Creatively, Damian's second disc, 2001's Halfway Tree, was much stronger. A balanced fusion of dancehall and hip-hop — produced mostly by Stephen — the disc seemed poised to capitalize on the momentum of Chant Down Babylon. Unfortunately, it was released on 9/11. ''That really set back the whole tone of the album,'' he says. Despite winning a Grammy for Best Reggae Album, Halfway Tree sold only 138,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, resulting in Damian's dismissal from Universal's roster in 2002. ''I was kind of relieved because I don't think it was a beneficial situation. They weren't really enthusiastic about those records.''
While Damian plotted his next move and Stephen intermittently worked on Mind Control (originally titled Got Music?), Ziggy resurfaced with a new CD, 2003's Dragonfly, which failed to produce any hits and quickly vanished from the charts. Of course, Ziggy and his brothers don't have to worry as much as other artists about disappointing sales. Still, without a successful follow-up to Babylon, it seemed they might have to retire on their inheritances.
Then, in 2004, Damian dropped the stunning single ''Welcome to Jamrock.'' Co-produced by Stephen and Damian, and independently released by Tuff Gong, the track was an overnight sensation. A three-month bidding war ensued, with several major U.S. labels competing to ink a deal with Marley's youngest son. In the end, he returned to Universal for sentimental reasons — it houses his dad's catalog.
During that time, Stephen was nearing completion of Mind Control. But with the buzz about ''Jamrock'' at fever pitch, he postponed his CD to co-produce Damian's album. It was a worthy sacrifice. In September 2005, Welcome to Jamrock entered Billboard's Top 200 chart at No. 7, landing 33 notches above Marley's highest debut, 1976's Rastaman Vibration, and marking the second-best opening week ever for a reggae album. At last, his sons had set a new benchmark in the Marley hall of fame. ''Jamrock put us in a position to really do the kind of music we want,'' Damian says. ''People are not expecting us to do love songs or zip-a-dee-doo-dah kind of things; they're expecting reality, substance music.''
This February, a year after Jamrock earned Damian his second Grammy for Best Reggae Album, that prize was awarded to Ziggy for Love Is My Religion. In 2008, Stephen — who's currently producing upcoming albums by Julian and Ky-Mani — is likely to bring it home for Mind Control. ''People don't realize how hard these guys work,'' Cedella says. ''They're not jumping on their name; they have God-given talent. I think it's been harder for them because you always have people who are ready to criticize them because of who their father was.''
But from now on, instead of just being compared with their dad, they'll be measured against each other — and ''Jamrock.'' It's a challenge they welcome. ''We can't get away from the legacy of our father,'' Ziggy says. ''We don't run away from that. We embrace it. His purpose was to bring light to darkness and to open people's minds and consciousness. We do the same work because it's a spiritual lineage. It's not a make-believe thing we do. Our thing is real.''
