Sweater: Wisdom Of Age
T-shirt: True Religion
Jeans: GAP

For King Cruff, rhythm and reggae run in the bloodline—but with all that generational talent, his sound is entirely his own. Grandson of the legendary Bob Marley, this Jamaican-Canadian artist is setting out to create a new generation of reggae and dancehall. With clever lyricism and a willingness to touch on vulnerability, King Cruff is reshaping what it means to be a modern “lover man”.

His latest single, BUNCH, nods to the wit of early dancehall while incorporating references to family—like his cousin and DJ Shacia Payne—weaving in sharp wordplay and emotional depth to create timeless music.

Fresh off the Canadian leg of the Traffic Jam 2025 Tour and gearing up for The Bantu Knot Butu Tour, King Cruff moves through his career with the same patience and passion that he brings to his music. As he continues experimenting with new sounds, one truth remains clear: King Cruff isn’t chasing his family’s legacy. Rather, he’s expanding on it and finding his own way in the world of reggae.

Green Bomber: Extra Fit
Jacket: Honesty Brutal
Shades: VERSACE
Button-up Shirt: H&M

King Cruff, you mentioned drawing inspiration from the wit of early dancehall music. What's your favorite line from BUNCH and why?
My favorite line from the bunch is in the second verse, when I say I “turn the tables like Shacia Payne.” Shacia Payne is one of my cousins, and she's one of my favorite DJs of all time. I like to be able to throw in these lines or references to my real life that pay homage to the people around me, but while also just being clever about it.

As someone with reggae royalty in your blood, how do you balance honoring your family’s legacy with building your own?
The main thing that I always think about is being true to myself. The legacy is obviously such a powerful thing, and we have to pay respect to each and every day. I try not to let it distract me from what my original mission was, if anything, I use it to help direct me. Anytime I feel lost, I think, “what would Bob do in this situation XYZ?” and “what would Solomon do?” I try to find a balance between the two. With Bob as inspiration, you never get too lost—he's the ultimate Northern Star.

In BUNCH, you play with the idea of Jamaican men as the original ‘lover mans’, highlighting their loyalty and presence in relationships. How do you see your music challenging the expectations around masculinity, and the pressure some men feel that they can’t express vulnerability or emotion?
When we're talking about reggae and dancehall and masculinity in Jamaican culture…I feel like my music is helping break the ground of that conversation, because there's a lot of rough models, but there's not a lot of vulnerability and not a lot of sharing. Vybz Kartel talked about it in one of his recent interviews, the Drink Champs interviews, when he was saying, “Yo, as men, we need to be able to talk to each other about what's really going on, and not always putting up a front.” So, I feel like my music definitely allows that. I’m not afraid to peel the layers back and let people know what's really going on.

Vest: ROMEO HUNTE (archive)
Button-up Shirt: H&M
Pants: Death to Tennis
Sneakers: Adidas

How is your personal creative process different when you collaborate? In what ways does collaboration make the process more difficult or more fun?
I've been thinking about this a lot recently…when it comes to collaborating, I find that I'm definitely the artist that prefers to create by myself and take my time and write these lyrics out, because the lyrics are the most important to me. I'm very meticulous about my words. However, I find that there are certain artists that I'll work with, and we're just so in tune that we'll be able to throw ideas as we're creating, and it actually streamlines the process. What I've learned about myself is that when I'm collaborating in a bigger capacity, I tend to overthink a bit more. But, when I'm working with someone one on one—and when it's the absolute right person—I'm like, I will make music with this person forever.

When working on projects, what characteristics or energy do you seek in your collaborators?
When I'm thinking about collaborators for a project, I think about where exactly they would fit in the story of the song, and then on a greater note, where they would fit within the whole of the project. I like that when my projects come out, they have some sort of concept—whether that's a heavy concept, or it's more abstract. This is just more of a pack of feelings that I'm trying to share with you guys. So, it's usually about who can deliver this and who will tell the best story. I like picking collaborators where it's something that's not what they usually make, it's a little bit out of pocket for them.

You just wrapped the Canadian leg of the Traffic Jam 2025 tour and are gearing up to hit the road again this November for The Bantu Knot Butu Tour. What was that experience like, and what lessons or takeaways are you bringing into this next chapter?
Going on the tour with the uncles was a life changing moment, because it's a real manifestation. Man, like these things don't just really happen randomly. I really watched these guys from when I was growing up, these absolute legends on stage, being like, I want to be like them one day. I want to be on stage with them one day. I feel like going on that tour, before going on my own tour, has really inspired me to rethink how I deliver myself on stage. I took a lot of notes watching the uncles perform, how to present myself as though this is kind of larger than a life character, which is what a lot of Jamaica reggae and dancer performance is. Lots of energy and almost like a caricature of yourself. But people love it.

Suit: Vinshēk
Button-up Shirt: Death To Tennis
Tie: Amazon Fashion
Pillbox Hat: BORN TO ROAM
Sneakers: Adidas

What is the biggest lesson you have learned so far in your career?
The biggest lesson I've learned so far in my career, I think it has to come down to patience. I think everything will fall in place at the right time, and it's just a matter of knowing when to mute all of those thoughts of rushing and just take a moment to see that everything's going exactly the way it's supposed to. A lot of musician veterans who feel like this, we're so focused on this perfect idea that's years and years ahead, that we don't really take moments to be like—yo, what we're doing now, fifteen year old us would have loved this and would have killed for this opportunity.

Can you take us back to the moment you found out you were nominated for Reggae Recording of the Year at the 2025 JUNO Awards?
I think I was making breakfast when my publicist, Stephanie Horak, texted me. It was a full-on celebration in a message. It was great. Again, another career defining, life defining moment. I knew one day I was gonna be at the JUNOs. I didn't know exactly for what, because I make so many different types of music, but it felt right that that was the first nomination I ever received.

Do you have a preference between performing at festivals and more intimate venues? How is the experience different?
It's festivals for sure. I don't think I've had a bad festival experience yet. The intimate shows are really cool too. But, for what the majority of my music is and also how I am on stage, I have a tendency to jump from one side of the stage to the other for the whole of the thirty to forty-five minutes. A festival is usually where I perform the best.

Is there a dream festival you would like to play at someday?
Reggae Sumfest, which is this festival that takes place in Jamaica, and it's the biggest reggae festival. I've gone there so many times as a kid, you know. Like, yeah, we'll do Coachella and we do Lollapalooza, you know, all of that will come eventually. But, if I get the Reggae Sumfest, honestly, that's when I'm gonna start acting differently.

The Hideout Set: Hideout
Jewelry: Stylist’s Own
Necklace: Talent’s Own

Who would be your dream collaboration?
He just dropped a massive, massive project that I'm such a fan of—Chronixx is a dream collaboration. An amazing Reggae artist. He just dropped his first album in seven years. We were in a studio session in LA a week ago working on a song when the new Chronixx just dropped. Everybody turned the music off and we just tuned in and listened to this album. That's how much of an influence he's had on this generation of new Hip Hop Reggae artists that are coming up.

How do you see your sound evolving in the next few years as you continue to grow as an artist?
I think I see my sound becoming more experimental. I want to keep trying new things. I've found that I'm surrounded by all these musicians that are so talented, they play all these instruments and they lay out their vocals with all these harmonies. I like surrounding myself with people who push me to keep pushing the boundary on my art. I think as time goes on, there will be situations where people hear more music from King Cruff that they were not expecting. But I think if you're a long term King Cruff fan, you know that I've always been doing that—and it's only just going to escalate.

Would you be able to share some insight on your upcoming single 6 Milly?
I think the best way to talk about 6 Milly is to just say that it's my take on the sort of dancehall-feel that exists in Toronto. It's a very romantic song. It's a little bit on the darker side for a King Cruff song. But again, experimentation is trying different things and resonating with it, and taking my time with it. I like the song a lot.

CREW CREDITS:
Talent: King Cruff
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director: Mike Ruiz
Photographer: River Chad
Fashion Stylist: Shanelle Butler
Groomer: Amrita Mehta
Assistant Fashion Stylist: Angel Neal
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Sabine Obermoller, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Studio: East Williamsburg CYC Studio 003

King Cruff Peels Back the Layers of Reggae and Dancehall to Reveal Vulnerability