Damian Robert Nesta Marley, also known around the world as “Junior Gong” and more recently as “Gongzilla” was born in 1978 to parents Bob Marley and Cindy Breakspeare, Miss World 1976.  As a young adult, he developed a passion and a gift to speak for those who cannot always speak for themselves. A self-proclaimed ‘Spiritual Revolutionary’, Damian has worked assiduously to carve his own niche in music history and to add a new perspective to the Marley legacy for the 21st century. 

At the age of 13, Damian began performing in a group called “The Shepherds” which comprised of Shiah Coore (son of Third World guitarist Cat Coore) and currently a member of his band, and Yashema Beth McGreggor, daughter of reggae singers Freddie Mcgreggor and Judy Mowatt and then began touring with his brothers, Stephen, Ky-mani, Julian and Ziggy. 

By 1996, Damian had already made his stamp as a different kind of Marley when he released his first solo album “Mr. Marley”, a heavily dancehall-influenced album produced by his brother Stephen Marley.  His second album “Halfway Tree” was released in 2001 by a major record label and showcased Damian’s unique gift for blending dancehall, reggae and hip-hop styles.  This album won Damian much recognition and remained on the Billboard Top Reggae Album Charts for 158 weeks and earned him his first Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2002. 
While honored by this recognition by the global music fraternity, Damian continued to work in the studio, laying the groundwork for the tracks that would become his highly anticipated album, “Welcome To Jamrock”. The lyrics in this album presented Marley as a true spiritual revolutionary, as he used his talent to evoke a spiritual change while trying to enforce a better way of thinking.  He is described as “rhyming with the conviction of a street preacher with the intellect of a university economist”.  

Damian’s hit single “Welcome to Jamrock” was listed as one of the Top 100 Songs of the Decade by Rolling Stone, and at the 2006 Grammy Awards, he won Best Reggae Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance for Welcome to Jamrock. Damian is the only Jamaican reggae artist in history to win two Grammy Awards on the same night. He is also the only reggae artist to win in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category at the Grammy Awards. The New York Times called Welcome to Jamrock the “best reggae song of the decade.” 
Welcome to Jamrock led the pathway to Damian’s critically acclaimed collaboration with Nas for 2010’s much lauded album “Distant Relatives” – a project which explored the relationships between reggae, hip-hop and Africa. The album title refers not only to the bond between the artists, but the connection to their African ancestry, which inspired the album both musically and lyrically. USA Today referred to the album as a “potent and often provocative collaboration” and by Rolling Stone as “an Afrocentric winner.” The album debuted at Number 5 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and Number 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Rap Albums and Reggae Albums charts, with Billboard heralding the album as “a dynamic hybrid.”    

The Distant Relatives Tour kicked off in 2011 and saw Damian traveling and performing for thousands of fans all over the world, including South America, Europe, The United Kingdom, The Caribbean and North America.  

Damian continued to cross musical boundaries in 2012, as he went on to partner with Skrillex for their groundbreaking track “Make It Bun Dem”, which Rolling Stone called “a monster mash up of dubstep and dancehall” and has led to several remixes of the original version.  Damian recently released two other singles; “Set Up Shop” and  “Affairs of the Heart” which both received widespread airplay. 

Damian continues to tour with his band all over the world as a way of entertaining and healing as he continues to spread the message for those whose voices cannot be heard. He is working with his brothers Stephen and Julian under their Ghetto Youths International Label, to discover, develop and sign gifted artistes by applying their musical talent and vast experience to create new and different styles of music.  

Damian is currently in the studio working on his upcoming solo album.

Creative Commons project. New digital single every monday since 2009. Stimulating people to listen, download, share and remix.

RocketNumberNine (UK), Ocelote Rojo (CHI), Monster Rally (USA), Delicate Steve (USA), Great Lake Swimmers (CAN), Frederik Teige from Efterklang (DK), Barzin (CAN), Anders Ilar (SWE), CIVIL CIVIC (AUS), Venice (IT), Southern Shores (CAN), 1-Speed Bike from Godspeed You! Black Emperor (CAN), A Weather (USA), Yawn (USA), Beat Culture (US), Gareth Dickson (UK), worriedaboutsatan (UK), golau glau (UK), Gaspar Claus (FR), Teamforest (DE), The American Dollar (USA),  Fuji Kureta (TUR), Possimiste (EST), memotone (UK), Ricky Eat Acid (US), Falcon Lake (UK), Louis Aguilar (FR), American Green (JP), NQ (DE), Good Weather For An Airstrike (UK), Desmond &amp; the Tutus (ZA), Symfoniorkestern (SWE), Talvihorros (UK), junior85 (IRL), Foxes In Fiction (CAN), BABY JAZZ (USA), All India Radio (AUS), Bomarr (US), Inca Gold (UK), Bing &amp; Ruth (USA), endsnotnear (JP), Útidúr (IS), Johnny Hawaii (FR),  The Echelon Effect (UK), James Irwin (CAN), Ergo Phizmiz (UK), Populous (IT), Kira Kira (IS), James Yates (UK), Ori (ISR), Boy Without God (US), Le Chevalier (CA), a.damned.age (DE), trog'low (CAN), Lost Boy? (USA), Berlinist (ESP), Errnois (IT), The Great Red Shark (US), The Parish Of Little Clifton (CA) and many more.&#13;
&#13;

We are your one stop shop for all your music production needs. ￼

SPYDER

AKA Da Chieff

Sir William

Clark Kent

 

SKILLS

Rapper

Producer

Businessman (Sales)

Recording Engineer

Video Director

 

 

To name oneself after a spider is a HEAVY claim...meaning he/she has multiple arms and multiple hands in many things. William Cole aka Spyder has been a well known jack-of-all-trades for some time. Hailing from Capitol Heights, Maryland (and D Street NE DC respectively), Da Fire Chieff has seen the music scene of the DMV rise and fall and go through every phase to find it's way in the current climate. His offering: TRUTH MUSIC. "Truth Music to me...is life. The ups and downs, good and bad. Christ is the way...the truth and through life the only way to the Most High is through Him" he informs when asked what his brand of music is.

 

As a refound Hebrew Israelite, he shoulders the responsibility of not just providing music to rock to, but with the same underlying message and meaning of his lifestyle. The same Spyder just heard blasting his truths through your car speakers is the SAME Spyder you'll see on your YouTube notifications, speaking a morning motivation or showing the recipe to a food cuisine that improves the listeners health and well being. Coming from the areas he's been raised in, crime and danger were no strangers to him early on in life, so like most his age he fell to the streets temptation. Learning to make a negative a positive, this gave him the range to speak on the change from the streets to better living as someone that's LIVING PROOF.

 

The journey to Truth Music awarded him skills to produce, engineer, and video direct/edit with some of the DMV's most prominent rising talent as well as staples of the scene. Notables are his work with Paisley The Hebrew ("Still At It"), "Running Man" with PolohCo, and "I Don't Stress" with Bravo. Also to balance his repertoire, he posts daily on his YouTube channel life gems and has worked with producers such as 66 Books Productions and currently Mad Fire Entertainment. Showing no signs of slowing down, expect only to see more of Spyder Da Chieff and his signature slogan (YESH) on even bigger projects, not just because his natural talent always won over a crowd...but because real recognize real and he is respected from all walks of life for being a man that lives every word he recites...#YESH

Ronald Capitol Hoston is following