Media WriterChart-topping artist & first time Grammy© nominee Skip Marley has been nominated for two Grammys – Best R&B Song for “Slow Down” & Best Reggae Album for debut EP Higher Place. Skip, whose history-making global hit “Slow Down” with Grammy© Award-winning artist H.E.R. reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Adult R&B chart this past spring, where it remained for three weeks – a first for a Jamaican-born artist – released his anticipated debut EP, HIGHER PLACE, via Tuff Gong/Island Records on August 28. The 7-track project, executive produced by Skip & Cedella Marley and C. Jermi Thomas, was named Higher Place as a call to action to Skip’s generation, fans, and listeners to inspire people to ascend to a higher place of love and level of consciousness. The project includes new ideas and experiences as well as wisdom that has been passed down the Marley lineage that Skip likes to call “Marley Mantras.”
In addition to “Slow Down,” which has amassed over 100 million streams, HIGHER PLACE includes “Make Me Feel” featuring fellow Miami hitmaker Rick Ross and R&B songstress Ari Lennox. Also included on the EP will be “No Love” co-written by Sebastian Kole (Alessia Cara) and Trey Campbell (Ella Mai), which Skip worked on with legendary mentor and Miami family friend Betty Wright, who passed away in May. The 7-track EPalso contain “That’s Not True,” a collabo featuring Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley (Skip’s uncle) and the opening title track, “Higher Place” which features music legend and Skip’s grandfather, Bob Marley.
In May, “Slow Down,” now with over 100 million global streams, became the quickest and biggest-streaming song in Marley Family history, and elevated Skip to over 250 million global artist streams It was the first time a Jamaican-born artist reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Adult R&B chart. At the same time, Skip became the first Jamaican-born artist inside the Top 15 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in nearly a decade and a half (since Sean Paul and Keyshia Cole in 2006, “When You Gonna Give it Up to Me”).
The amazing chemistry between Skip and ten-time nominated, two-time 2019 Grammy©-winner H.E.R. performing live together was apparent during the song’s television debut on Fallon, then a show-stopping performance at the NAACP Image Awards in February, the ABC Good Morning America Summer Concert Series session in June and most recently landed Skip two Soul Train Award nominations and a performance at this year’s Soul Train Awards show which airs on Sunday, November 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Skip has earned critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Fader, Hypebeast, Vibe, and others. Most recently during the quarantine, Skip has performed acoustic sets for the launch of the Essence Music Monday series, Billboard Live, Global Citizen & World Health Organization and shared the stage with The Wailers, Cedella Marley, Pedró Capó, Rauw Alejandro, Camilo and Kany García for a an opening performance on the 17th Annual Premios Juventud.
HIGHER PLACE by SKIP MARLEY – track listing:
1. “Higher Place” (featuring Bob Marley)
2. ‘Slow Down” (featuring H.E.R.)
3. “Make Me Feel” (featuring Rick Ross & Ari Lennox)
4. “My World”
5. “Faith’
6. “No Love”
7. “That’s Not True” (featuring Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley)
