The resemblance is almost eerie. You've heard it before. That sandpapery wail that gives voice to the voiceless|. Following in the footsteps of brothers Steven, Ziggy and Rohan, Ky-Mani, the latest of Bob Marley's sons to record an album, is releasing The Journey on Shang/Gee StreetRecords on June 29.

Ky-Mani and Christopher Garvey (no relation to Marcus Garvey) produced the first single "Warriors," a street anthem blending reggae and hip hop, with a wailing siren in the chorus. It features Ky-Mani rhyming capably and singing the hook, "One time for all my warriors/my la smugglers/ and all my buffalo soldiers." The single will be released within the month, as soon as a remix is completed.

The album is a collection of folksy, roots reggae numbers that blendsdancehall and hip-hop and features production from Fugees producer Salaam Remi and dancehall heavyweight Clifton "Specialist" Dillon.

Having Marley as a father gives Ky-Mani a sense of responsibility to the public. "Right now the slackness [dirty lyrics] has gotten to the extreme,"he says. "We need something to educate the youths. These songs are killing the dancehalls, but where's the potency? We [reggae artists] sing about guns. That's OK, but don't make a whole album about that; it don't make no sense."

This is not Ky-Mani's first musical venture. As a youth he played guitar and piano, and was a trumpeter with the school band. Like his half-brother Rohan, who played football for the University of Miami, Ky-Mani also played soccer and football. But his formal education stopped after high school.

"After school it was just music," he remembers. "I did a little recording and my family members thought it was good. I was doing it with [engineer] Carl Peterson who did some recording with my father. I also did something recording with my [half]-brothers [Stephen and Damien Marley].

"Luther McKenzie, [vice president of Shang Records], heard it and told me that I should come down to the office." McKenzie wrote up a contract and that was the beginning of his career.

Ky-Mani began formally recording on his manager Dillon's label, ShangRecords, with a single called "Judge Not," featuring another of Dillon's acts, dancehall queen Patra. He also recorded a remix of his father's classic "Who The Cap Fit," and appeared on the 1997 cover of Eddie Grant's "Electric Avenue" with Pras.

The 23-year-old Miami resident moved from Jamaica at age 9. Unlike Ziggy, he is not the son of Bob Marley's widow Rita Marley. While comparisons to his dad are inevitable, he is very clear on his role. "There is a respect there," he says, carefully choosing his words. "People do look for you to bring that back. To me, there won't be another one. All we can do is try and keep it positive." - Adam Matthews