Skip Marley Earns RIAA Gold With H.E.R. For ‘Slow Down’
Reggae star Skip Marley—a grandson of Reggae legend Bob Marley—has copped an RIAA Gold certification for his Grammy-nominated single Slow Down with American R&B singer H.E.R.
The single was certified yesterday (September 7) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after it reached the sales and streaming equivalent of 500,000 units sold in the United States.
Slow Down‘s certification comes as Tuff Gong/Island Records is set to release a special one-year anniversary expanded limited edition vinyl LP of Higher Place—Skip’s debut EP which was originally released August 28th, 2020. Slow Down appeared on the 7-track EP alongside the record’s opening title track, Higher Place, a ‘virtual’ duet with the late Bob Marley; That’s Not True, a collab featuring Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley (Skip’s uncle); Make Me Feel with Rick Ross and Ari Lennox; and more.
“I’m thankful that the EP reached these levels over the past year,” Skip Marley said of the Gold certification. “The vinyl record release is a collector’s item to show that gratitude to the DJs and fans who supported from the start. The one thing you can’t slow down is time, so it is important to acknowledge the milestones along the way.”
In spring 2020, Slow Down, with over 70 million global streams, became the quickest and biggest-streaming song in Marley family history, and elevated Skip to over 200 million total global artist streams. It was the first time a Jamaican-born artist reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Adult R&B chart. The collaborative effort was also nominated for Best R&B Song at the 63rd GRAMMY Awards, held earlier this year, while Higher Place was nominated for Best Reggae Album.
The amazing chemistry between Skip and H.E.R. was on display in the song’s visuals, which has so far racked up over 36 million views on YouTube.
Slow Down is not the biggest selling record for Marley. He was previously featured on Katy Perry’s Chained To The Rhythm, which served as the lead single from her fifth studio album, Witness in 2017. The “pop, disco and dancehall” song is currently certified 2X platinum and had peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 after its release.
Executive produced by Skip and Cedella Marley (Skip‘s mom, and former member of the Grammy Award-winning group, The Melody Makers) and C. Jermi Thomas (Island Records, A&R), the Higher Place EP’s expanded edition will feature two bonus track remixes: Slow Down (Afrobeat Remix) featuring DaVido & Oxlade; and Make Me Feel (Dub Mix) featuring Ari Lennox. The limited-edition vinyl, which will be released on September 10, will come in a special beige tone with the song lyrics printed on the inner sleeve and is available for preorder.
Meanwhile, the Grammy and Oscar award-winning and Multi-Platinum singer H.E.R. has revealed that she intends to release a Reggae project. During a July interview with Ebro Darden on Apple Music 1, the Damage singer explained the concept behind the untitled project.
“I realized how much I loved Caribbean music and I’ve always known that, but just really getting into it and celebrating that culture,” she said. “I really wanted to like go all in, so I’m working on that right now.”
H.E.R., who dropped Do to Me—a Reggae song, which sampled Sister Nancy’s iconic classic Bam Bam, also said in July that the album would arrive “very soon.”
So far, Dancehall starlet Shenseea has confirmed that she will appear on the upcoming project.