The 23-year-old reggae newcomer Jo Mersa, who is the second generation offspring of musical legend Bob Marley and eldest son of Stephen Marley, unleashes his brand new video for "Rock and Swing." The visual was shot in Kingston, Jamaica and directed by the island's acclaimed visionary Ras Kassa (Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Stephen "Ragga" Marley, Willie Nelson, Michael Franti & Beenie Man). The World Star Hip Hop premiere has received over 4.2 million views, since its release this past Saturday (March 7). WATCH/POST Jo Mersa's "Rock and Swing" now: http://youtu.be/MfvFP6zVFT0
Produced by Stephen Marley, Llamar "Riff Raff" Brown and Jo himself, the heavy-bass, rebellious track touches on social issues like the misunderstood youths of this generation, pedophilia and dirty politics. "I wanted to show the alternative of how beautiful life is, to love it and appreciate the gift of life,” states Mersa. "Rock and Swing" is off Jo's debut EP Comfortable and the new compilation Ghetto Youths Presents Set Up Shop Volume 2.
Mersa will tour the United States throughout April and May in support of Set Up Shop Volume 2 with fellow featured artists Cham, Wayne Marshall, Christopher Ellis and Black-Am-I. See tour schedule here and below.
Jo Mersa
Jo Mersa - born March 12, 1991 in Kingston, Jamaica - became immersed into music at 4-years-old, appearing on stage alongside his father Stephen, uncle Ziggy and aunts Cedella and Sharon (a.k.a. Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers). He released his debut EP Comfortable in June 2014 and toured in the U.S. last year with Stephen "Ragga" Marley as well as Slightly Stoopid. Mersa merges reggae with pop, hip hop and EDM, while showcasing his deft vocals, clever songwriting and flourishing production skills. Jo has been chosen as one of 2015's Artists To Watch by OkayPlayer's Caribbean site LargeUp and was nominated as The Pier's 2015 Breakthrough Artist. He has been featured in People magazine, Rolling Stone, Yahoo Music, Complex, Vibe, The Fader, Fox Detroit Morning Show, Fox Miami Deco Drive and Revolt. Watch his others videos for "Comfortable" and "Sunshine.”
U.S. TOUR DATES
- Thu. Apr. 9 in Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts – Wolf Building
- Fri. Apr 10 in New York, NY @ S.O.B.'S
- Sat. Apr 11 in Washington DC @ The Hamilton
- Mon. Apr. 13 in Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall in Boston, MA
- Wed. Apr. 15 in Chicago, IL @ Double Door
- Fri. Apr. 17 in Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
- Sat. Apr. 18 in Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon
- Mon. Apr. 20 in Fort Collins, CO @ Aggie Theatre
- Tue. Apr 21 in Denver, CO @ Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom
- Wed. Apr 22 in Aspen, CO @ Belly Up Aspen
- Fri. Apr 24 in Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
- Sat. Apr 25 in Portland, OR @ Alhambra Theatre
- Mon. Apr. 27 in Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst - Atrium
- Tue. Apr. 28 in Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
- Wed. Apr. 29 in Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
- Fri. May 1 in San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
- Sat. May 2 in Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory – Constellation Room