"Thorn Or A Rose" is the latest leak from Stephen Marley's upcoming album Revelation Part 2: The Fruit Of Life, released in celebration of his father's birthday. Bob Marley would've turned 69 today.
The track, which features a guest verse from The Roots' Black Thought, has been described by Okayplayer as "a breezy contemporary jazz number with requisite island flavor", which is pretty apt. Steve sounds a lot like his old man on the record.
Revelation Part 2 is slated to drop this summer, and will feature Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy, Rakim and more.
From the man himself (as told to Rolling Stone):
"The concept of the album means merging my music with hip-hop and anything else I feel like... Every aspect from the songwriting to the production, even the way I sing certain parts of a song, has to return to that concept."
Word. Stay tuned, and follow both artists on Twitter: @StephenMarley / @BlackThought.
Quotable Lyrics
"We come from so far, but life is full of surprises / Just know I'll never change - no, I'll never change / No matter the circumstances, though this road can be demanding / I'll always be the same, always be the same."
"Never shall I stumble, I stay on the same wavelength / Yeah, the game is savage, yo, it's primitive as cavemen / Only way to save men and free 'em from enslavement / Start to overstand each other like a native language."