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Post by kaya on Sept 9, 2005 23:10:02 GMT -5
ARTICLE WELCOME TO JAMROCK.....Official album launch today at Bob Marley Museum Observer entertainment writer Friday, September 09, 2005 Described by pundits as an "outrageous and unapologetic" description of poverty and political violence in Jamaica, Welcome To Jamrock, the album by Marley scion and Grammy winning artiste Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley will be officially launched tonight at the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston. The album, Junior Gong's third, will be fully available on the market next Tuesday, September 13. Fourteen original tracks are featured on the new album, which lists 'Junior Gong' and his brother Stephen Marley as the co-executive producers. Damian Marley's other two albums are Mr Marley and the Grammy-awarded Half Way Tree. The Welcome To Jamrock album was recorded in studios in the United States and the Tuff Gong facilities in Jamaica. Only three of the 14 tracks on the album were not produced the Marley siblings. Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley Welcome To Jamrock, the single, has been an outstanding success for 'Junior Gong' topping a number charts worldwide. The album itself the singer says is a diverse mixture of stylings. "It's like going to war. Sometimes you have to wear camouflage to really get in there," says Jr Gong of the diverse appeal of the album. "Dancehall, R&B, hip-hop...it's more about feelings. We're not just trying to do a segment of the mix. We're trying to do the whole mix." Welcome To Jamrock, the album, features two collaborations, one with American rapper Nas (Rode To Zion) and the other (Khaki Suit) with dancehall DJ Bounty Killer and old school chanter Eek A Mouse. "The Welcome To Jamrock album reflects us," Jr Gong says simply. "And I say us 'cause it's not just me that makes the album. We're taking the baton from the elders who made rebel music-we're new leaders of the old school." 'Junior Gong' currently riding a crest of popularity following the success of the Welcome To Jamrock single comes to the launch from London where he was involved in intensive public relations and promotional activities for the album. His visit to London and other areas of Great Britain was preceded by promotional tours including media appearances in the United States. The album, says 'Junior Gong' which is being released on the family's Tuff Gong/Ghetto Youths International label, reflects love, war, and hope. "These are difficult years... and this has been a year of signs and wonders and mystics. We're in a mind opening time now-a lot of people don't have material suffering, but spiritual suffering. Welcome To Jamrock is about hope, and there's still more to share. I'm still very close to the beginning," Junior Gong said. Noted Jamaican educator Dr Clinton Hutton will be the guest speaker at tonight's launch of Welcome To Jamrock. Taken from Jamaica Observer www.jamaicaobserver.com
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Post by kaya on Sept 12, 2005 9:48:51 GMT -5
Damian "Jr Gong" Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock" In Stores Sept. 13! Welcome to Jamrock drops in stores September 13th. To prepare your taste buds, we've put together some irie music and video. First, try the "Welcome to Jamrock" media player. The media player features 5 full tracks from the "Welcome to Jamrock" album, the full "Welcome to Jamrock" video, and downloadable buddy icons. Available in video, a private conversation with "Jr Gong" reveals insight and details into his creative process, making the album, collaborating, his family, and more. Also be sure to check out an excellent interview with 'Jr Gong' that covers the making of the album, his creative process, working with Nas and the Roots, and more. The interview is full of details and insight straight from 'Jr Gong' that it feels like a private conversation. Can't get enough of "Welcome to Jamrock?" Jump on to BET's web site to vote "Welcome to Jamrock" as your favorite video and watch it play on BET's 106 and Park. Visit Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley's for links to the Media Player, interview footage, and to vote on BET! www.damianmarleymusic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley Fall 2005 Tour Dates and Online Ticket Sales Fall 2005 tour dates are announced with shows coast-to-coast starting in St. Petersburg, FL on November 3rd. Ticket presale starts September 6th Visit www.damianmarleymusic.com for tour dates and visit www.damianmarley.tickets.musictoday.com/DamianMarley/ calendar.aspx for online ticket presale. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley to Appear on the Jimmy Kimmel Show 'Jr Gong' will appear on the Jimmy Kimmel show September 19, 2005. Be sure to mark your calendars and check your local listings for station and air times. If you're going to be in the Southern California area and want to be in the audience to see "Jr Gong" on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, visit www.1iota.com/ and RSVP to attend the taping. www.damianmarleymusic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Back to School Wisdom with Tuff Gong Books A welcome companion for any teacher or student, 60 Visions comes fully illustrated with archival photos of Bob and shows how he draws inspiration from his daily life. Here are sixty ways we can heal the world while healing ourselves. Here are sixty visions that cover the world like the waters cover the sea. Here are 60 seeds to plant, one at a time, in the human heart. A must-have for Marley collections and a welcome companion for all who value the wisdom of a true poet of peace. Visit the Tuff Gong Books web site to securely order 60 Visions online. Also be sure to check out other Tuff Gong Books releases, "56 Thoughts" and "The Boy From Nine Mile." www.tuffgongbooks.com From Bob Marley Music Inc
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Post by kaya on Sept 14, 2005 1:00:22 GMT -5
JR GONG' CONNECTS WITH JAMROCK By Michael A Edwards Observer writer Sunday, September 11, 2005 "Respeck, Damian, cause when you seleck, yu conneck!" That was just one of the more colourful expressions of support and good wishes offered to a clearly pleased, if magnanimous Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley on the Jamaican launch of his Welcome To Jamrock disc on Friday night, on the grounds of the 56 Hope Road complex that his father made famous. The large gathering was unanimous in their praise for the artiste and the album, his third, released under a joint arrangement between the Tuff Gong/Ghetto Youths label and record industry giant Universal/Motown. The decision to go with Universal, the Marley scion said, was based as much on family ties as on commercial prospects. Junior Gong signs autographs. "My brothers are on Universal, and my father's catalogue is on Universal so that in a sense gave us more leeway in fulfilling the direction of our career," he said. After a brief but eloquent welcome from MC Paula Anne Porter, the audience heard a dissertation from UWI Professor Clinton Hutton, who expounded, in his halting tone, on the connections between reggae, Rastafari and the social imperatives as represented in both the album, Welcome To Jamrock, and the controversial single. "If the problems of the inner city are not addressed and the people are not given an adequate stake in the affairs of the country, "den all of Jamaica mash up". Members of the audience display their delight at the Welcome To Jamrock launch. With the screening of a promotional video bio (the baby pictures included drew the expected oohs and ahhs from the women), the proceedings were opened to questions and commendations from the media and well-wishers. Speaking with the Observer after the launch, Marley said he was grateful for the support shown the project, and also to see roots reggae music reaching a wider audience, particularly urban Black youth in the US and Europe, which was a long-held ambition of his father. Regarding the heightening of his public profile ensuing from the success of the single, he was taking it all in stride. "Even though this is looking to be my most exposed album to date, is long time I been doing this thing now so we don't really have to get caught up in the hype," 'Junior Gong' said. With the tightly run function at an end, the gathering remained to party and bask in the occasion. Welcome To Jamrock officially becomes available on September 13. Taken from Jamaica Observer www.jamaicaobserver.com
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Post by kaya on Sept 14, 2005 11:37:57 GMT -5
Article Jamaican's Deliver Hot Performance The much-hyped HOT 97 On Di Reggae Tip concert drew a capacity crowd to the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan for performance by Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley, Sean Paul, TOK, Sizzla and Richie Spice, among others. Sean Paul, with the assistance of his dancers, got the crowd moving with Eye Deh a We Knee and Break Out. He then simmered the crowd down with Time Goes On on the popular Tears rhythm in tribute to his dear friend, Dodigan, before whipping them into a frenzy with We Be Burnin'. Sean Paul's The Trinity album is set for release September 27. Dressed in a black pin-striped suit, Damian Marley, was greeted by an explosion of applause as he took to the stage. He immediately raised the energy level to a fever pitch with classics from his Grammy Award-winning album, Half Way Tree, including Still Searching and It Was Written before launching into his current club, radio and BET hit, Welcome to Jamrock. Welcome to Jamrock is the lead single for his sophomore album, which hits stores today. Sizzla rolled through his favourites in an unrelenting, hard-hitting, fast-paced set, dropping line after line from monster jams such as, Rise to The Occasion, Solid as a Rock, Thank You Mama, Just One of Days, It's Burning and Dry Cry. When Sizzla tried to thank the audience and depart the stage, MC Jabba brought him back for an encore. Sizzla was joined on stage by Diddy to complete his performance. Dressed in army fatigues to prove they were on a musical mission, TOK exploded onto the stage and soon had the ladies dancing to a mix of hits from both their previous My Crew, My Dogs and their current Unknown Language album. When Flexx jumped up to do his solo from Eagles Cry, the sound of gunshots rang out through the building and the group left the stage. For awhile no one seemed to know what was happening. Then slowly, TOK and various family members came back on stage dressed in special memorial t-shirts and bearing candles. Over the strains of the Drop Leaf rhythm Bay-C explained that the members of TOK had lost family members and that their current number one hit Footprints (When You Cry) was in tribute to all those affected by loss. After that stirring tribute, the annual HOT 97 On the Reggae Tip concert ended on another high note with a trademark performance by Elephant Man. Taken from Jamaica Observer www.jamaicaobserver.com
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Post by kaya on Sept 19, 2005 20:12:59 GMT -5
Greetings all... Went to the Damian Marley Jamrock Official Record Release Party.....lots of people good vibes. Damian made an early morning appearance and performed. Short but good good show. Can't wait for the House of Blues shows. Big up to all the people in attendance last night.
Photos soon come plus cd review.
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Post by kaya on Sept 20, 2005 19:43:28 GMT -5
Jamrock for the UK Welcome to Jamrock single was released on Monday 19th Sept in the UK on 2 x CD and 12? vinyl. You can also download the single from iTunes, Napster, HMV, Virgin and all legal download sites. The album is also in stores now! "Welcome to Jamrock" Album Downloads Get the entire "Welcome to Jamrock" download at your favorite online music source: iTunes | Napster | Real | Rhapsody | Music Match | MSN | Yahoo Exclusive Digital Download "Jr Gong The Dreadful" @ Target Buy "Welcome to Jamrock" at Target and get an exclusive digital download track, "Jr Gong The Dreadful". From Damian Marley Music.Com www.damianmarleymusic.com
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Post by kaya on Sept 21, 2005 0:35:34 GMT -5
Photos from Jamaican Gold where Damian hosted a record release party for Welcome To Jamrock. Photos Here
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Post by kaya on Sept 30, 2005 21:32:13 GMT -5
Junior Gong debuts at number 13 on the UK Singles chart Red hot Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley continues his chart dominance. After debuting at number seven on the Billboard 200 album chart last week with his latest disc Welcome To Jamrock, the title track single debuts at number 13 on the UK Singles chart. Marley's album slipped six spots from number 42 to number 48 on the UK Album chart. In the US, the album Welcome To Jamrock plunged from number seven to number 22. On the Billboard Hot 100, the single Welcome To Jamrock slipped from number 55 to number 65, while on the R&B Singles chart it slipped from 23 to 26. Taken from the Jamaica Observer www.jamaicaobserver.com
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Post by Jazay on Oct 17, 2005 17:39:46 GMT -5
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Post by kaya on Nov 5, 2005 2:38:23 GMT -5
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Post by kaya on Nov 5, 2005 2:41:55 GMT -5
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Post by kaya on Nov 14, 2005 10:16:53 GMT -5
Bob's son fuels conscious reggae's rebirth Here's another Article. This one is from Spin Magazine. Check it out the link is below. Damian Marley At Spin Magazine.
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Post by kaya on Nov 14, 2005 10:26:03 GMT -5
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Post by kaya on Nov 14, 2005 10:29:35 GMT -5
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Post by kaya on Nov 14, 2005 10:44:48 GMT -5
Marley's son and Nas attack Mugabe by STAFF EDITORS (10/27/2005) Artists like Bob Marley, Burning Spear and Lee Perry countered pop music in the 70's with songs about racism and brotherhood, good and evil and the sins of capitalist society. Today Damian Marley, the youngest son of reggae legend Bob Marley, reverberates through city speakers, echoing the same message that pioneers of his genre sang about 30 years ago but this time throwing salvos at President Robert Mugabe for allegedly running down the country which had a lot of promise when it attained independence in 1980. Damian Marley's third album, `Welcome to Jamrock,' marks the re-emergence of reggae without the dancehall influence that is the trademark of other Jamaican artists like Elephant Man, Beenie Man and Sean Paul. In nearly all of "Jamrock's" 14 tracks, Marley makes a statement about the impact of poverty, crime and capitalism. By far the best-composed and most thoughtful track on the album is `Road to Zion,' an eerie duet that combines Marley's observations on the life of poverty with militant-minded rap artist (Nasir Jones ) Nas. It's really Nas who puts the emotion and desperation into the track lyrically attacking President Mugabe, whom he accuses of "putting rifles to his own people's heads." The duo are well known for their Pan African views which have seen them developing a strong affinity with the troubled Southern African country. Part of the lyrics from Nas go like this, "Sometimes I can't help but feel helpless, I am having day mares in day time wide awake try to relate, this can't be happening like I'm in a dream while I'm walking cause what I'm seeing is hurting, human beings like ghost and zombies President Mugabe holding guns to innocent bodies in Zimbabwe,they make John Pope seem Godly, sacrilegious and blasphemous, in my life time I look back in paths I walked, where savages fought and passengers taught." Damian, whose father graced the historic Independence Day celebrations in 1980 with a special dedication song Zimbabwe, sympathises with Zimbabweans in the song Confrontation in which he uses metaphors to allude to the state of affairs in the country. It contains excerpts of a speech by Haile Selassie I and revolutionary words from his father's buddy Bunny Wailer. Damian explodes into the song with some raw, militant lyrics and excerpts from speeches by Marcus Garvey are thrown in throughout the track. A review of the album describes it as an attempt by the two musicians to, "find answers to urban despair." Recently Zimbabwean urban dwellers were left in despair when Operation Murambatsvina was launched. Damian, who appears on the album cover wearing a Camo Ethiopian-flagged outfit standing amid slums, has been described as a revolutionary. "Jr Gong is here to fight Babylon and isn't leaving until he's dead or victorious," said a music reviewer. One of the songs on the album deals with the theme of the rich, the "haves" who can enjoy vacationing and partying on the banks of the increasingly poor "have-nots". The song has sparked a storm of protest from Jamaican corporates who claim that Marley has presented his homeland in a negative light. This rings a bell locally where people who stand for the truth are perceived to be sell-outs. Last year Nas featured on Jadakiss's (born Jason Phillips) remix of the hit single "Why" in which he questions why America should trade with Zimbabwe. The two join a long list of artistes who have covered themes about Zimbabwe. Names that quickly come to mind are South African jazzist Hugh Masekela, visual artist Chaz Maviyane, Mozambican comedian Dominic Kannavetti and Nicole Kidman who acted in the Hollywood movie the Interpreter. Taken from Zimobserver News Zimbabwe www.zimobserver.com
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