“Halfway Tree”, the second studio album by Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, was released on September 11, 2001 in the U.S. The album which blends reggae, reggae fusion, and dancehall has sold 248,000 units in the U.S. as for September 2023 according to data provided to WMV by Billboard sales tracker Luminate. Of that amount pure sales accounts for 194K on demand streams of 59.6M. Globally the album has more than 80 million streams on Spotify. It is Damian’s third solo album to reach the milestone.
The album was co-produced by Damian Marley and his brother Stephen Marley with guest appearances from rappers Eve, Drag On, Treach, and reggae-dancehall artists Bounty Killer, Yami Bolo, Capleton and Bunny Wailer.
The project got its title due to Damian’s parents, Cindy Breakspeare, his mother a former Miss World coming from upper class Jamaica and and his father, reggae superstar Bob Marley, hailing from St. Ann and Trench Town. In Jamaica, Half Way Tree is a commercial border between St. Andrew and Kingston Parishes where people from both sections of the socioeconomic spectrum meet.
The cover is Damian standing in between a Clock Tower which has the bust of King Edward engraved.
“Halfway Tree” won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2002 and includes tracks like “Educated Fools,” “Where Is the Love,” and “Stand a Chance.” It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, edged out
