Damian Marley got a chance to be a part of history when JAY-Z contacted him to be a part of his landmark “4:44” album.
The dancehall legend appeared on the single “BAM” which sampled Sister Nancy classic dancehall banger “Bam Bam” and Jacob Miller’s classic “Tenement Yard.” Speaking with VLAD, Junior Gong said when JAY-Z played him the hook he didn’t even know it was him. “Jay has the hook already he knew what he wanted for it, his voice was the demo,” Marley said. “I didn’t even realize it was him because I was like who is that and he said it’s me and I was like really.”
He did admit that JAY-Z is definitely not a singer but he was impressed. Damian Marley also said that Hov played the entire “4:44” album for him in the studio and he was very impressed just like the rest of the hip hop community was when the project finally dropped. The two music legends then went to Jamaica to shoot the visuals for the single and Damian Marley detailed how JAY-Z sent a private jet to him in Africa to fly him back to Kingston for the video.
“We did the song out in Los Angeles and then, of course, he wanted visuals to support it,” Gong added. “I was actually in Africa on tour, I was in Ethiopia and he actually sent a plane to come get and fly me straight from Ethiopia to Jamaica, so that was kind of cook. It was a great experience I had fun showing him around we were in Jamaica for two days really showing him around Trench Town, took him to Hellshire Beach and we spent an evening at Tuff Gong Studio in Jamaica so it was cool.”
Damian Marley said the people in Trench Town where his father Bob Marley grew up loved JAY-Z. Junior Gong new album Stony Hill is currently available.
