Boomshots

Tag: Stony Hill

  • Damian Marley Speaks on Jay-Z Collab and ‘Stony Hill’

    Damian Marley Speaks on Jay-Z Collab and ‘Stony Hill’

    Reasoning With Gongzilla

    Just before his big Stony Hill release event at the 40/40 Club in NYC, Damian Marley sat down with Reshma B for an exclusive discussion of his new album and his recent collab with Jay-Z. He reflects on the certified classic status of his song “Welcome to Jamrock,” breaks down the science behind his “Hunting Season” freestyle, explains the cause that makes rude boys “Roar,” and discusses his plans to bring “Medication” to the world. You don’t want to miss this one. Video After The Jump…
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  • WATCH THIS: Damian Marley “Medication” Official Music Video

    WATCH THIS: Damian Marley “Medication” Official Music Video

    Zilla x Ragga Sing Praises To The Plant

    Damian Marley has just released the visuals to his 420 anthem “Medication,” a collaboration with his brother Stephen “Ragga” Marley. Produced by Scheme Engine and directed by the ardent photographer and director Nick Walker, the video was shot on location in the California prison that Jr. Gong recently converted to a growing facility. “The video showcases the night and day of what this prison used to be,” says Gongzilla. “This place used to house human beings and now is a place that houses plants—some of those humans were once upon a time locked up because of these plants. We are showing the contrast, and what has become something positive and beneficial for so many people.” The video also features several patients who have benefited from the use of cannabis for healing purposes. As Ragga puts it: “These are living testimonies of the benefits of this plant. This plant saves lives…. Wake Up! Education before Recreation.” You can watch the video now on TIDAL and get a free 3-month subscription, and check out a clip below. (In related news, Jr. Gong and a team of investors recently acquired the O.G. herb publication High Times magazine for $70 million. Big up yuh chest Mr. Gong!) We’re almost a month away from the July 21st release date of Gongzilla’s fourth studio album, Stony Hill. Video After The Jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Damian “Jr.Gong” Marley ft. Stephen “Ragga” Marley “Medication”

    HEAR THIS: Damian “Jr.Gong” Marley ft. Stephen “Ragga” Marley “Medication”

    Marley Brothers Together For The Healing of the Nation

    April 20th aka 4/20 is the official herbalists’ holiday—as well as Stephen “Ragga” Marley’s birthday. In Miami the celebration began with the launch of Kaya Fest, a celebration of music and herb with the theme of “Education Before Recreation.” During the recent election Florida was one of the states that voted to legalize the herb for medicinal purposes. Rastafari has been calling ganja the “Healing of the Nation” for years so it’s only right to see Bob Marley’s youths fulfilling the vision in this time. While Ragga was celebrating his Earthstrong by kicking off the first annual Kaya Fest in Miami, his younger brother Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley was blocking off the Sunset Strip for a 4/20 celebration in conjunction with High Times magazine. As part of the festivities he premiered a new tune off his forthcoming Stony Hill album—a wicked rub-a-dub style weed tune called “Medication” featuring Ragga Marley. Today, April 22nd—aka Earth Day—Stephen and Damian will come together on stage at Kaya Fest alongside their brothers Ziggy, Julian, and Ky-Mani. This is the first time that has happened since the brothers performed in Africa over 20 years ago—so if you find yourself in Miami today there is still time to witness history. Safe to say there’s going to be some musical magic in the air—and a little bit of medication too.  Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley “Roar Fi A Cause” PREMIERE

    HEAR THIS: Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley “Roar Fi A Cause” PREMIERE

    When The Lion Roars, The Whole Jungle Trembles

    Gongzilla claps a lyrical gun salute in this hardcore reality tune about the rules & laws & codes of conduct that govern life pon di ends—and the lionheart street soldiers who enforce them. “All who perpetrate hafi pack up and run,” Damian spits with an ill rapid-fire flow on this high energy dancehall track produced by Sean “Pow” Diedrick and featuring what sounds like a Buju sample on the chorus. Like the song says, “No shot nah buss when a man a keep treat.” One more wicked piece of tune from the Stony Hill files. Wickedness increase! Audio After The Jump… (more…)

  • Boss of the Year: Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley

    Boss of the Year: Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley

    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… (more…)

  • Damian Marley’s “Joint Venture” in the Ganja Business: “You’re not a Criminal for Smoking Herb”

    Damian Marley’s “Joint Venture” in the Ganja Business: “You’re not a Criminal for Smoking Herb”

    Gongzilla Sets Up Shop,  Forbes Takes Notice

    “It goes without saying that for marijuana the attraction is very natural,” says Damian Jr. Gong Marley in a new interview with Forbes magazine. “Damian Marley Invests in Marijuana Futures” reads the headline in the respected business publication covering the news about the reggae star’s joint venture with Ocean Grown Extracts. As part of their new start-up, Marley and Ocean Grown will be turning a vacant Coalinga, California prison into a medical marijuana manufacturing plant, which Ocean Grown will provide to dispensaries. “I want my kids to look back and be proud of me and say I didn’t sell my soul to earn a dollar, that is very important to me,” he told Forbes.  Continued After The Jump… (more…)

  • Damian Marley Live at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom

    Damian Marley Live at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom

    A Souled-Out Show on the Road to Stony Hill

    Eleven years after welcoming us to Jamrock, Damian Marley is on the road to Stony Hill. It’s not just the name of the marijuana dispensary that the youngest Marley brother is opening near the Denver Bronco’s home field in Colorado. It’s not just the strand of weed that Jr. Gong personally helped to develop and test for said dispensary. Stony Hill, the name of the St. Andrew community north of Kingston where the young Lion grew up, is the title of Damian Marley’s upcoming fourth solo studio album. Full Review, Video & Photos After The Jump… (more…)

  • Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley Speaks on the “Nail Pon Cross” Music Video Controversy

    Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley Speaks on the “Nail Pon Cross” Music Video Controversy

    Judge Not, Lest Ye Shall Be Judged

    After premiering as a Tidal exclusive, Damian Marley’s powerful new video, “Nail Pon Cross” appeared on his Vevo channel earlier this week, bringing the disturbing visuals to the whole wide world. Although it’s not the first music video to feature a crucifixion scene—Damian told Billboard that he was inspired by his friend Nas’s “Hate Me Now” video—there’s still something shocking about watching Bob Marley’s son have nails pounded through his wrists and left on a telephone pole to die. A still from the video posted online generated a flurry of negative comments, especially from Christians who were offended by what they considered a sacriligeous image. “It’s ironic, because I’m being crucified for being crucified,” he recently told the Huffington Post in response to the controversy. Boomshots caught up with Jr. Gong to get his views on the visuals. Video & Interview After The Jump… (more…)

  • HEAR THIS: Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley “Nail Pon Cross”

    HEAR THIS: Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley “Nail Pon Cross”

    Powerful Images and Powerful Music from Junior Gong’s Stony Hill Album

    “Be careful who you nail pon cross,” sings Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley on the new single premiered today from Stony Hill, the long-awaited follow-up to Welcome to Jamrock, which is now scheduled for an October 28 release. The thought-provoking new song is built upon the the musical foundation of Black Uhuru’s “Solidarity.” Sly & Robbie’s thunderous rhythm track provides a backdrop for Damian to speak of respect and tolerance rather than vengefulness and vindictiveness. In the video for the song, set to debut Aug 9th on Tidal, Damian actually gets nailed to a cross alongside a young African-American male, a Mexican immigrant, a Muslim man—and a Los Angeles cop. “The imagery in Nas’s ‘Hate Me Now’ video was made to look like a modern depiction of Christ’s crucifixion. That’s where I got the idea for the ‘Nail Pon Cross’ video,” Damian told Billboard when asked about his inspiration. “I haven’t seen Kanye’s Rolling Stone cover and Madonna’s energy and message is a whole lot different than mine. They thrive on controversy and I am not doing this to be controversial. This is to represent the judgments that people make. So if someone has a problem with the video, that is exactly what the song is talking about.” Audio After The Jump… (more…)