Junior Gong Is Changing The Game In More Ways Than One
On “The Struggle Discontinues,” a track from Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley’s forthcoming album Stony Hill, Gongzilla offers a thought-provoking critique of reggae’s long history as “sufferer’s music.” As the tune puts it: “I don’t wanna sing a song that says ‘the struggle live on’… when will we overcome?” It really should come as no surprise that the artist who gave us hits like “Set Up Shop” and “Hard Work” is all about self-determination and economic advancement. “What we need in reggae music is business visionaries,” he says. “We have a lot of creative, artistic visionaries.” With that in mind, 2016 was a massively successful year for Bob Marley’s youngest youth. His Welcome To Jamrock Reggae Cruise completed its third annual outing, selling out an even bigger vessel than ever before. While the cruise has inspired a few imitators—the sincerest form of flattery—WTJRC has been hailed by Billboard as “the genre’s premiere event.” With the 2017 lineup already announced, cabins are filling up fast. Meanwhile, Damian Marley also announced a foray into the booming herb industry—partnering with Ocean Grown Extracts, which recently acquired an abandoned prison in California which is being converted into a ganja grower—a potent symbol of poetic justice. The company has also entered a “joint venture” with Tru Cannabis to open a medical and recreational dispensary across the street from the NFL stadium in Denver—offering a new way to help keep Bronco tailgaters a “Mile High.” Don’t get it twisted—Jr. Gong’s main focus remains music, as evidenced by the anticipation for Stony Hill , the follow-up to his classic, certified Gold, double-Grammy-winning album Welcome To Jamrock. But it’s also true that rather than playing along, Zilla’s determined to change the game. “I’m working toward killing the struggle,” says Marley. “Not killing people’s ambition to better themselves, but killing the feeling that you have to be a struggler.” In recognition of his transformative power moves in 2016, Boomshots names Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley the Boss of the Year. Photos And Video After The Jump…
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