Stephen Robert Nesta “Ragga” Marley was born April 20, 1972 and is the second son of Rita and Bob Marley. He grew up in Kingston, Jamaica and started singing professionally at seven-years old with his elder siblings Ziggy, Sharon and Cedella as The Melody Makers.
His highly anticipated solo debut EP Got Music? was released in 2006. Many artists approached him for years, whether for collaborations with R&B stars like Erykah Badu or his part on the dancehall burner “It Was Written”, and especially after Chant Down Babylon, the platinum-selling star-studded Bob Marley tribute he produced. Stephen also co-produced his brother Damian’s smash debut album, Welcome to Jamrock.
Stephen Marley has also been the recipient of eight GRAMMY awards for his work, the most of any Marley and more then any other Reggae artist. He won the GRAMMIES as a solo artist for Mind Control, Mind Control Acoustic and Revelation Part I: The Root of Life, as producer for Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley’s Half Way Tree and Welcome To Jamrock and as a member of Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers for Conscious Party, One Bright Day and Fallen Is Babylon.
The release of his debut solo album ‘Mind Control’ represented a new stage in Stephen’s evolution, one that brings together the genius of his production and his wise and soulful voice with electronic beats, smoky bass and winding keyboard runs.
In recent years, Stephen has expanded his philanthropic efforts. He continues working as the co-founder of Ghetto Youths Foundation. He also created Kaya Fest, an annual music festival that began in 2017 to raise awareness on the benefits of cannabis guided by the motto “Education Before Recreation.”
Discography:
Got Music?, EP (Universal Records, 2005)
Mind Control (Universal Records, 2007)
Mind Control Acoustic (Tuff Gong, 2008)
Revelation Pt. 1 – The Root of Life (Universal Records, 2011)
Revelation Pt. 2 – The Fruit of Life (Ghetto Youths International, 2016)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.