Stephen Marley ADD
Stephen Marley is an award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and philanthropist. From his solo works to family collaborations and production credits, Stephen Marley’s music has earned him eight Grammy Awards. He is the second eldest son of reggae legend Bob Marley and Rita Marley, raised in Kingston, Jamaica. Stephen started singing professionally at 7 years old with his elder siblings Ziggy, Sharon and Cedella in The Melody Makers.
Stephen has garnered recognition as a solo artist for his Grammy-winning albums Mind Control (dubbed “the best Marley album in a generation” by Entertainment Weekly), Mind Control Acoustic and Revelation Part I: The Root of Life, while also receiving multiple Grammys as as a producer – most notably for Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley’s massive crossover hit Welcome To Jamrock.
The second installment of Stephen Marley’s Revelation album series, Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life, was released in 2016 on the Marley family’s Ghetto Youths International label. Whereas The Root of Life offered a traditional roots reggae album, The Fruit of Life emphasized the far-reaching impact Jamaican music has had on various genres – especially hip hop. Album guests included Rick Ross, Pit Bull, DJ Khaled, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy and more. In 2018, Stephen Marley released a five-track EP, One Take: Acoustic Jams, which showcased raw, deconstructed versions of his and his father's original songs. He took that stripped-down set on the road, performing for thousands during three North American tours, before the pandemic hit in 2020.
In recent years, Stephen Marley established his own Kaya Fest as an annual music festival that debuted in 2017, featuring rare family performances by The Marley Brothers and the Marley’s 3rd Generation of talented offspring, alongside notable reggae and hip-hop legends such as Wyclef Jean, Pit Bull, Busta Rhymes – instilling an experiential component to raise awareness on the benefits of cannabis guided by the mantra “Education Before Recreation.” Plans to continue this festival tradition is currently in the works for 2023.
Stephen continues to champion charitable endeavors centered in Jamaica as a co-founder of Ghetto Youths Foundation, along with his brothers Damian and Julian Marley.
With a prolific work ethic in his Lion Den Studios, Stephen just released an EP collection of songs he produced with female vocalists as an homage to legend Nina Simone, Celebrating Nina: A Reggae Tribute to Nina Simone, and is currently putting the finishing touches on his own new album projects, with the first solo LP slated to release in fall of 2022.
