Skip Marley’s The Change Tour Adds Modern Vibes To His Grandfather’s Legacy

Watching Skip Marley perform live on stage at Gramercy Theater in New York City on Monday night (March 28), the spirit of his grandfather, the late great Bob Marley, was palpably in the air. Or was that the fumes from the weed being brazenly smoked by many in the audience? Either way, the two go hand in hand and it resulted in an overwhelming sense of history, roots, and culture.

Physically, the 25-year-old artist favors his “grandpupa” bad! Skip’s mother is Cedella Marley, the first child born to Bob and Rita Marley. However, the similarities between the two Marley men run much deeper than just appearance. Beyond an intrinsic connection based on genetics, Skip wholly embraces his musical lineage and acknowledges Bob’s influence on his craft without hesitation or shame.

More from VIBE.com

• Bounty Killer And Busy Signal’s Latest Collaboration, "Bang Bung," Will Feed Your Soul

• H.E.R. Takes Stage With Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Travis Barker, & Lenny Kravitz For 2022 Grammy Performance

• Coco Jones Returns To Music With "Caliber" As Remixes Conquer R&B This New Music Friday

“He is my inspiration and my rock,” the Jamaican-born, Miami-bred artist exclusively expressed to VIBE.

Although Skip belongs to the royal family of Reggae music; plays the guitar, bass, drums, and piano, the latter he taught himself; grew up touring with his uncles Ziggy and Stephen Marley, he never took the stage until the age of 15. After Stephen coaxed him to sing the chorus of “One Love” live on stage during a show, Skip discovered, “Wow, this is my thing, this is what I love to do.”

In 2015 he made his professional debut with the release of the single, “Cry to Me,” on the family label, Tuff Gong. The release of his 2020 seven-track EP, Higher Place, made history when the funky and soulful H.E.R.-assisted track “Slow Down” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Adult R&B chart, the first for a Jamaican-born artist.

Rich Fury/Getty Images

Having not even yet released a studio album, Skip is currently headlining The Change tour in cities across the United States. During the New York City stop, in order to enjoy the live show, fans braved frigid temps as low as 24 degrees Fahrenheit, a stark contrast to the sun and warmth of the native Kingstonian’s homeland.

Backed by a full Wailers-esque band complete with two choreographed background singers reminiscent of the I-Threes, Skip performed a full set of songs from Higher Place, including “Make Me Feel” and “That’s Not True.” His waist-length locks fell down the front of what looked like plain denim but when he turned his back to the packed auditorium, patrons’ eyes were pleasantly surprised to find his family patriarch emblazoned on the back of the jacket.

When asked about the significance of paying homage to Bob during his live performances, Skip explained to VIBE, “It’s important for me to honor my grandfather in my shows. The issues my gramps sang about are still happening, his words are needed now more than ever.” He went on to share, “I will always honor gramps, The Gong.”

Skip’s renditions of what he described to VIBE as “some of my grandfather’s classics,” including “Redemption Song” and “Could You Be Loved” had the crowd, a melange of ages, races, and ethnicities, on its feet. Still, there were clusters of Jamaicans easily identifiable by their idiosyncratic reactions to the music, especially the Bob covers. Yaady crowds are notoriously critical and vocal, so with or without nepotism, it’s no easy feat to garner sincere big-ups. But the Reggae star received much love and deservedly so.

Nagina Lane

“A Skip live performance is me giving it my all, all of me,” he expressed to VIBE.

Citing musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, and John Mayer as influences, in addition to successful collaborations with non-Reggae artists including pop star Katy Perry (“Chained to the Rhythm”) as well as rapper Rick Ross and soul songstress Ari Lennox (“Make Me Feel”), Skip’s catalog is already quite eclectic. Perhaps this is why when we asked him to share his favorite song to perform live, he responded, “There really is not one favorite song as each song gives me a different vibration, brings me to a different elevation, you know?”

The crowd’s enthusiastic reaction to Skip’s latest single, “Vibe” featuring Dancehall deejay Popcaan, proved his ability to perfectly balance the Afrobeats aesthetic now popular for cross-over appeal while still embodying characteristics of traditional Dancehall. “She wanna catch a vibe / She wanna free her mind,” Skip playfully sings on the feel-good track produced by Rykeyz. Like the enigmatic aura that filled Gramercy Theater, the song’s sexy subtext begs listeners to find a corner or wall to wul a nice whine.

How does the man with the charismatic crooked smile describe his ideal scenario for “catching a vibe”? His response—simple: “Well, you know, Jamaica, the sea, the air, di meds and family, and some nice ladies.” What more do you really need?

Get more information on Skip Marley’s The Change tour here and watch the video for “Vibe” below.

Click here to read the full article.