At age 13, he formed a musical group by the name of the Shephards, which included the

daughter of Freddie McGregor and son ofThird World's Cat Core. The group opened the
1992 Reggae Sunsplash festival.
[2]
The band fell apart in the early 1990s and Damian started
his solo career.
[3]

With the backing of his fathers label, Tuff Gong, he released his 1996 debut album Mr.
Marley which surprised many who were unaccustomed to hearing a Marley deejaying rather
than singing.
[4]
Marley released his second studio album Halfway Tree. The name "Halfway
Tree" comes from his mother, Cindy Breakspeare, being from the rich part of town, and his
father, Bob Marley, coming from the poor part of town, thus him being "a tree halfway in
between the 'rich' world and 'poor' world."
[5]
Additionally, Halfway Tree is a well-known
landmark that marks the cultural center of Half-Way-Tree, the clock tower that stands where
the historical eponymous cotton tree once stood is featured prominently behind Marley on
the cover of the album. The album was released on September 11, 2001 and received
the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. It was co-produced by Damian Marley and
his brother Stephen Marley.
Marley released his third studio album Welcome to Jamrock which was released on
September 12, 2005 in the United States and September 13, 2005 in the United Kingdom.
The sold 86,000 copies in its first week of release,
[6]
and was eventually certified gold after
selling 500,000 copies in the United States.
[7]
Other notable singles from the album include
"The Master Has Come Back", "Road to Zion" featuring Nas, and "Khaki Suit"
featuring Bounty Killer and Eek-A-Mouse.
Damians brother, Stephen Marley, was a producer and co-writer of the hugely
successful song of the same name. The lyrics to the single "Welcome to Jamrock", which
was performed over a riddim produced by Sly and Robbie for Ini Kamoze some 20 years
earlier,
[8]
centered around poverty, politics and crime in Jamaica. While the single was
controversial at home over its perceived negative viewpoint of the island,
[6]
many praised the
content of the song. Dr. Clinton Hutton, professor at the University of the West Indies, said of
the single, "'Jamrock' uses the icon of the inner city, of alienation, of despair, of prejudice, but
of hope, of Jamaican identity, to remind us of the fire of frustration, the fire of creativity, the
fire of warning to open up our eyes and look within to the life we are living. And still some of
us don't want to hear and to look and say enough is enough."
[9]
The single reached #13 on
the UK Singles Chart
[10]
and #55 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
[11]
It was also #100 on
the Top 100 Songs of the Decade listing by Rolling Stone.
[12]