commercial scene.

In December of 2004, Damian performed with brothers Stephen and Julian in Stephen’s music video Traffic Jam on Stephen Marley’s Mind Control album, which goes on to win the 2008 Grammy award for Best Reggae album. In the same year, Damian also records a tune called Ganga Bus with Cypress Hill (from the Till Death Do Us Part album), appears on the song Get a Light by Snoop Dog (from Tha Blue Carpet Treatment album), creates songs with both Method Man and Redman, and is featured on the Gwen Stefani remix Now That You Got It, amongst many more amazing collaborations.

Welcome to Jamrock enjoyed a great deal of commercial success and led to Damian Marley signing with Universal Records, with whom he released the Welcome to Jamrock album in 2005. This album blended even more musical styles than Damian’s previous work, incorporating elements of reggae, R&B, and hip-hop, and reached the charts in each of those genres. The album also reached as high as number 7 on the Billboard top 200 albums. Welcome to Jamrock received a Grammy award for Best Urban/Alternative performance, and the album won Damian and Stephen yet another Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2006.

Damian also appeared on the song Girlz ‘Round the World with Morgan Heritage on their album Full Circle. The 2006 Ben Harper tour landed Damian on many famous stages including Central Park, New York and further touring takes him to the Osheaga Festival in Montreal. Damian appeared at Bonnarroo Music Festival, headlined the Peace Fest in Trinidad, performed on the PBS show Austin City Limits, and the list goes on…

Most recently, in May of 2010, Damian Marley collaborated with Nas to release the Distant Relatives album and joint tour.

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Bob Marley’s music and message were both artistic and spiritual: he successfully brought 70s rock and roll sounds to traditional reggae music and created a then-new roots rocker reggae sound that defines most popular modern expectations of what reggae music is today. Marley also spearheaded a return to the spiritual, Rastafarian roots of Caribbean music, raising it from popular music to an uplifting clarion call for social and moral change. Bob Marley’s messages echoed beyond the borders of his tiny home island of Jamaica, resonating with audiences around the globe. His merging of rock and reggae was so successful that Bob Marley was inducted into the United States’ Rock N Roll Hall of Fame even though he never released a #1 hit single in America.

Bob Marley was born in 1945 and lived until 1981. During that time (and after his death), Bob Marley and his band The Wailers released 13 studio albums, 4 live albums, and 10 compilation albums. Bob Marley and The Wailers are believed to have sold nearly a quarter of a billion records around the world, though the statistics are vague because they weren’t collected until 1991, long after Marley had passed away.

Bob Marley’s official website acknowledges that he had 11 children, including contemporary reggae music stars David “Ziggy” Marley, Stephen Marley, Julian Marley, Ky-Mani Marley, and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley.

You can learn more about Bob Marley in this series of articles detailing his life, researched and written by Dubconscious guitarist James Keane, who grew up with more than 1 Bob Marley poster on his walls.

1. Bob Marley Biography – 1945-1969 tells of Marley’s childhood and the formation of the Wailers, as well as their initial struggles to succeed as musicians.
2. Bob Marley Biography – 1970-1976 tells the story of Marley and the Wailer’s transition to a global scene.
3. Bob Marley Biography – 1977-1981 tells the story of Marley’s fame and massive creative output, as well as his final years.

The primary reference for the 3 Bob Marley articles in this series is an excellent book, Bob Marley: Reggae King of the World by Malika Lee Whitney and Dermott Hussey, with a foreward by Rita Marley.

(You can also read our list of the best Bob Marley quotes it’s a long list and we’re looking for more quotes to add to it!)

Bob Marley began singing with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer as one of the original Wailing Wailers. They followed a path similar to many great reggae musicians, including Burning Spear, Joseph Hill of Culture, The Abyssinians, The Skatalites, Ken Boothe, John Holt, and Alton Ellis, at Studio One, under the guidance of Coxsone Dodd. From there they struck out on their own, carving a path from early ska tracks to later rock steady songs of a slower tempo, and finally rock-influenced roots reggae notable for slower tempos and rich melodies and notable for their Rastafarian messages.

Marley was awarded numerous honors during and after his lifetime, including Rolling Stone’s 1976 Band of the Year award, the United Nations Peace Medal of the 3rd World, the Jamaican Order of Merit, Time Magazine’s Album of the Century, a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and BBC’s Song of the Millennium. In 2010 his Catch a Fire album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Now, almost 30 years after his death, Bob Marley is still widely regarded as the King of Reggae. Through his songs, Marley applied his spiritual message to all types of situations, from the aggressive Get Up, Stand Up to his pacifistic One Love. As a result, his music appeals to listeners of all ages and colors, around the world. Similarly, he remains one of the biggest evangelists of Rastafari consciousness across the globe. His music and spirituality continue to influence musicians of every stripe, from dub, reggae, and dancehall to rock, hip hop, and pop artists.

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Reggae royalty Damian “Junior Gong” Marley and hip hop star Nas are teaming up again for their summer 2010 Distant Relatives tour, supporting their co-created album of the same name.

Distant Relatives is the hotly-anticipated reggae / hip hop crossover album that is the result of a long collaboration between Marley and Nas. Although Nas and Damian Marley have toured together in the past (most recently in their 2009 Distant Relatives pre-release tour and again in a Distant Relatives promo show and interview in Washington DC in December), this is their first album together.

The Distant Relatives tour doesn’t official begin until May 21 with the Distant Relatives kickoff show in Arcata, California, but fans can get a sneak peek of the duo’s performance on May 2 in West Palm Beach, Florida, at Sunfest. The Distant Relatives tour runs throughout the summer, ending on August 1 in Bridgeport, Connecticut at the Gathering of the Vibes festival. Additional venues of note during Damian Marley and Nas’s tour include May 28 and May 31 performances at The Wiltern and UCLA’s Jazz Reggae Festival in Los Angeles, a June 9 show at Waller Creek Amphitheatre in Austin, Texas, a June 11 performance at the wildly popular Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee, and a July 31 gig at Williamsburg Waterfront in my hometown of Brooklyn.

Many of the US shows (in May and June) will be opened by Nneka, a rising Nigerian hip hop artist. Nneka just released her US debut album, Concrete Jungle.

In late June and through most of July, Nas and Damian Marley are planning to take the tour international in a 4-week blitz of several European music festivals, including the Paris Hip Hop Festival and Germany’s Summerjam and Splash! Festival.

Ticket prices range from show to show, depending on the venue, but most shows are cost between $30 and $50 to see the duo.

Damian “Junior Gong” Marley & Nas Distant Relatives tour dates

Below are dates and venues for the Distant Relatives tour. All events are subject to change, so check when you purchase tickets.

• May 2 – West Palm Beach, FL – SunFest
• May 21 – Arcata, CA – Arcata Community Center
• May 22 – Eugene, OR – Cuthbert Amphitheater
• May 23 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
• May 25 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
• May 26 – Santa Barbara, CA – University of California
• May 28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
• May 29 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint
• May 30 – Valley Center, CA – Open Sky Theater
• May 31 – Los Angeles, CA – UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival
• June 2 – Santa Fe, NM – Paolo Soleri Amphitheatre
• June 8 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
• June 9 – Austin, TX – Waller Creek Amphitheater
• June 11 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music Festival
• June 12 – Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle
• June 13 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues
• June 27 – Brussels, BEL – Couleur Café Festival
• June 28 – Paris, FRA – Paris Hip Hop Festival
• July 1 – Ardenal, NOR – Hovefestival
• July 3 – Cologne, GER – Summerjam
• July 4 – Gdynia, POL – Heineken Open’er Festival
• July 6 – Copenhagen, DEN – Vega House of Music
• July 7 – Hultsfred, SWE – Hultsfred Festival
• July 9 – Frauenfeld, SWI – Openair Frauenfeld
• July 10 – Montreux, SWI – Montreux Jazz Festival
• July 11 – Rotterdam, NET – North Sea Jazz Festival
• July 13 – Hamburg, GER – Stadtpark Open Air
• July 14 – Munich, GER – Tollwood Festival
• July 16 – Manchester, ENG – Manchester Academy
• July 17 – Dublin, IRE – Tripod
• July 20 – London, ENG – Hammersmith Apollo
• July 23 – Grafenhainichen, GER – Splash! Festival
• July 31 – Brooklyn, NY – Williamsburg Waterfront
• August 1 – Bridgeport, CT – Gathering of the Vibes Festival

Nas and Damian Marley – Distant Relatives video trailer

Here’s a video trailer of the 2 artists, hyping the upcoming release:

Distant Relatives, reggae hip hop cultural opus

The Distant Relatives album has been in production since 2008 and after an initial release expected in the summer of 2009 is finally scheduled to see the light of day on May 18, 2010. Damian, Bob Marley’s youngest son, will join his instrumentals and distinct vocals with Nas‘s distinct lyrical stylings and beats. Marley told Rolling Stone magazine that the artists are “trying to have a sound that’s reminiscent of both of us, but not exactly like either.”

This will be Damian Marley‘s first studio reggae release in 5 years, and Nas‘s latest since 2008.

Buy Distant Relatives today.

Nas first leaked news of the Distant Relatives production at the 2009 Grammys, telling MTV that “I’m working on an album with Damian Marley. We tryin’ to build some schools in Africa with this one, and trying to build empowerment. We’re tryin’ to show love and stuff with this album. So, the record’s … all about really the ‘hood and Africa also as well.”

Distant Relatives began life as a compilation of tracks that were discarded from both artists’ previous releases, but over time they took a more ambitious approach and redesigned the work as a completely new cultural piece. In its current incarnation, Distant Relatives is a concept album that traces the roots of hip hop and reggae music and culture to a single, unified whole. The album takes a hard look at issues around the daily struggle of many Africans with tracks like Count Your Blessings. Bringing subjects of empowerment and African heritage to the fore, the album’s live recordings are dubbed with samples from African music as well. Additional tracks on the album include similarly-themed songs Only The Strong and Africa Must Wake Up.

Distant Relatives‘ 1st single, As We Enter, was released on iTunes on February 23, 2010. At the time of this writing, it sold 33,000 units, peaked at number 10 on the iTunes Hip Hop/Rap charts and went to number 41 on the iTunes Music charts. It also peaked at number 18 on Billboard’s Rap Digital Songs chart and number 23 on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs.

Check out this sample from Nas and Damian Marley singing their hit As We Enter:

The album’s 2nd single, Strong Will Continue debuted on February 5 on BET’s Help for Haiti telethon. It’s a darker sound and hit download stores April 13 but wasn’t pushed for radio airtime. Here’s Damian Marley and Nas singing Strong Will Continue:

Damian Jr. Gong Marley and Nas – Distant Relatives track list

The full track list includes:

1. As We Enter
2. Tribal War (featuring K’naan)
3. Strong Will Continue
4. Leaders (featuring Stephen Marley)
5. Friends
6. Count Your Blessings
7. Dispear
8. The Promised Land (featuring Dennis Brown)
9. In His Own Words (featuring Stephen Marley)
10. Nah Mean
11. Patience
12. My Generation (featuring Joss Stone & Lil Wayne)
13. Africa Must Wake Up (featuring K’naan)
14. Ancient People (bonus track featuring Junior Reid)

Yes, a free Distant Relatives download

The album’s 3rd single is Land of Promise. It’s a recreation of the original Promised Land, which was performed by Dennis Brown. (Brown’s original singing was dubbed into this new version as well.) To get a free download of this track, enter your email address into the form below – you’ll probably also be signed up to hear more news about the album.

Damian produced most of the tracks with his older brother Stephen Marley. There are also rumors of additional production coming from Large Professor, The Alchemist, J. R. Rotem (who produced Sean Kingston once upon a time), and DJ Khalil. The album will include guest appearances by and rappers Lil Wayne and K’Naan.

Learn more about Distant Relatives

Past live Distant Relatives concerts have been well-attended and fans have raved about the performances. Nas and Damian Marley also recently spoke about the social vision of the distant relatives album, exploring the diaspora of humanity across space and music.

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Nas met in 1996 but didn’t build a collaborative voice until their 2005 release Road to Zion, which was a single from Marley’s Welcome to Jamrock album. Welcome to Jamrock peaked at number 7 on the Billboard 200 and has sold 764,000 albums, while Nas’s 2008 release, Untitled, took the number 1 spot on the Billboard charts and sold 463,000 albums.

You can learn more on the Distant Relatives MySpace page, which includes clips of songs from the album such as As We Enter, the first single. To visit Nas on MySpace, visit www.myspace.com/nas. To visit Damian Marley on MySpace, visit www.myspace.com/damianmarley. You can also visit the official Distant Relatives website.

The proceeds from Distant Relatives will be donated to a project in Africa, with the possibility of building a school frequently mentioned.

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This day-long festival features a variety of international food and an arts and crafts marketplace. This years festival features: Stephen Marley, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Julian Marley, Ky-mani Marley, Shaggy, Tarus Riley, Capleton, & Spragga Benz, Jahfe, Resolvers, & Vega Under Fire

Bob Marley Movements of Jah People Caribbean Festival 2010 details

The event will occur on February 27, 2010. Gates are open from 1:00pm to 11:30pm, rain or shine. The event will occur at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. Re-entry to the event will not be allowed.

Attendees can bring blankets into the park, but almost nothing else is allowed (Video and Audio Recorders, Flash Cameras, Coolers, Picnic Baskets, Cans, Bottles, Personal Fireworks, Weapons, Umbrellas, Chairs, Food and Drinks are all prohibited).

Bob Marley Movements of Jah People Caribbean Festival video

Here’s a video from the 2007 Caribbean Festival.

Bob Marley Movements of Jah People Caribbean Reggae Festival 2010 Tickets

Get tickets at www.bobmarleymovement.com. Children under 12 are free if accompanied by an adult. 4 canned goods per ticket are required for admission. No expired canned goods will be accepted.

You can also get tickets at these locations:
JUNIE’S RESTAURANT
18400 N.W. 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33169
305.654.2955

BARBICAN SQUARE
11030 Pembroke Road
Miramar, FL 33025
954.885.5422

REGGAE N THINGS
7851 W. Sample Road
Coral Springs, FL 33065
954.255.3280

JAMAICA KITCHEN
8736 S.W. 72st Street
Miami, FL 33173
305.596.2585

CONDOM USA
3066 Grand Avenue
Coconut Grove, FL 33133
305.445.7729

UNCLE SAMS
1141 Washington Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305.532.0973

CARIBBEAN DELITE RESTAURANT
9491 S.W. 160th Street
Miami, FL 33157
305.254.6606

More info is available on their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/bobmarleymovements.

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Billboard Magazine reports that Barber has begun a campaign targeting reggae artistes, bands, and reggae music producers regarding participation in the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the group that bestows the Reggae Grammy every year. Her objective is to increase the number of reggae-related voters in the Recording Academy in time for the 2011 Grammy nominations by at least 100 people from around the world.

Barber has gone on to tell Billboard that “the only people voting in the reggae category are those who are not in the know” and “the few who are actually voting do not represent our industry.” She explained that when a typical non-reggae member of the Recording Academy is handed a list of 40 – 60 qualifying albums, they tend to simply opt for familiar names. This process leads to the widely-criticized process that seems to favor well-known classic reggae artistes.

Currently, there is only 1 Jamaican voting on the Reggae Grammy award in the Recording Academy.

For starters, Barber will hold an industry conference in Jamaica from January 21-25 to explain the Grammy nomination process to Jamaican music executives. A key component of the conference will be a discussion of the Academy’s requirement that a Reggae Grammy nomination must be returned to the Academy’s Los Angeles offices within 2 weeks of the original postmark. This process makes it difficult for Jamaican and other international participants to vote in time, so many potential Caribbean participants never even explore the other requirements of gathering creative credits and paying a membership fee.

Barber has worked hard for several years to finally achieve her goal of allowing participants to vote electronically, via email. This year she has finally succeeded, so the postal problems will no longer be an issue for the 2011 Reggae Grammy nomination process. The form also includes a “referred by” option for new members. She promises to assist any new Academy members with the voting process if they list her as the referrer. Bill Freimuth, the VP, Awards of the Recording Academy says it’s likely that all Grammy voting will switch to an online process in the coming years.

Now she’s working to build participation and awareness within the reggae community, explaining that “winning a reggae Grammy offers a level of recognition that impacts sales, radio play and concert demands, essential elements in establishing a new generation of reggae stars. I wouldn’t be doing the genre, the artists or Jamaica justice if I didn’t embark on this campaign.”

Barber would know: she produced the 2005 Reggae Grammy-nominated Def Jamaica album. She’s also the former President of the Marley family’s Tuff Gong and Ghetto Youths labels. Her next step will be to work to add a Dancehall Grammy category.

The Best Reggae Album Grammy was first awarded in 1985 and is typically won by Jamaican reggae artists. The 52nd Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday at 8 p.m. This year’s nominees for the Best Reggae Album Grammy are Gregory Isaacs, Sean Paul, Stephen Marley, Julian Marley and Buju Banton.

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Even today, most people think of Bob Marley when they think of reggae music. His Legends album, recorded with The Wailers, has surpassed 10 million sales. Sure, more contemporary artists such as UB40 may have sold more albums, but Bob Marley’s reggae songs tell an uplifting love story that’s accessible to all listeners, and his blend of reggae and rock results in melodies that are popular even amongst listeners who aren’t otherwise interested in Caribbean music. As a practicing Rastafarian, Marley tried to promote a message and lifestyle of “One World, One Love” across the globe. Another part of Bob Marley’s popularity stems from the political message within his reggae music, which spoke out against racism, failed justice systems, and oppressive governments.

Today, Bob Marley’s legacy is celebrated not only with his music but with his images. Many people own Bob Marley posters, and they’re especially popular among American college students, particularly male students. It’s not just the tokers who will hang a Bob Marley poster in their room but many other students who are interested in enjoying life, exploring liberty, and celebrating diversity. Reggae music fans are also sure to have a poster of Bob Marley on their wall.

In addition to the messages of artistic achievement and political activism, Bob Marley posters also inspire viewers to become someone larger, more popular: a celebrity. Even though Bob Marley dropped out of school when he was 14, he grew to become the king of reggae, making it popular beyond Jamaica for the first time, eventually building a superstar career with the Wailers. Bob Marley’s celebrity brings an additional benefit to his posters – many talented artists and photographers have tried to capture Bob’s big personality in still images. Some posters also include famous Bob Marley quotes and lyrics from his songs. All of these combinations have generated a wide variety of attractive, colorful images from which the Bob Marley posters are created.

Bob Marley’s legacy continues in a variety of living forms: recently, the I and I Bob Marley book has described his life with colorful images that would be appropriate for any poster. Additionally, his children are active in the music scene, with Julian, Stephen, Ziggy, Ky-Mani, and Damian “Junior Gong” Marley all creating successful musical careers in their own rights.

So even though Bob Marley isn’t with us today as a person, he is certainly present as a cultural icon, persisted as a memory for a few, as a melody for others, and for still others as an image that hangs on their wall as a poster, reminding us of his contributions to reggae music and the world at large.

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One of these nominees will win the best reggae Grammy at the 52nd annual Grammy awards:

• Rasta Got Soul by Buju Banton on Gargamel Music, Inc.
• Brand New Me by Gregory Isaacs on Tad’s Record
• Awake by Julian Marley on Ghetto Youths/Tuff Gong/Universal Republic
• Mind Control — Acoustic by Stephen Marley on Ghetto Youths/Tuff Gong/Universal Republic
• Imperial Blaze by Sean Paul on VP/Atlantic

Sean Paul‘s Imperial Blaze won the 2009 MOBO award and includes the single So Fine.

Last year’s Grammy Award was won by Burning Spear. (Even though the awards are provided in 2010, this isn’t the 2010 Reggae Grammy – that will be next year.)

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(This article details their summer 2009 tour dates.)

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Nas are lighting up the US with a summer series of solo performances for their Distant Relatives tour, which also includes headliner performances with 2009 Rock the Bells. The tour supports their forthcoming reggae hip hop crossover album Distant Relatives. Distant Relatives blends Marley’s instrumentals and distinct vocals with the lyrical mastery and hip hop beats that fans have come to expect from Nas.

Production forDistant Relatives began in 2008, originally designed as a compilation of leftover tracks from the 2 artists previous albums, it was redesigned as a completely new, collaborative piece. Damian and Stephen Marley produced most of the tracks, with talk of additional production support being provided by Large Professor, The Alchemist, J. R. Rotem (who put pop dancehall star Sean Kingston on the radio and in everyone’s ear) and DJ Khalil.

The album’s themes focus on empowerment and African roots, as well as reminders of the daily struggle of many Africans with tracks like Count Your Blessings. Although the album was recorded with a live band, the final tracks include samples from African music as well. The proceeds from Distant Relatives will be donated to a project in Africa, with the possibility of building a school frequently mentioned. Additional tracks include Only The Strong and Africa Must Wake Up.

Check out the Distant Relatives MySpace page, where they’re sharing a 1-minute clip of As We Enter, the first single from Distant Relatives. Although Distant Relatives was originally scheduled for release in late June, it has since been pushed back to August 2009.

Damian Marley Distant Relatives tour dates

Damian Marley is continuing The Distant Relatives throughout the western US and Canada for a couple more weeks.

• July 30 at 8pm at REDWOOD ACRES FAIR in Eureka, California
• July 31 at 8pm at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon
• August 1 at 8pm at Deer Lake Park in Vancouver, British Columbia (part of Rock the Bells)
• August 2 at 8pm at Shaw Millenium Park in Calgary, Alberta (part of Rock the Bells)
• August 4-5 at 8pm at Belly Up Aspen in Aspen, Colorado
• August 6 at 8pm at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado (part of Rock the Bells)
• August 8 at 8pm at San Manuel Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California (part of Rock the Bells)
• August 9 at 8pm at Shoreline Amphitheatre in San Francisco, California (part of Rock the Bells)

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Nas will be joined on some tour dates by Chali 2na of Jurassic 5. You can get Distant Relative tour concert tickets and join the Distant Relatives mailing list at http://www.peopleproductions.net.

Videos of past Damian Marley performances with Nas

The response to Damian Marley‘s Distant Relatives tour with Nas has been overwhelmingly positive, thanks to live reggae hip hop performances such as these:

Damian Marley and Nas Rock the Bells in Boston

July 18 Rock the Bells performance at the Comcast Center in Mansfield.

Damian Marley and Nas at Rock the Bells in New York

July 2009 performance by Damian Marley at Rock the Bells NY!

About Damian Marley and Nas

Grammy winner Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and legendary hiphop MC Nas first met in 1996, beginning a friendship that recently turned heads and stunned ears with 2005′s Road to Zion, the lead single from Marley’s Welcome to Jamrock album. The Distant Relatives album continues their collaborative relationship and promises more of the same seamless blending of hip hop and roots reggae.

Damian Marley video – Road to Zion featuring Nas

How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look?

Nas started out as a solo artist, releasing his first album in 1994. In 1996 he joined The Firm, then returned to a solo career that earned him a place on MTV’s list of top 10 greatest MCs of all time. If you want to hear more Nas, we recommend starting with his Hip Hop is Dead album. To visit Nas on MySpace, visit www.myspace.com/nas. Damian “Junior Gong” Marley is the son of reggae legend Bob Marley and Jamaica’s 1977 Miss World Cindy Breakspeare. To visit Damian Marley on MySpace, visit www.myspace.com/damianmarley.

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Stephen Marley

Hey Baby, which features hip hop star (and actor) Mos Def is widely regarded as another excellent track on the same album. In addition to the collaboration with Mos Def, Mind Control includes tracks with American rocker Ben Harper.

Stephen Marley has come a long way since starting out with his brothers as a kid with The Melody Makers, having won 5 Grammys as a reggae performer and songwriter. Stephen produced both of Damian Marley‘s Grammy-winning albums and has also produced tracks and albums for Buju Banton, Spearhead, Capleton, Mr. Cheeks, and his brothers brothers Julian and Ziggy Marley.

You can hear Stephen Marley‘s Hey Baby featuring Mos Def for free on imeem or download it from these locations:

• http://web.stephenmarleymusic.com/media/mp3/02_hey_baby_featuring_mos_def.mp3
• http://www.jusflow.com/mysongs/32%20Stephen%20Marley%20%20Hey%20Baby%20-Hey%20Baby%20Riddim.mp3

Stephen Marley’s latest album, Mind Control Acoustic, is now available online at Amazon.com.

More Stephen Marley music is available on his MySpace page. His official website is StephenMarleyMusic.com.

Stephen Marley and Damian Marley Hey Baby video

In addition to releasing the track on the Mind Control album, Stephen Marley also performed it live with brother Damian Marley, as seen in this music video:

“I don’t want to be just another artist. I want to make a statement, and to continue this legacy, this musical legacy, with my family. Just like my brothers… I aspire to be a reckoning force, when you hear my name, you know quality comes with that: good music, good message, good vibe.”

Stephen Marley and Mos Def Hey Baby lyrics

Hey baby don’t you worry
Even though the road is rocky
I’ll be coming home to you again
Cuz if you thought that I was lost
I had to bear my cross
Now I’m free from all these chains

I’ll be gone awhile away from you
And I hope you overstand
That I’ve got to do what I must do
To be a better man

Cuz if I was just to act a fool
Do nothing with myself
Then all my blessings would be cursed
My world would crumble in

It’s a joy when I sit down and think
Of the good times that we have
And what we do to make it through
When the good turns to the bad

Well I hope you find it in your heart and know these words are true
And please don’t fuss because I must go do what I must do

Hey baby don’t you worry
Even though the road is rocky
I’ll be coming home to you again
Cuz if you thought that I was lost
I had to bear my cross
Now I’m free from all these chains

A time, a space
A different place
How perfect we might be
I would be the wind that blows
You’d be that willow tree
And I could never bear the thought
Of you not by my side
So I would be the warmth of day
You’d be the cool of night
And everyday I pray to Jah
That one day you will see
And overstand the fact I must
Fulfill my destiny
I hope you find it in your heart
And know these words are true
And please don’t cry
You know that I must do what I must do

Hey baby don’t you worry
Even though the road is rocky
I’ll be coming home to you again
Cuz if you thought that I was lost
I had to bear my cross
Now I’m free from all these chains

Well, and it’s not easy
Jah knows how I try, I try
So don’t you get weary
Jah knows how I try, I try

Mos Def Lyrics:

God knows,
Life is one big road
with a lot of signs and turns and twists and curves
Even though the road is rocky
My main thing’s to rock and keep on rockin
From city to city, backyard to yard
And we be seeing the sights
Standing under the lights
And the spot is hot, its cold and lonely at night
And I’m ‘feenin’ and I’m dreaming and I’m holding you tight
But hold on, Every single road I roll on
Comes to an end and I’m back home again
So baby please don’t cry
There’s no valley low, and there’s no mountain high
And our love don’t die with the passage of time
It just grows more
And just keep strong
And even though I’m gone, I am never too far
You’re the light thru the dark shining right thru my heart
So my journey must start

Hey baby don’t you worry
Even though the road is rocky
I’ll be coming home to you again
Cuz if you thought that I was lost
I had to bear my cross
Now I’m free from all these chains

Cuz if you thought that I was lost
I had to bear my cross
Now I’m free from all these chains

Stephen Marley on the Blazed and Confused Tour

Stephen is back on that rocky road, joining the Blazed and Confused Tour with Slightly Stoopid and Snoop Doog (who is rumored to be working on his own reggae album). Hopefully he will stay “free from all these chains” and not end up back in a Florida jail, as he did in 2002 for a few hours when he was accused of marijuana possession (the incident was the inspiration for the Iron Bars track on Mind Control).

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