Wizard Chan and Damian Marley Unite for Afro-Spiritual Roots Reggae Project

Nigerian singer and producer Wizard Chan has stepped into the studio with Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, with the two working toward a joint project that bridges Wizard Chan's Afro-Teme sound and Marley's deep roots reggae lineage. Word of the session has been circulating on X, generating significant buzz among reggae fans anticipating what could be one of the more striking cross-continental fusions of the year.

Wizard Chan, born Fuayefika Maxwell in Okrika, Rivers State, built his sound from the ground up inside the Ijaw tradition of the Niger Delta. He calls the genre Afro-Teme, after the Ijaw word "Teme," which translates to "feel it," describing it as African spiritual music. The style pulls from highlife, reggae, hip-hop, folk, and the percussive chant traditions of his community, including what he refers to as "Bakana Teke Wari," meaning prayer house songs. That spiritual infrastructure is exactly what makes a Marley collaboration feel less like a calculated crossover and more like a natural convergence.

Damian Marley is not an unfamiliar collaborator when it comes to linking reggae with African diasporic sounds. His 2010 album "Distant Relatives" with Nas drew explicit threads between reggae, hip-hop, and African ancestry, earning critical acclaim and cementing Jr. Gong's reputation as a builder of musical bridges. A project with Wizard Chan would extend that tradition into West African soil, specifically the Niger Delta.

For Wizard Chan, the pairing carries personal weight. In discussing his influences, he has singled out Damian Marley directly, calling him "the greatest of all time." That reverence now appears to be translating into something concrete. His debut album "Healers Chapel," released September 3, 2025, already drew comparisons to heavily roots reggae-influenced work, with the 14-track, 37-minute project weaving together reggae, hip-hop, and Ijaw ceremonial chanting. Guest appearances from Joeboy, Boma Nime, and PDSTRN on that album showed his ability to hold a full production vision while incorporating outside voices.

No official release date or title has been confirmed for the Marley collaboration, but the expectation circulating within the community points to a 2026 release. Given Wizard Chan's trajectory from "Earth Song" in 2022 through "Healers Chapel" in 2025, and Damian Marley's consistent appetite for projects that push reggae into unexpected territory, the combination carries real potential to widen the conversation about what African-rooted reggae sounds like in 2026.