There is no denying the last name: Marley.  Instantly the name conjures images of dreads, sounds of jamming grooves, and words of conscious liberation.

Now, place Ky-Mani before that very same last name and you have a modern, edgy, and hip-hop inspired spin on the Marley musical legacy. Ky-Mani Marley returns to the musical scene with the genre boundless album, Radio, the follow-up to his Grammy-nominated album, Many More Roads.

On a day-off from his tour with rock legends Van Halen, Ky-Mani talked with Sixshot.com about the state of reggae music, breaking outside of the box, the street life, and his BETJ reality show, Livin’ the Life of Marley.

What was the inspiration for the title, Radio?

I named the album, Radio, because of the different feelings that the record has, and that’s what you get when you turn on the radio.  I wanted to give people an indication of what they were about to experience.

How would you describe that experience?

It’s very diverse.  There’s a little bit of reggae, hip-hop, R&B, and some soul.

Many people believe that radio has become excessively commerci alized and that they play the same songs all day.  With that in mind do you still feel that contemporary radio is diverse?

[Laughs]  Well, to a certain extent they do play the same songs everyday.  But it’s still a place where you can go and find different hits.  They don’t just play hip-hop all day.  You can hear some R&B and some soul.

Are you pleased with radio’s reception to your music and the overall promotion of your album?

I wouldn’t say that I’m pleased as of yet.  I’m not satisfied with the radio stations so far, but it’s a steady climb.  This album isn’t a rocket launch straight to the top but it’s a steady climb and I’m happy about that.

Do you think there’s been enough of a mainstream embrace of reggae artists?

I wouldn’t say that there’s enough [of an embrace].  We can do a lot better.  People talk about the industry but a lot of times the artists need to look at themselves.  One problem I’ve always had is that you’ll hear twenty different artists on one riddim.

They just wait for the next hit song and try to make a melody by jumping on the same beat.  But people don’t want to hear that on an album because there’s nothing original and creative to it.  I think that’s where reggae artists mess themselves up by not being creative.

With the exception of, "Hustler", the album doesn’t have a lot of the traditional roots/reggae sound.  The album does have a lot of R&B and hip-hop flavor, yet people still call this a reggae album.  Does it ever bother you that despite your different sounds you’re still labeled as reggae?

It’s crazy.  It’s like no matter what I do people still call it reggae.  Even if I were to do hard rock they would call it reggae.  I just accept it for what it is.  For me it’s Ky-Mani; my music is not one single genre but it’s a fusion of almost everything.

On some of the tracks you lyrically refer to street life and hustling.  Was that lifestyle a major part of your life?

Hustling to me is anyone that’s willing to sacrifice to make sure that they have the necessities to survive.  So I’ve always been a hustler and a go-getter.  I’ve never been one to sit at home and wait for things to come to me.  I’ve always been someone that’s willing to take chances and risks.

Were you ever caught up in the hustle and street lifestyle?

I did the street life, but I won’t say that I was caught up in it.  I was raised in that environment and when you’re raised in a particular environment you become a product of it whether you like it or not.  So I did some things that I’m not too proud of that I don’t really want to talk about right now [Laughs]. 

Your mom is tennis champion, Anita Belnavis, and you played sports when you were younger.  How did your experience with sports influence your approach to the music industry which can be just as competitive as sports?

From sports I learned all about focus.  I learned that you can always improve and that’s my approach to music. I will record one song twenty times until I feel that it’s perfect. Sometimes the first take is actually the best one [Laughs] but I still go through that process.

You moved to Miami at the age of nine.  How did that environment influence your sound?

I was brought up in the inner-city where hip-hop was dominant.  Yet, I was also exposed to a lot of different musical genres. In Miami there are Cubans so you have a lot of salsa, and of course you have the Jamaicans.

So I think my love for more than one particular type of music is really what helped me to be the artist that I am today.  I’m open and there’s nothing that I don’t listen to.  One of the last records I bought was Kenny Rogers.

What has been the experience of touring with rock legends, Van Halen?

 It’s great.  I get to show and prove and that’s exactly what I’m doing.  I love every minute of it.

For many people you wouldn’t be the first artist that comes to mind as an opener for Van Halen.  Why do you think they chose you to tour with them?

I think at the end of the day they see that I’m more than just a reggae artist.  I don’t do what’s typically expected of me, and it’s the unexpected that gets your attention.  On top of that they recognize that I am a good artist with something to say.

Any wild and crazy backstage Rock & Roll stories?

Everything has been really low-key.  There’s been no extra partying.  It’s been smooth sailing. 

Tell us what we can expect from your new BETJ reality show, Livin’ the Life of Marley.

It’s going good.  It started with the making of my album and then we touched a little bit on my brothers.  We showed how we get down and have fun, and we also showed our creative process.

I hear that there are some greed issues preventing the sequel to the hit underground DVD, Shottas, which you starred in.  What’s the status of the sequel now?

At this point I’m lost.  I have no idea what’s going on with the film.  I’ve been on the road so I’ve been away from it for a minute.  There are so many other things that I have to consume myself with that I kind of decided to just let the people in charge handle everything.

What more can we expect from you?

I had a movie, The Return, that was supposed to go into production, but being that the tour got extended we had to push that back also.

So right now it’s all about the music.

Yes.

What’s the one question you always wanted to be asked?

What time should they fuel up the jet?  [Laughs]