From The Muse To The Music: Zion Marley Breaks Into Music Scene With Debut Single “Best of Me” And Shows No Plans Of Slowing Down
I saw a post the other day that said you will never forget the music that your parents introduced you to, and I understand all too well. The year was 1998, and my siblings and I lined the backseat of my mother’s station wagon. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill alley-ooped a backseat of bobbing heads—and just as sure as the sun comes up every day, when “To Zion” came on, I was prepared to march.
I wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about, but I did know there was a lot of joy in Zion. As time matured—and so did I—I learned that she was talking about deciding to give life to a baby boy, whom she conceived with world-changer Bob Marley’s son, Rohan Marley, despite what her public had to say about it—and y'all know how the public can be. His name is Zion—Zion Marley. Subsequently, while the world knew about Zion from the song, Lauryn Hill did a pretty amazing job of keeping her children out of the limelight. Now, as adults, they have each forged their own lanes and identities.
We got the chance to chat with Zion, and we learned that while he is very much his own person, he grabbed the music ministry family baton and has a plan to run with it. He recently released his debut single, “Best of Me,” and already has plans for an album, including his two follow-up singles, “In The Sky” and a single with his mother called “Caught Up.”
“Best of Me” challenges listeners to explore a side of love that requires love—an unconditional, agape type of love. The love that allows you to love your enemies. A love that, although it can be a challenge, covers you spiritually. Zion’s melodic voice makes the message even more impactful.
“Is it wrong to love thy enemies?” he asks in the lyrics. “I’ve only been backstabbed by friends of me. No one can take my destiny. Can’t let them get the best of me.” He ends the song urging listeners to “guard your heart, guard your mind. Guard your soul.”
After I sat with the words for a while, I took from it that by loving your enemy, you are granting yourself a different level of spiritual protection. During our chat, Zion confirms:
“Where I was going with [‘Best of Me’], really, it’s not even my words. I’m just repeating The Messiah’s words. What I realized going through life, my own life, is that I’ve experienced hating people, and I realize how much energy it really takes to hate somebody, or how much energy it takes to dislike people or even think about somebody in a negative way. I realized you don’t need that energy to live. There’s a cycle that comes with that type of energy that constantly feeds this war and constant arguing back and forth and combative energy. I’m trying to change that cycle, break that off, and get a flow that’s going upright.”
This isn’t Zion’s first rodeo of sharing truth. We found an old freestyle on YouTube where Zion dropped bars over the iconic “Fu-Gee-La” beat and kept his mom’s influence and an original sound bite. By the end of the 1:57 track, we knew the musical baton was in amazing hands and the truth would continue to be spread. He told us:
“I did a little Freestyle on my mom’s song back in the day called “ReFuGeLa” about like 8 years ago, I did a little rap on it. I dibble and dabble with performing that song sometimes, too. But it’s so old, so I be forgetting the lyrics sometimes. I’ma add a more modern twist to it. But it still got some good lyrics in it. But I’ma add more to it . . . [my mother and I] actually have a [new] song coming out soon–like real soon. It’s gonna be the third release I have after the one I do next. It’s called “Caught Up.” It’s gonna have a good rhythm to it; so expect that coming soon. That’s gonna be nice.”
Don’t be confused by his “little rap” claim, as the content of the song is anything but little. Even in his youth, Zion relayed a message of wisdom and truth.
Does this mean there’s going to be an album?
“There’s definitely an album on the way. I’ve been working on it the last couple of months. Really like coming from the soul y’know. Nothing forced. A lot of things that aren't being said that gotta be said.”
So, what is YOUR message?
“My message is simple really, It’s Truth. No dogma–pure unadulterated truth. We all mess up sometimes. I just want people to be encouraged that we still fighting that good fight . . . We can visualize the issues that we have in each others' lives, but at the end of the day, we’re also working toward that one goal. Nobody’s perfect and we just working. I’m just tryna preach that type of message, you know?”
What about “In The Sky?”
“I’m talking about “You and I”-- I’m talking to the viewer, the person next to me, whoever. It’s you and I, and we are doing it together and you don’t have to be afraid or ashamed to walk in the Truth.”
When asked what genre he would classify his music as, he stunned us all when he said “Reg Rag” as it was all of our first times hearing that name.
“People would say reggae or hip hop. I call it Reg Rag. I came up with it a couple of days back; but it’s something I’m working with… I'm really tryna spread the message as far as possible and organic as possible, so I'm not working with a team or nothing like that. I’m just getting advice and I’m just soaking it all up. That’s kinda where I got the name Reg Rag from. Like a rag, I’m just soaking it all up.”
So, you’d say it was a fusion of hip-hop and reggae, but based solely in truth?
“I would describe the sound as a real feel and natural to who you are as a person–-authentic in its inspiration from the culture of the states and the caribbean.”
Are there any questions you’d want guidance on from your grandfather?
“I would ask him “How do you get that focus level so well. How do you keep it balanced? How do you balance the work and the life? How do you balance having to be set out to many places to spread the message and keep your social life active and all that kind of stuff –Just Balancing the lifestyle. . .It’s tough being on the road all the time; but when you’re called out to do something, You just gotta do it.”
How does it feel to share a stage with your mom and brother?
“It’s dope cause everyone is there for each other so we really just feed off the energy of each other and pushing each other to go further and further. We do a lot of sound checks and stuff like that so when we’re practicing to get better, we really get to give each other advice. We talk to each other all the time and we got a great relationship with work, so when we’re doing the music, the music is really important. “
It sounds like Zion is showing no signs of slowing down–-according to the plans he shared with us.
“I got a music video coming out next. And I also got an On The Radar freestyle next week. But right after that, I’ma follow up with the video. . .I'm capturing A jungle and beach type of vibe with the video, so it's gonna be dope. It's gonna be a nice surprise too, it got little Easter eggs in there, too. He describes the freestyle as an “acoustic, nice slow vibe, a serenade type song. But I'm talking about some real stuff so I hope people really listen to the lyrics.”
There’s more! Zion took to Instagram Friday evening to announce he’ll be joining his uncle Ky-Mani Marley for his upcoming Love and Energy Fall tour. They’ll be kicking things off Nov. 11 in Buffalo, New York and rocking stages all of the way to Arcata, California; ending things on Dec. 21. Check out the full list of stops below:
I don’t know about y’all, but we are staying tuned for more from Zion and all that he has to offer through Reg Rag and the Truth. Kudos, Zion, for reaching yet another generation through music! I am looking forward to my children, nieces, nephews, and students not forgetting the music I introduced them to—especially “Best of Me.“
“Best of Me” is available on all streaming platforms!
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Check out the full interview HERE.