By Chris Payne
Ghetto Youths International Crew—
- “Whether it’s about love, struggle or strife on a personal level or global scale, all of these songs carry a message,” Stephen “Ragga” Marley tells Billboard. “We wanted a compilation that touches on relevant issues and gives some newfound perspective, the street-people perspective.”
That perspective is all over Set Up Shop Vol. 2, a new compilation from the Marley brothers and a host of skilled collaborators. Billboard is excited to premiere the 15 tracks of this new release from the Marleys’ label, Ghetto Youths International. Check it out below:
“Ragga” continues about the album’s mission and myriad collaborators:
On this album, my brothers and I share our new music and also showcase a range of new talent that is uprising in reggae. My son Jo Mersa represents the next generation and has a universal sound — blending different genres of music with reggae and dancehall. London-based singer Christopher Ellis inherited elements from his father Alton Ellis’ Jamaican rocksteady era, while mixing it with modern day soul, R&B and reggae. Dancehall vet Wayne Marshall is so versatile and can deejay or sing on any track or riddim, and reggae newcomer Black-Am-I sings from the heart of St. Ann where my father hails from making some of realest roots music. We represent the full spectrum of reggae.
For the album’s lead single “Is It Worth It (Gunman World),” Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley collaborated with Nabil, producer of some of 2014’s greatest music videos, for artists like FKA Twigs and Skrillex. Along with co-director Francesco Carrozzini and starring actor Saai Taghmaoui, Nabil helped Marley explore the killer’s conscience in the new music video, shot in Morocco:
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