Boomshots

Category: Marley

  • Stephen “Ragga” Marley Reveals “Fruit of Life” Album Art, Release Date, and Tour Schedule

    Stephen “Ragga” Marley Reveals “Fruit of Life” Album Art, Release Date, and Tour Schedule

    The Second Chapter of Revolation Is Upon Us

    Never one to rush perfection, Stephen “Ragga” Marley announced one of the most anticipated release dates in all of reggae music. The long-awaited second installment of his two-part Revelation set will arrive July 22—the final day of a 44-stop U.S tour, which kicks off later this month in Humboldt County, CA. Following in the footsteps of Revelation Part I: The Root of Life (2012), which earned the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album on the strength of classic singles like “Jah Army” featuring Damian Marley & Buju Banton and “No Cigarette Smoking” featuring Melanie Fiona as well as “Selassie is the Chapel” featuring Ziggy Marley, Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life already boasts powerful tracks like “Rockstone” featuring Capleton & Sizzla and “Ghetto Boy” featuring Bounty Killer & Mad Cobra. Whereas The Root of Life is more a traditional roots reggae album, The Fruit of Life will utilize a diversified sonic palette to express the far-reaching impact Jamaican music has had on various genres, especially hip hop.  Produced by Marley, Fruit of Life contains 18 new tracks featuring a variety of  collaborations with the likes of Rick Ross, Pit Bull, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Iggy Azalea, Waka Flocka, Dead Prez, Rakim, DJ Khaled, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy, Black Thought (of The Roots), Bounty Killer, Sizzla, Capleton, Ky-Mani Marley, Jo Mersa and more. Tour Dates After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Chronixx x Eesah “Perfect Tree” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Chronixx x Eesah “Perfect Tree” Official Music Video

    Chronixx x Eesah Engage in a Melodic Steam Session

    Chronixx opens with horns blazing, as he rides effortlessly over the beat from Black Star’s “Respiration” exhaling words of righteousness: “High grade never hurt nobody. Let herb be free on earth nuh daddy.” You’ve guessed it: it’s another ganja anthem, but this one requires a higher meditation to fully comprehend the meaning behind the “Perfect Tree.” Let’s begin with origins of Rastafari and the Legalize It movement. Bob Marley and the Wailers advocated for the legalization of herbs for the masses. Peter Tosh was a vocal proponent of green living throughout the ’70s. Before the Wailers, a man by the name of Leonard Howell built the Pinnacle as a sustainable community in colonial Jamaica with an economic base of agriculture and yup, marijuana. Video After The Jump…

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  • Will There Be A Distant Relatives Reunion at This Year’s 9Mile Music Festival?

    Will There Be A Distant Relatives Reunion at This Year’s 9Mile Music Festival?

    If The Stars Align This Weekend In Miami, Anything Can Happen

    The 9 Mile Music Festival was established in 1993 as the brainchild of Cedella Marley Booker in honor of her son, Robert Nesta Marley. Formerly known as Marley Fest and The Caribbean Music Festival, the event has been renamed 9 Mile after Bob’s birthplace as well as his final resting place—the little village in St. Ann Parish that lies at the heart of the Marley legacy. More than a concert,  the 9 Mile Music Festival provides millions of canned goods to local homeless shelters and domestic centers throughout Miami; feeding families in need for months after the show is over. For 22 years, the concert has required canned goods in addition to the price of admission, and it always will. Given its strong ties to the Marley family, the show is always packed with reggae royalty, and this year is no exception, with Stephen “Ragga” Marley, Julian “JuJu Royal” Marley, and their nephew Skip Marley all scheduled to perform this Saturday, February 27th. In addition, both Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Nas are billed—and while each of these living legends will be performing his own set, anticipation is in the air that the two lyrical giants may join forces on stage to recreate the magic of their 2010 album Distant Relatives.  Full Details After The Jump… (more…)

  • Cannabis Cup Band Celebrates 20th Anniversary Bob Marley Tribute in New York City

    Cannabis Cup Band Celebrates 20th Anniversary Bob Marley Tribute in New York City

    Bringing the Spirit of the Tuff Gong to the Concrete Jungle

    On Saturday, February 6, 2016, reggae lovers around the world celebrated the life and music of Robert Nesta Marley, the undisputed King of Reggae. In Times Square, the heart of New York City, the Cannabis Cup Band (CCB) of all-stars, paid tribute to one music’s greatest legends. This year marked the  20th Anniversary of this band coming together to celebrate the music of Bob Marley. Furthermore, it was also the 8th year that the evening event was preceded by a Kids’ Concert—all of which attracted a record-breaking  turnout. More After The Jump… (more…)

  • Marley Natural Mystic Blowing Through The Air

    Marley Natural Mystic Blowing Through The Air

    Excuse Me While I Light My Spliff

    Just last Friday in Los Angeles, Marley Natural announced the launch of their highly line of premium cannabis products. “We are fortunate to be living during a promising time of positive change, especially with regard to cannabis and how people understand it,” said Cedella Marley, Bob’s firstborn child, who heads up the family’s business affairs. “My dad would be so happy to see so many people appreciating the natural, healing power of the herb. We are thrilled to be sharing Marley Natural products with the world just in time for his 71st birthday.” The family-owned company, which has been in the works for more than a year, attracted investment from major players like Peter Thiel, the founder of Paypal.  Marley Natural’s inaugural product line includes four different strains of all-natural, locally-sourced, sun-grown cannabis flower (aka buds) and oil, which will be available in California for starters, but is expected to roll out nationwide as marijuana laws. (Last year legal cannabis sales exceeded $5 billion in the U.S. alone) Marley Natural also offeres a line of body care products made from hemp seed oil and other Jamaican botanicals as well as a collection of “smoking, storage and preparation accessories”—what Babylon used to call “drug paraphernalia.” More Details After The Jump… (more…)

  • Ten Great Bob Marley Songs You Probably Never Heard

    Ten Great Bob Marley Songs You Probably Never Heard

    The Songs That Made The Gong A Legend Are Not All On Legend

    Bob Marley’s greatest hits collection Legend is the top-selling reggae album of all time, with at least 15 million copies sold—according to the RIAA website. It’s a good bet the actual numbers are a lot higher, but let’s just say that the 15 tracks on that album have served as most people’s introduction to the Tuff Gong—and to reggae music overall. But like the song says, “Half the story has never been told.” Even if you’ve collected all of Marley’s albums for Island Records you could still spend a lifetime exploring his work with Scratch Perry, Coxsone Dodd, Leslie Kong, Danny Sims, or Randy’s Studio 17. In honor of Robert Nesta Marley’s 71st Birthday, we’ve gathered some of our favorite rarities and under-rated Marley classics. Most will come as a revelation to your average Legend listener. A serious reggae fan will have heard at least a few before. If you know all ten of these already, nuff respect. Rock on, Tuff Gong. Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • Download the House of Marley x Boomshots Welcome To Jamrock Reggae Cruise Zeen

    Download the House of Marley x Boomshots
    Welcome To Jamrock Reggae Cruise Zeen

    Our 2015 Zeen Is The Next Best Thing To Being On Board

    “All in the Same Boat,” Bob Marley sang on The Wailers’ 1971 Boomshot “Don’t Rock My Boat,” produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry, “Rockin’ on the same rock / Got to get together, loving each other.” This lyric isnpired the title for the 2015 Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise Zeen, the official guide to who’s who and what’s happening on our second annual seafaring excursion. The limited edition Zeen contains origjnal interviews and full-color photos of all 23 acts on board—Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Stephen Marley, Julian Marley, Ky-Mani Marley, Third World, Sly & Robbie, Maxi Priest, Super Cat, Bounty Killer, Popcaan, Elephant Man, Cham, Tarrus Riley, Morgan Heritage, Protoje, Tanya Stephens, and many more—plus all 10 champion sound systems. It also contains QR code links to exclusive Boomshots content—interviews and live performances direct from the cruise.  If you didn’t make it on this year’s cruise, the Zeen is the next best thing to being there. There’s even a discount code for House of Marley audio gear. Download Link After The Jump…
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  • WATCH THIS: Stephen Marley ft. Bounty Killer & Cobra “Ghetto Boy” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Stephen Marley ft. Bounty Killer & Cobra “Ghetto Boy” Official Music Video

    Ragga, Killa & Snake Star Inna Brand New Story As Old As Babylon

    Year in, year out, the cycle continues. From Cabrini Green to Cidade de Deus to Tivoli Gardens, somebody is out there manipulating the minds of the ghetto youths and pressing their buttons on a divide-and-rule mission to spread misery and violence and disunity in the community. Like his father before him, Stephen Marley reveals the inner workings of the Babylon system with music as his only weapon and Killa and Cobra as his lyrical henchmen—because that’s what Ghetto Youths do. The visuals pick up where the tune left off. No long talking. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Stephen “Ragga” Marley ft. Bounty Killer & Mad Cobra “Ghetto Boy”

    HEAR THIS: Stephen “Ragga” Marley ft. Bounty Killer & Mad Cobra “Ghetto Boy”

    Ragga links the Warlord & Helta Skelta on this Musical Boomshot 

    Twanging guitars straight out of a Wild West cowboy movie open the latest track from musical mastermind Stephen “Ragga” Marley, which soon transforms into a hard-hitting dancehall cut featuring Ragga, Killer, and Mad Cobra kicking lyrical ballistics. “I think we need to open up the conversation more,” Stephen Marley explained in a recent Esquire interview. “Why is gun violence happening on a global scale? When, where, and what age does it start? We see the U.S. media addressing it now to a certain degree, but this is happening all over the world, with or without the cameras rolling. We need to get to the root of the problem, starting from the top down to break the cycle.” Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life coming soon!  Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Black-Am-I “In The Ghetto” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Black-Am-I “In The Ghetto” Official Music Video

    One More Good Thing About Music…

    “I don’t do hype, I do music,” Black-Am-I remarked backstage at a recent stop of the Set Up Shop tour. Born in the village of Nine Mile (the birthplace of Robert Nesta Marley, among others) Black-Am-I linked up with Damian Marley and eventually signed with the Ghetto Youths International posse. His latest single off the Set Up Shop Vol. 2 compilation celebrates the power of music to alleviate sufferation. Whether you’re listening at a streetside sound-system dance or aboard a luxury liner, this rub-a-dub selection sure sounds sweet.  Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Skip Marley “Cry To Me” PREMIERE

    HEAR THIS: Skip Marley “Cry To Me” PREMIERE

    Debut Single From The Grandson of The Tuff Gong

    “Music is freedom for me,” says Skip. “I want people to just feel the music and let it be anything they want to make of it.” As the grand-nephew of Marcia Griffiths, the grandson of Bob and Rita Marley, and the son of Cedella Marley of Melody Makers fame, it’s safe to say he comes a strong musical background. Skip wrote and arranged “Cry to Me,” his debut single on Tuff Gong International, which is not to be confused with his grandfather Gong’s tune from the Rastaman Vibration album. The new song was co-produced with Paul Fakhourie, who’s worked with the likes of Lauryn Hill, Stephen Marley, Damian Marley and Nas. Born in Kingston and raised in Miami, Skip’s music is not limited by genre. He describes this song as “a message for this girl I know, well really a message for everybody who seems to focus on their insecurities… I’m just saying it’s cool to be who you are. Don’t let society deceive you and make you believe you’re not enough.” With penetrating, thoughtful lyrics and haunting melodies, this is one tune you don’t want to skip. Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • WATCH THIS: Jo Mersa “Rock and Swing” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Jo Mersa “Rock and Swing” Official Music Video

    Brand New Visuals From The Young Raggamuffin

    Jo Mersa continues to step up lyrical game as he trods forward amongst his father Ragga and uncle Zilla. Bob Marley’s 23-year-old grandson is emerging as a wicked DJ who’s blazing his own trail with a fresh youthful approach that still respects the family legacy. His new video—shot by dread director Ras Kassa (the man responsible for Jr. Gong’s “Welome to Jamrock” visuals)—intercuts archival footage of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I with glimpses of kids riding skateboards in downtown Kingston. The bass-heavy rub-a-dub riddim with its echo-chamber horns should have the sound systems vibrating while Mersa touches on social issues from rape and pedophilia to dirty politics,  yet still keeps the energy upful. “I wanted to show the alternative of how beautiful life is,” states Mersa, “to love it and appreciate the gift of life. His toughest tune yet couldn’t have arrived a at a better time—just as the Ghetto Youths tour prepares to touch the road in support of Set Up Shop Vol. 2. Video After The Jump… (more…)