Credit: Found On Internet

On 2nd March I went down to the Custard Factory, an arts development centre in Birmingham, to check out an event on behalf of Jamrock’s own Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley.  Whilst on tour in the UK, Damian had asked the tour’s official radio partners 1Xtra to organise an audience where he could address some of the local youth

The morning after his show at Birmingham Academy, Damian rolled in to an assembled audience of perhaps eighty young people of about college age. Perfectly at ease and open from the beginning, Damian began by expressing his gratitude for all the support he’d been getting over here; his awareness of the success of his father in the UK makes him all the more appreciative of being warmly received by the same audience. 

The questions were then initiated by 1Xtra’s Robbo Ranx, mediating the event, before opening the session up to the floor.  Whilst all of the following questions were asked by genuine members of the audience, Damian’s answers are paraphrased here, and unfortunately the text necessarily lacks his characteristic Jamaican twang.

What advice do you have for any budding UK artists?
Be an honest critic of yourself.  Build up interest in your local area; you need to get the industry to want to invest in you.  Build yourself up in the community through mixtapes and concerts, and keep growing as an artist.

Where does your inspiration come from for performing?
I simply love music, and I love performing.  I give it my all.

Do you feel under pressure to succeed because of your famous roots?
No – if anything I feel support from my family.  My big brother produces for me, and our work is all about the vibe and feel of what we’re doing, what’s all important is that we’re making music.

Reggae artist Sizzla has been banned in this country because of his lyrical content.  Does this affect your lyrical output?
No.  I write my true feelings.  But any publicity is good publicity – a feature in the media over lyrical content is better than none at all.


Local dancehall legend Pato Banton was then invited to ask Damian a question before returning the session to the fans:
Do you feel responsibility to represent and positively influence today’s youth?
Yes – it’s my most important goal.  I don’t have any negative comments about genres – it’s all about communicating a message.  We need people with the right intentions to become involved in education; I hope to use music to influence people.