At 1 p.m., when the gates first cracked open, a wave of Bob Marley T-shirts stormed the beach for a full day of hip-hop and reggae that wouldn't finish up until 11:30 p.m.
The trinity of the show was the incomparable and undefeated energy of Capleton, the effortless flow of Nas — who, yes, still has it — and the unselfish, brilliant performance from the Marley brothers. Capleton, the Jamaican reggae and dancehall legend, doesn’t go onstage — he takes it over. In a day that was all about the Marleys, he stole the show with a level of energy matched only by a massive pyrotechnics budget.
Nas played the songs we all know and love — “One Mic,” “If I Ruled the World,” “Life’s a Bitch,” and other classics. It was more a sermon than a set, an effortless performance that could only happen after 25 years of hustle and hard work. The end of the night was capped by the Marley brothers: Stephen, Damian, and Julian. All three took the stage at once and shared the mic for over an hour of originals and Bob Marley tributes.
It's just about a fact that no reggae artist will ever live up to the legend of Bob Marley, and though his
The 9 Mile Music Festival has been going on since 1993, benefiting charity and giving Marley fans a reason to mark their calendars for 23 years now. Luckily, the Marley lineage is strong. New talent like Skip Marley gives us reason to hope for another 23 years of 9 Mile.
It's safe to say Bob Marley would be onboard with that.
