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.

Jamaican dancehall entertainer Eton “Kalado” Gordon was born and raised in the Maxfield Park area of Kingston, until he moved to Clarendon at the age of five. He attended Edwin Allen High School, with a keen focus on the visual arts. 

After graduating from high school, he returned to Kingston to pursue his artistic passion, which by then had transcended to music. Kalado’s musical influences included Bounty Killer, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Drake, Lil’ Wayne and Eminem.

To hone his skills, Kalado would frequently attend local dub plate and recording studios. After this, Kalado founded G-Law Records, and released singles such as Badmind A Kill Dem, Sad Streets, and others. 

His work with producers J Cannon, ICON, Cash Flow, Hitmaker and extensive work with producer Dre Day caught the attention of Jamaican music legend Bounty Killer, who invited him to become a part of his Alliance Next Generation musical clique. 

Bounty Killer collaborated with Kalado on the 2012 single When She Wine, which was followed by the popular Nuh Gyal Caan Tear Mi and Whole Night. These records prepared him for the groundbreaking year that 2013 would be for him.

In 2013, Kalado became a formidable force in the dancehall music industry as he became a radio staple for the general public with the singles Make me Feel, Good Good Bring Life, and Body Nuh Dead. These songs became immensely popular, accumulating millions of views on YouTube, topped charts and led to several media outlets to position Kalado as dancehall’s next elite member. A testament to this was the overwhelming crowd response that Kalado received for his performance at the Youth View Awards in February 2014.

For 2014, Kalado has already seen success with the release of his Pree Money and Gyal/Pay Dem Nuh Mind medley video. The medly video has reached the number one spot on CVM’s Hitlist, and is currently still charting within the top five tier of TVJ’s Entertainment Report. The video has also been an internet favourite on industry-leading blogs and websites. 

To further cement his mark, Kalado is working on his debut extended play, slated for completition later year. Until the project’s release, listeners can look out for his singles Jealously In The Air, Yardcore Sex, Out In Time, and Turn It Dah Way Yeh. Another single, the afrobeat-tinged Personally, will be receiving a visual treatment for release in April due to immense fan demand.

In addition to singles, listeners can look out for an electronic dance music remix of Make Me Feel, and Kalado performances in the Caribbean, Canada, UK, and wider Europe this year.

Dwd Sombé is following