The 45-year-old, Kingston, Jamaica-born singer/songwriter Damian Marley is a chip off the old block. The son of legendary artist Bob Marley, Damian is a talent when it comes to his solo performances as well as in collaboration with other high-profile artists like iconic rapper Nas (see below).
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But with all that history, talent, experience, and familial connection, one might wonder what Marley has to say about his life, craft, love, and the world around him. Below, we will dive into just that.
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Indeed, these are the 20 best Damian Marley quotes.
1. “Everything I’ve experienced, things that my friends have experienced and we talk about, things that are on the news—all aspects of life are in my message.”
2. “I record all night and sleep all day.”
3. “I grew up in uptown Jamaica; I went to a rich school. I was raised by my mother and my stepfather; they made sure education came before anything. I had a good childhood, and grew up spending time with my bigger brothers and sisters. My people are good people. I was exposed to a lot of different kinds of people and culture.”
4. “It might sound like I’m a dreamer, but economic models have reached their height of evolution. Technology has evolved. What hasn’t evolved is mankind’s spirituality; everything is from 3,000 years ago. With spirituality comes morals, a better way of thinking.”
5. “I think after a time there won’t be anything left to be interesting for mankind. Computers are about to do everything for us. Cell phones are smarter than we are. We’ll embrace spirituality because we’ll be bored of everything else.”
6. “It’s my luck to be at the frontier of what looks to be a resurrection of roots music on the international scene. That’s really what reggae music is about, that voice against oppression and struggle.”
7. “Jamaica full of ghetto, but boy, I tell you: me never see it like that.”
8. “I like singing all songs, really, but I find that writing social commentary comes naturally.”
9. “The whole world is set up so that for places like Switzerland to exist, that are crime-free and with the best care for everybody, you have to have places like Sudan, or Jamaica. But really, there’s enough to share, when you check it. It’s not that complicated, really. It’s probably less thinking and more feeling that’s required.”
10. “By the time Africa is developed, it will be the wonderland of the world, ’cause it will be able to make use of all the mistakes of other nations. But it nah go just drop out of the sky. So we have to put in work.”
11. “We take for granted electricity, water, even concerts. Count your blessings.”
12. “I would never say that being Bob Marley’s son has been a pressure. It has been a door opener.”
13. “Technology has changed things, same as everywhere. But the economy has changed drastically. When Jamaica first won independence, our dollar was stronger than the U.S. dollar. Now ours is about 90 to one. That’s had a big impact on crime and poverty.”
14. “You say ‘African music’ and you think ‘tribal drumming.’ But there’s a lot of African music that’s like James Brown, and a lot, too, that sounds very Hispanic.”
15. “Coming where I’m coming from, really, my family name isn’t a pressure because, you know, music is not like sports, where you can go and do a hundred reps in a gym and come out and be all buffed up. Music is an expression of what’s inside of you. And that’s how I make music.”
16. “My father has been a voice of encouragement in times of desperation for so many people. But he died when I was so young that, for me, his music has been a way for me to get to know him better.”
17. “Everyone is related to Africa; everyone comes from Africa. We are all distant relatives.”
18. “I’m about 5′ 10″, and my hair is the length of my whole body now. We grow our hair because of faith, but it’s getting heavy. Most of the rastas I know with hair my length are elders, and they keep it tied up, but for a young person who’s active and running around, the weight is a big thing. So to play sports, I put it in a backpack.”
19. “In Jamaica, them always have throwback riddims, recycled old beats, and the hardcore reggae scene is always present. You have faster stuff like the more commercialized stuff, but you always have that segment of music that is always from the core, from the original root of it.”
20. “I’m a big fan of hip-hop, so it reflects in my approach.”
Photo by Paras Griffin/WireImage
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