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.

Worldwide Woman @ the Westside
living on her own individual personal musical Wave..

ROOTZ FLAVA nasce da un'idea di Orde nel 2000 in concomitanza con l’apertura del centro d’aggregazione Patchanka di Montà d’Alba, per sviluppare e condividere le sonorità della musica  reggae nel territorio roerino.
Per alcuni anni si è legato il nome a quello del locale, fino alla fondazione del gruppo musicale Malaweeda che ha visto il fondatore defilarsi, per lasciare spazio alle nuove entrate di Dema e Maso che insieme a Paolo A. (già presente fin dalla nascita del progetto) decidono di dare maggior risalto al sound, iniziando a suonare in vari locali e luoghi della zona ma non solo (Vibra di Modena, Muretto delle Vallette, Sound Factory, Askatasuna, Covo della Taranta e Giancarlo a Torino, Bornasco Reggae Festival, Reggae Across di River a Casale Monferrato, Mako Bombo Clan di Ventimiglia, Ecovillaggio di Torri Superiore, Reggae Sciallo Party Verzuolo (CN), Stura River a Fossano ecc).
Dal 2003 in poi si sono sviluppate collaborazioni e si è suonato accanto a vari nomi della scena reggae torinese (Miraflowers, Zuli, Madò Che Crew, High Tower, Gigavawe ecc), nazionale (Mr T-Bone, Malaweeda, Tarantola Sound, Dj Gruff, Dj Piddu, Bria Sound, Hashishimmia, Casabrasa, Generale, Jakalone, Working Vibez ecc) ed internazionale (gli austriaci Soundgood, Mono e Nikitaman, Zion Train, i jamaicani General Trees e Black Scorpio  e il dj anglo-jamaicano General Levy). 
Sono state effettuate anche collaborazioni con sounds e djs non propriamente reggae come Feel Good Productions, Hi Life Connection, Mostricci of Sound, Carovana Linguamano e il rapper Esa.
Nel febbraio 2006 Rootz Flava è stata ospite della trasmissione radiofonica Nun Te Reggae Crew del Venerdì su Radio Black Out.
Nell’estate del 2004, 2005 e 2006 insieme all’associazione Tazebao si sono ospitati nel territorio roerino, artisti del calibro di YELLOWMAN, THE CULTURE e EEK A MOUSE mentre nell’inverno 2006 EVERTON BLENDER, nel 2005 la FULLY FULLYWOOD BAND con un tributo a  PETER TOSH e nel 2002 MAD PROFESSOR feat ZAKEYA da Londra.

Il 2013 inizia con il ritorno in pianta stabile di Orde, parallelamente a un po' di novità interne alla crew.
A partire da quest'anno,infatti, si sta cercando di intraprendere la via della produzione con collaborazioni a 360° e con la più grande apertura mentale e artistica possibile, tenendo sempre d'occhio tutti gli aspetti positivi che l'essere fuori dai circuiti del business musicale conferisce a visioni del genere.
Con la massima disponibilità vorremmo coinvolgere tutti coloro all'interno dell'ambiente prettamente musicale ma non solo: tutte le arti e le visioni sono ben accette, e qui ci rivolgiamo in particolare a chi ci conosce e a chi è del territorio roerino, perchè nel nostro piccolo vogliamo ricordare che qua sono le nostre radici che amiamo e rispettiamo,ma al tempo stesso che proprio da qui si puo' partire per dimostrare che il roero non offre solo colline,vini,tartufi e ottimo cibo,ma anche un numero considerevole di artisti giovani pieni di ottime idee in molteplici ambienti.
Cantanti, produttori, artisti, writers, fonici, baristi, rappers, pittori, scultori, psicologi, mediatori matrimoniali, suonatori, registi, tutte le categorie sociali e tutti i lavoratori fatevi avanti. (unici esclusi le divise).

Per contatti : rootzflava@libero.it     +39 3480818571    + 39 339 1078035

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