Damian Marley finds his own footing

Bob Marley's son discovers success by returning to his roots

Reed Saxon / AP

Damian Marley holds the Grammy he won for best reggae album for "Halfway Tree" at the 2002 Grammy Awards. His new single, "Welcome to Jamrock," is casting an even brighter spotlight.

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updated 5:56 p.m. ET Sept. 13, 2005

NEW YORK - Being an icon’s son isn’t easy.

Yet Damian Marley is doing just fine. The son of Bob is leading reggae back to its roots with his enthralling summer anthem, “Welcome To Jamrock,” and new album.

The articulate, socially conscious artist known as “Jr. Gong” spoke to The Associated Press about the return of traditional reggae, gang violence, working with Alicia Keys and continuing his father’s legacy.

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AP: Since the “Welcome To Jamrock” single is so big, what do you expect from the album?

Marley: It can expose people to what we’re speaking about and what the music stands for in a moral and lyrical sense. It’s about what’s going on in the world, not just my life.

AP: There has been a real return to traditional grassroots reggae. How do you feel about that?

Marley: In Jamaica, it was never dormant, but what you see right now is a lot of roots music becoming a national representation of the music once again, as opposed to the last few years when it was dancehall and club stuff.

AP: What’s your opinion on reggaeton?

Marley: To tell you the truth, I’m not so up on it to say. I’m not real familiar with it because first of all I don’t understand what a lot of it is saying because I don’t speak Spanish. I can tell you that the best form of flattery is imitation, in terms of other people using our culture — dancehall and reggae culture and music. That’s flattery.

AP: What do you think about Sean Paul, Elephant Man and Shaggy, reggae dancehall artists who have hit mainstream success here in the United States?

Marley: Good for them. I don’t have a problem with any of them.

AP: Do you like their music?

Marley: There are some songs I don’t care for and some songs I like. There’s definitely another side of (reggae) music that those artists don’t represent. Those songs aren’t full representation of reggae music. They’re not the full ambassadors of reggae music. They’re not the FULL representation.

CONTINUED : 'Poverty breeds a lot of things'

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