Lmisscutie: Is the Roots Rock Reggae Festival tour the first time all of you have performed together?

Damian Marley (26yrs.old): Formally, this is the first time all of us are built on the same tour and you know every brother who is in music is here, it is a historical event and long overdue. Over the years I would go on the Melody Makers tours maybe just to watch or we use to open for them once upon a time. For us really still it’s like another day together, which we really do everyday you know what I mean, so is really what it is like for the public. In terms of for us, it’s like a natural thing cause we are always together.

Lmisscutie: You, Shiah Coore (son of Third World guitarist Cat Coore) and Yashema Beth McGregor (the daughter of Freddie McGregor and Judy Mowatt) were in a group called the Shepherds why did that group end?

Damian: Well Shepherds was the first group I was involved in. I started from singing in my aunt’s living room until we started doing like Mother’s Day show until we reach Sunsplash and it was a group of youths who really loved to play music at the time, but maybe not everyone had the focus to play music as their occupation of choice. So as time goes by people have different interest so we kind of just drift.

Lmisscutie: How did you get the name Jr. Gong?

Damian: Jr. Gong, the incident that really brought it up was one day they was having a function at what is now the Bob Marley museum which was my fathers house in Jamaica and they were having a function there and I came to the gate and there was a lot of security and a lot of people gathered around the gate and one of the security officers recognized me and was like “yow open the gate, open the gate, a Gong Jr., Gong Jr.” cause they use to call my father Gong so then you know being a dancehall artist then in that aspect you know they don’t usually go by you would a say their given name in terms of  their normal papers name you have a alias so Jr. Gong kind of fit in still.

Lmisscutie: Tell us about the Ghetto Youth Production Label, the album "Mr. Marley" was released on and does it still exist?

Damian: Yea well Ghetto Youths is what you would say the youth side of Tuff Gong in terms of the rebellious street side of Tuff Gong you know. You have Tuff Gong which is the label which is started by our father and Ghetto Youth is the branch of the label which was started by my bigger brothers Steve and Ziggy. The purpose of it was really to voice artist that per say you wouldn’t really put on Tuff Gong, maybe their lyrics might have been a little bit too raw or too street to really put on Tuff Gong as a more sacred label you know so that is Ghetto Youths and Ghetto Youths is still definitely in action because I am still definitely very much a ghetto youth artist.

Lmisscutie: Tell us what it is like being a son of a musical prophet?

Damian: Well it’s an honor you know what I mean and a privilege. For us still it’s a natural experience in terms of that is our father and that is who we get to know him as first before getting to know him as a prophet you understand, so in that sense it’ very natural but at the same time you know we could never be ungrateful so it is a very honorable thing.

Kymani (28yrs.old): Being a son of a musical prophet, words really can’t describe that feeling. It is a overwhelming feeling to know that my father was such a great man and so many people across the globe loved him and still love him till this day for me to put that in wording would be very hard

Lmisscutie: In what way are you different from your father musically?

Damian: Musically me is a chanter me is a deejay or what you would a call here in America a rapper only thing we use a little more melody so in that sense that is the main difference I would say between me and my father.

Lmisscutie: What has been the hardest thing in you career for you to deal with?

Damian: The hardest thing in my career to deal with I can’t really say anything is hard. We love playing music, we love making music, we love singing music so really when dealing with things you know within the aspect of my career everything is more or less fun or because I am so highly motivated because of my love of music it doesn’t really seem hard to me. Maybe being on camera then might be one of the hardest things for me.

Kymani: So far so good I have not really faced any hardship I mean other than the devious business itself, other than the dog eat dog business from the carpet side of it, I mean other than that as far as I am concerned musically being on the road producing writing everything has been good.

Lmisscutie: When can we expect another album from you and what will it be like?

Damian: Well I almost finish working on my next album now which we don’t really decide on the title yet we have a few options but I wouldn’t want say before it  is real but hopefully early next year we a look to really drop it still. Expect growth between Half Way Tree and this one just as there was growth between Mr. Marley and Half Way Tree. Practice make perfect the more you do your thing is the better you get at it so that is the most me can really say about that.

Kymani: You can expect my next album late this year preferable early next year and it will be a diverse album it will have a lot of hip hop groove some west coast grooves as you heard “Slow Role” on stage tonight that is one of them so it definitely will be a diverse you will hear a lot of hip hop influence.

Lmisscutie: Which do you enjoy more, singing or acting?

Kymani: I enjoy them both, one more than the other than I would have to pick singing that is where I am most comfortable but I like the art of acting also that is the next way for me to express myself. “Shottas” part two will start filming the end of this year the director and the writer, we are looking to work with Queen Latifah Production Company and my role will be Biggs (Kymani laughs).

Lmisscutie: How do you feel about Dancehall music crossing over?

Damian: Well a long time we a say still that we see the both cultures or the both genres of music to be the same in the sense of hip hop really evolves out of dancehall music when you really check the roots of hip hop and it kind of really a come from the same social class of people in terms of you know its street music it speaks for the streets it is the voice of the people of the streets both dancehall and hip hop.

Kymani: We love that! Dancehall music before me start sing a deejay me use to deejay so dancehall is you know what I mean I remember my mother use to take me to Yellow man concert and dem ting deh so from me eye deh a me knee me love dancehall we really appreciate the notice it a get right now in mainstream.

Rastafari!  We a deal with oneness, love, equality for all and justice for all….Damian Marley

Let love rule! ....Kymani Marley