For the past 10 years, Roobny “Speedyking” Ligonde has recorded and toured with Julian Marley, playing percussion in the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter’s band. Since mid-2024, he has been busy in the studio working on his first solo album.
The instrumental project hears him working with producer Danny Breakenridge for Upstairs Music, an independent label based in South Florida. To date, they have recorded 10 songs which Speedyking describes as “pure roots-reggae, traditional reggae.”
The album titled ‘Upstairs Percussions’ was released on November 14th, and the Haiti-born musician is excited about being in the spotlight after years of enhancing the music of high-profile acts such as Julian Marley, his brother Stephen Marley, Louie Culture and Betty Wright.
“It’s a great feeling working with Upstairs Music. We gave great ideas. And things just worked out fine, you know,” he said.
Although he was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, much of Speedyking’s formative years were spent in Brooklyn, New York, home to a massive Jamaican and West Indian community. While he has no direct influence as a percussionist, he points to the music of Bob Marley as a major inspiration for him choosing music as a career.
Referring to Julian Marley as “a cool artist”, Speedyking played on his 2019 Grammy-nominated album, ‘As I Am’. He also played on ‘Colors of Royal’, Julian’s album with Antaeus, which won the 2024 Grammy for Best Reggae Album.
‘Upstairs Percussions’ is available on all major streaming platforms including Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Tidal, Amazon Music, iTunes, Pandora among others.
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 