Jamaican/American Artiste, Joseph Marley, who’s also known as Jo Mersa (@JoMersaMarley), was found dead today in the USA. Marley was found unresponsive in a vehicle. Marley is the son of Reggae Star Stephen Marley & the grandson of reggae legend, Bob Marley.
You can choose to either dissociate yourself from the image and reputation of Bob Marley the grandfather or grandfather-to-be of your endeavors as a Reggae singer. Or you can proudly work with Bob Marley’s image, likeness, and reputation to establish your own career. Joe Mersa Marley’s Eternal EP incorporates Bob Marley’s Forever album cover into its artwork. The loose hair and head tilted upward evoke the album’s title without relying on stock imagery.
He returns home with a goal of showing his artistic inspiration and legacy. He begins his chant Guess Who’s Coming Home, expressing thanksgiving and respect to both his mother and father. He laments the fact that he’s been away working creatively, acquiring lessons in another art form. Because he is home, he makes righteous claims about his position as an heir to the throne.
Although his father doesn’t have a production or verse credit, Ragga’s music still has a recognizable sound that echoes throughout the entire album. Some experts argue that this is a bad thing, while others argue it’s a good thing.
Marley’s young voice championed a Riff Raff mix by announcing his presence as a melody-making contender in reggae music.
By words, Mersa paints pictures that tell a story. One such story is that Rome no longer exists after Bun Dong left home on the road to Rome.
While in a car with oversized rims and a bright paint job, listen to Guess Who’s Coming Home on max volume through the speakers. Doing this will help you fully understand the music and how it feels. Although the thumping base line makes this song appear to be Reggae, it doesn’t pull off vocal differentiation from other Marleys. Considering this song has no standout lyrics or vocals, it appears on the EP right after the first track.
The Lion Prideroots of Grandfather seem to give the Yow Dawg title a hint of defiance. However, this is mostly due to the fact that his lyrical themes are similar to Busy Signal’s bedroom bully status as a street DJ. The Lion Prideroots also motivate Mersa’s more ambitious undertakings with clever wordplay. This fits perfectly with the dominant theme in his project.
I offer a Queen and King of different cloth to my youths. A royalty born of one family views my royal locks. Enthralled by my royal skin, a young princess may be spawned.
His poetic best matches the 90s in terms of style and flow. Damian, his father and uncle, lends him his raspy, sensual voice. He lacks the gritty words and vocals of a competitor like Busy Signal. However, he compensates by matching their styles and effects.
Other popular reggae artists like Maxi Priest and Shaggy used this formula to become popular worldwide. Melii and Mersa blend well on Company, making it an effective choice for the company Image. Jo can easily play his modern reggae fusions on the R&B and hot 100 charts alongside popular contemporary songs. By playing more often in his comfort zone, he could create an entire album.
I’ll be keeping my love company as she’s been in love for a long time.
Mersa’s song has a futuristic sound with clear vocals from Melli that compliment Nelly Fertado and the other harmonics. By adding value to a great track, her lyrics in Spanish coupled with the fusion beat puts this song apart from the rest.
From reluctant son to ambitious jet-setting entrepreneur, Mersa goes from one extreme to the other on his song Made It. Whenever he gets discouraged, he can motivate himself by thinking positive thoughts like “I’ve made it— I can pack up and move out of my basement”.
