YG Marley’s ‘Praise Jah In The Moonlight’ Is Biggest Reggae Song Of The Last Decade, Says Jesse Royal

Reggae singer Jesse Royal says YG Marley‘s debut single, Praise Jah In The Moonlight, is “arguably” the biggest Reggae song of the last decade.

The Modern Day Judas singer praised the track during its recent three-day video shoot in Jamaica. “It’s good to see these sounds and vibrations penetrate through the earth,” Royal said on set. “Reggae alone can save the people dem soul.”

“And YG, sick sick sick artist…Look out for what is to come.  This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he added.

Royal and fellow artist Kabaka Pyramid both appeared in the song’s official video, which was released on Saturday (April 20). The video features Marley exploring rural Jamaica and gifting colorful flowers to the residents, backup vocals from a choir at Hope Gardens, and a heartwarming finale with Marley dancing with his mother, Lauryn Hill.

YG sought out acclaimed American director Cole Bennett, known for his work with Drake, Eminem, and J. Cole, to capture the essence of the song. “I waited for this to be the exact, perfect way, for you to receive it,” Marley said behind the scenes. “It (the video) had to be the right way, and I could only find one Superman to shoot it.”

Bennett aimed to create a series of “really specific, tasteful, stylized framing” that would complement the song’s message. “I feel so good,” he said. “I feel like we properly captured the culture, everyone coming together, the feeling of the song, [and] so many layers of texture, that was the whole theme and point of the video.”

Praise Jah In The Moonlight, which opens with a vocal sample from Bob Marley & The Wailers’ 1978 track Crisis and also credits Hill as a co-writer and co-producer, has seen significant global success following its release four months ago.

The track peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 20 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 1 on the Billboard New Zealand Songs Chart, and No. 11 on the Billboard Global 200.

On the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart dated April 20, Praise Jah In The Moonlight reached a new peak at No. 2.

In March, it was certified Silver in the United Kingdom after surpassing 200,000 units sold in the country.

The last Reggae songs to achieve similar chart numbers were Jay-Z and Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley’s 2017 collab BAM, which reached No. 47 on the Hot 100 and No. 92 on the UK Singles chart, and Jr. Gong’s 2005 track Welcome To Jamrock, which reached No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart.