Marlon Asher

Marlon Asher Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Ganja Farmer with new EP. More than just a song, Ganja Farmer became a global anthem one that gave a voice to the overlooked, the oppressed, and the cultivators living on the frontlines of survival. Now, 20 years later, Marlon Asher returns to the record that defined his legacy with the Ganja Farmer EP, a powerful anniversary tribute celebrating one of the biggest reggae songs of its time. Presented in collaboration with VAS Productions, this project is not simply a re release. it is a reimagining, honoring the past while stepping boldly into a new era.

21 years after releasing his hit Ganja Farmer, Marlon Asher returns with an oeuvre called Safe. While this is exciting news, even more thrilling is the name of the producer behind the twelve tracks (plus the short interlude On My Way): Donovan “Don Corleon” Bennett, the mastermind of the early 2000s who has kept a low profile in reggae music recently.

Listening to the opener Give Praises, a reduced Nyabinghi piece featuring “the Messenjah” Luciano, we encounter two more outstanding characteristics of the release. For one, the consciousness and spirituality of the lyrics, coupled with deep faith that is mirrored in the final King’s Highway and in the title track, Safe. On the other hand, there is an impressive list of featured artists, most of which have accompanied Marlon Asher for years on his journey.

Thus, Sizzla is not only a respected colleague, but also a brotherly mentor who helped Asher with practical advice and even took him on tour to Japan recently. Together the two singers step boldly onto the laid-back, bassline dominated Never See Us Fall, encouraging us to “fix our crown” and keep pushing whenever obstacles come up. Equally powerful, Tarrus Riley and Capleton lend their well-known voices to Diamonds & Gold, a song complaining about the gangsterism that sweeps islands like Jamaica and Trinidad. “Why are their hearts so cold?”
Not cold but warm has been the welcome that US-band Slightly Stoopid has given Marlon, making him an honorary member of their group. Here, they join him on the melodious I&I, another song giving praises to the Most High. While J Boog is an obvious choice for the love song Call Me, the final feature is a surprise given the deep, slow reggae sound of the instrumental that’s so different from his usual output. Masicka is, however, a perfect addition to the meditative In The Hills, a description of how weed should be enjoyed far from city-life bustle as there’s “no interruption, nobody to kill my vibe.”

Speaking of: already a hit before the album was even out, Strictly High Grade has collected accolades ever since it was released on #420 and can be considered the Ganja anthem of the release. Along with Diamonds & Gold and Never See Us Fall it comes with a video produced by Xtreme Arts, telling the story of a man who’s chased down by police for a bag full of herbs. Also out on visuals is Plastic Smile, a warning against fake people who seem to have no morals whatsoever. “Where they come from I won’t go, I’ll be chilled where the wind blows.” Rounding off the album thematically, Revolution takes a fierce stance against Babylon, while Stay is a pledge to the lover who thinks about leaving.

The result of a fruitful collaboration between Marlon Asher, Don Corleon and VAS Productions, Safe is a superb album that gets better with every round of listening; testifying that the “Ganja Farmer” is much more than a one-hit-wonder. Big shout-out to Matthew “Keely Keyz” Keaveny, who wrote most of the lyrics, and Kaylan Arnold, who provided the sweet backing vocals!

Marlon Asher & J Boog – Call Me [Official Video 2025]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmSCpJQJ9Hk

Marlon Asher & Masicka – In The Hills [Official Video 2025]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbcOwHx1EnQ

Marlon Asher – Revolution [Official Video 2025]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbNyLPSeDQQ

Marlon Asher & Luciano – Give Praise [Official Video 2024]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7excCqaD48&list=PLuLw3cH2WsXOmtP-BSUdS7bGeYUA55alX

Marlon Asher X Tarrus Riley X Capleton – Diamonds & Gold [Oct 2023]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR_BxdRrhEI

Marlon Asher – Plastic Smile [Dec 2023]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFlmxSkUhV8

Marlon Asher – Strictly High Grade [April 2024]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQNW0_RRicI

Marlon Asher X Sizzla – Never See Us Fall [May 2024]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLVwyGkJC3M

Marlon Asher is the first reggae sensation out of Trinidad & Tobago. His name Asher was derived from the 12 Tribes of Israel . Asher is the tribe that represents December, the spirit of Christ. His first major hit “Ganja Farmer” was released in 2006 and became an international reggae classic. This song introduced Marlon‘s talent and ingenuity to the world. Marlon has toured with Grammy Award winning artists such as Steel Pulse, Maxi Priest, Gyptian, Luciano, Shaggy, Sizzla, Beenie Man, Matisyahu and Slightly Stoopid and he has toured with other acts such as Capleton, Fortunate Youth, Pressure Busspipe, Katchafire, Kottonmouth Kings and even the American R & B Sensation Boyz II Men.

Marlon later went on to release many popular reggae hits such as “Fit and Strong” (2006), “Ganja Cowboy” (2011), “Babylon Brutality” (2015), and more recently “Mama Say” (2019), “Reggae Music” with Anthony B (2019), “Family Love” (2020), and “Use Me” (2021). He was awarded the COTT award (Copyright Organization of Trinidad and Tobago) in 2019 for best reggae dancehall artist.

Marlon has a new album which was produced in Miami, FL and Kingston, Jamaica by the infamous Reggae producer Don Corleonie set for release in March 2024. On “Safe” Marlon has collaborations with Capleton, Torus Riley, Sizzla, Massacre, J Boog, Slightly Stoopid, Tarrus Riley and Luciano. There is much anticipation for it’s release. Don Corleonie has produced music for Sean Paul, Sizzla, Rihanna, Vybz Kartel, Shaggy, Nicki Manaj Gentleman and Protoje.

Marlon has been one of the few commercially successful reggae artists. His hit singles, such as “Ganja Farmer” and “Amsterdam” have achieved popularity across the Caribbean, North America, and Africa. Marlon’s single, “Ganja Farmer” has over 12.4 million streams on Spotify alone. Marlon has also been regularly performing on many of the the top music festivals around the world. He regularly performs all over the US with his own hard core band called The State of Emergency Band.

Marlon did nine dates on the Slightly Stoopid’s 2019 amphitheater tour. The highlight of this tour was a sold out show at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado. Marlon has toured the US, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Canada, Africa, Japan and Europe. Marlon paved the way for other Trinidad artists such as Jah Melody, Khari Kill, I-Sasha, Jah Bami and many more.

Marlon grew up in Enterprise, Trinidad & Tobago. In his youth he was a member of the Mount Ararat Spiritual Baptist Church Choir and later on he embraced the Rasta faith. Marlon Asher is a pioneer of the Trinidadian reggae movement.

In 2019 Marlon released two billboard top ten albums. One was “Rebirth” with Vas Productions. This album features the fan favorites “Healing” and “Reggae Music”. It includes features with Anthony B, Slightly Stoopid and Pressure Busspipe. This was his third full studio album.

Marlon‘s other 2019 release was a various artist collaboration album called “Life Of A Ghetto Youth Chapter 2” on which Marlon did two songs. His earlier albums include “Unconditional Love” (2006), “Illusions” (2015) “Life Of A Ghetto Youth” (2017). Marlon does twelve of the eighteen songs on this collaboration album. “Life of a Ghetto Youth chapter 1 and 2” to raise awareness for gun violence and the hardships of Caribbean ghetto living. For this project Marlon helped raise $30,000 for victims and survivors of gun violence in Trinidad and Jamaica.

Marlon has collaborated on recordings with some of the biggest reggae artists in the world including Capleton, Torus Riley, Sizzla, Massacre, J Boog, Slightly Stoopid, LucianoSizzla, Anthony B, Pressure Busspipe, Fortunate Youth, Kottonmouth Kings, Teflon Zinkfence and many more. These collaborations are raising Marlon’s career to the next level, increasing his exposure and fan base worldwide.