Bob Marley and the Contemporary World https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1809-7958

The power of music as a revolutionary force that takes into cognizance such elements like history, philosophy, ideology, militancy, conflict resolution and peacekeeping dexterity distinguished Bob Marley’s music in particular and reggae music. Currently, the wave of globalization through the application of digitization in the music industry around the world, have promoted the increasing production of noisy beats that only promotes young adults to dance at the expense of a quality message that captures reality and facts as regards world, regional problems and the way out of these problems.

This article examines Bob Marley’s contributions as regards the music industry and how his contributions have affected the world for 41 years after his demise.

Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1946 in St. Ann Parish, Jamaica. His childhood was highly characterized by loneliness, unabated struggles and environmental influences as he worked and met different people within and outside the shores of Jamaica. This is clear in his songs like lonesome feeling, hurting inside, night shift, who the cap fits, hurts to be alone, chances are. While its radical aspect was well portrayed in soul rebel, rebel music, ambush in the night, survival, stiff naked fools and war. His Christian faith can be seen in his tracks like I left my sins, let the Lord be seen in you, the Lord will make a way somehow, give thanks and praises and thank you Lord. Also, his romantic aspect can be well noticed in songs like Turn your light down low, mellow mood, waiting in vain. There she goes, stays with me, pimpers paradise, she is gone, satisfy my soul, stir it up and others.

The name Bob Marley reflects many spheres of life. Base on perceptions, people see him as a prophet who makes use of biblical quotations in his songs and at the end makes predictions about the world, which are still accurate till date. To others, he is a radical who always stands against the oppression of the poor by the capitalist system, by national governments around the world. Bob Marley was also a hope to those downtrodden, a peace pathfinder and a good conflict management officer. In Jamaica, he was known as Mr Music and the one who represented those in the ghetto and making sure that the Jamaican government alongside the opposition party don’t abuse the poor masses base on their internal conflicts and divide and rule tactics they employ.

Despite an assassination attempt on his life in 1976, Bob Marley performed a show with a gun sustained injury in his hand. Thus, in 1978, One Love Peace Concert was organized and in that same year, he received the Peace Medal of the third world forum from the United Nations. He also received the ring of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, whose son, the crown prince, was a close friend of Bob Marley. Upon his death in 1981, Bob Marley was conferred to the Order of Merit National honours, which is the third highest ranking National honours in Jamaica as at then.

The reggae icon remained a universal symbol of agape love. His one love song attests to such fact and projects a world that is devoid of violence and insecurity. The track, as incorporated in the Exodus album, has sold over 200 million copies worldwide. Also, the exodus album remained in the British albums charts for one year and two months, which is roughly 56 weeks.

Bob Marley came into the timeline in 1973 through the Catch a Fire and Burnin Albums which was released under Island Records. His songs in these albums portrayed a melody of hope to the downtrodden, a call to reflections on the frailty of material things and wealth, a challenge to the youths who do not know their basic rights and how to hold their leaders accountable and responsible, a history of the negative impact of slavery and some mystical aspect of him. Songs like; Get up Stand up portrays the call to the youths to know their right and resist any attempt by politicians to abuse such rights. Pass it on shows a perfect world that is devoid of greed but emphasize on the need to being your brother’s keeper. One foundation depicts a society that is devoid of discriminations, segregations and the classification of people base on denomination. This very track is a call against racism which is still operational in America till date. This is because the killing of George Floyd really portrayed American civilization paradox. Other songs; Slave Driver, Duppy Conqueror, burning and looting and the rest all show the struggles for freedom, history of slavery and the struggles and hurdles one need to defeat in life in order to get to their success destination.

Between 1974 and 1980 albums such as Natty Dread, Rastaman Vibration. Exodus, Kaya, Survival and Uprising were released respectively, with Confrontation and Chances Are which was a compilation released posthumously in 1981 and 1983, respectively. A track in the Natty Dread Album titled Revolution portrayed the fact that when reforms fail continuously, only revolution can make a solution. The postulation in this track is still valid around the world today. This is because the world needs a revolution in the aspect of development ideologies as regards the failures of neo-liberalism during the financial crisis and in this recent coronavirus global health pandemic. The track also revealed how politicians behave in the political arena.

The Exodus album revealed the movement of Jah people to their fatherland. Bob Marley used biblical quotations to drive home vital points. Also, the track Guiltiness in the same album shows the unequal relationship between the political elites and the poor masses, as has been played out in huge political manifestoes that never end up manifesting for the interest of the poor masses.

The album Survival indeed portrayed Bob Marley as a Pan-Africanist, who is after African’s unity and development. The track Babylon system depicted Bob Marley’s confrontation against the capitalist system, which deprived the masses of their rights, sucking the blood of the sufferers like a vampire. Building churches and schools while deceiving the people continually and graduating thieves and robbers. In Top Ranking, he revealed how the colonialist inflicted conflicts and hatred among Africans through the divide and rule tactics.

Uprising is the last album released by Bob Marley in 1980, since he died on May 11, 1981. The track Redemption song was indeed a masterpiece as he cautioned the world mostly from the downtrodden on the need to emancipate them-selves from mental slavery, for none but ourselves could free our minds. This song was all about freedom and he called out for everyone to sing the song of freedom. When one listens to this track, it is as if he was cautioning African leaders on the impending debt traps and forceful adoption of neo-liberal reforms on them, as against the Lagos Plan of Action that has the interest of the African States at heart.

It is therefore incumbent on all and sundry, mostly those in the entertainment industry, to imitate Bob Marley and use their talents for the good and advancement of humanity. First, Marley was after integrity and the welfare of the poor masses. Even when he later rose to fame, he never distanced himself from the masses nor allows his wealth to distort his message of truth, hope and justice for the poor and oppressed around the world. For his voice and melodies served as relief to an oppressed soul, a hope for justice to the downtrodden and a threat to the perpetuators of evils. These lessons must be inculcated into those in the musical industry in this contemporary era. There must be a change of attitude from noise and dance beat production in order to make quick money into the production of melody that will suit and heal the broken hearts, as well as exposing all social ills around the world.

In conclusion, what Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Karl Marx are to idealism, Realism and Marxism, that is what Bob Marley was to reggae music and Rastafarianism. He has been acclaimed to be one of the Third World personalities who lived and worked on earth, and had a significant influence on humanity all over the world. His name, songs and legacies remain alive and the wave of history and contemporary happenings can not confront or question his lifetime achievements and the affects he made around the world and in Jamaica in particular.