Damian Marley sits high on Billboard with 'Make It Bun Dem' Image

by Biko Kennedy / Apr 7, 2013 02:25 pm

With his summer 2012 collaborative effort with 'dub mater' Skrllex, Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley's 'Make It Bun Dem' rests contentedly at the top of the Billboard Digital Reggae singles chart.

With more than 300,000 copies of the single sold online, according to United States/Canada sales tracker Nielsen Soundscan, the song has spent 48 weeks on the charts and 21 weeks at the number one position, marking one of four songs Marley currently has on the charts. The others being Welcome to Jamrock, Patience and Road to Zion (both of which are assisted by rapper Nas).

'Make it Bun Dem' was released as an instrumental in 2011 then re-recorded with vocals from Marley's Billboard hit song Welcome to Jamrock. This new version debuted in January 2012 with an official music video, directed by Tony Truand, being released in September on Skrillex's official YouTube channel; with the video garnering close to 34 million views.

In 'Make It Bun Dem', Damian Marley lays his flavour down on a unique reggae-dubstep rhythm invoking a slow, spicy rock from its listeners.

The single has peaked at number 58 on the UK Singles chart; number 27 in Australia; number 34 in Austria; number 15 in Belgium; number 48 in Sweden; and number 16 in New Zealand.

The video for the single makes a statement against oppressive authorities and poverty's injustice. As an overzealous sheriff leads his cops in foreclosures and evictions, a young man and his father watch police terrorize their neighbourhood. To ward them off, the young man performs a rain dance ritual in his backyard, dispelling the cops with a supernatural storm. Knowing the sheriff and his cronies will soon return, father and son prepare another ritual, conjuring up a phoenix spirit. When the boss cop arrives, his underlings ditch him, leaving him at the mercy of the young man's immense power.

Check out the official video of Skrillex and Demian Marley's Make it Bun Dem

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