Bob Marley'in hayatı film oluyor


ANKARA- Reggae müziğini Jamaika sınırları dışına taşıyarak efsaneleşen Bob Marley'nin yaşam öyküsü beyazperdeye taşınıyor. Genç yaşta kanserden ölen Marley'nin hayat hikayesini anlatan ilk filmin yapımcıları arasında sanatçının eşi Rita Marley de yer alacak.

Sinema sektörü yayın organı Hollywoodreporter'ın haberine göre, Bob Marley'nin yaşam öyküsünü içeren filmle ilgili hazırlıklar, sanatçının eşi Rita Marley'nin gözetiminde başladı.

Filmin, Bob Marley'nin yaşam öyküsünün yanı sıra, Rita-Bob Marley çiftinin nasıl tanıştığını ve yaşadıkları aşkı da beyazperdeye taşıması hedefleniyor. Başrol oyuncularının seçilmesi ile ilgili ayrıntıları planlamaya başlayan Rita Marley, bir bölümü Jamaika'da çekilecek yapımda ünlü müzisyenin gençliğini ve sonraki yıllarını iki farklı aktörün canlandırmasını düşünüyor. Filmde, müzisyenin orijinal parçalarının düzenlemeleri kullanılacak.

TORUNU VE GELİNİ DE FİLMDE

Rita Marley'nin yapımcıları arasında yer alacağı filmde Marley ailesinin diğer fertlerinin de rol alması planlanıyor.

Rita Marley, filmde kendisini canlandırması için ailenin ünlü ferdi Lauryn Hill'i düşünüyor. Bob Marley'nin dördüncü oğlu olan Rohan Marley'nin eşi rap şarkıcısı, albüm prodüktörü ve oyuncu Hill ile temasa geçen Rita Marley, sanatçıdan yanıt bekliyor. Marley, filmde eşinin gençlik yıllarını da torunu Stefan'ın canlandırmasını düşünüyor.

Marley, yapımın prodüksiyonunu, 2004 yılında gerçekleştirilen ''No Woman No Cry: Bob Marley ile Hayatım'' adlı otobiyografide birlikte çalıştığı The Weinstein Co. ile birlikte yürütecek.

Rita Marley, filmin oyuncularının henüz belirlenmediğini belirterek, ''Lauryn'in beni canlandıracak en ideal kişi olduğunu düşünüyorum'' dedi. Hill'in, Bob Marley'nin eski eşi Janet Hunt ile evliliğinden olan Rohan Marley ile evli olduğunu ifade eden Marley, ''Çünkü Lauryn benim hayatımı da yakından biliyor'' sözleriyle efsane müzisyeninin gelininin filmde rol alması yönündeki isteğini dile getirdi.

Filmin çekimlerine gelecek yıl başlanması, 2009 yılında seyirciyle buluşması planlanıyor.

Tanınmış yönetmen Martin Scorsese'nin hazırladığı, Bob Marley'ye ilişkin bir belgeselin de sanatçının 65. yaş günü olan 6 Şubat 2010 tarihinde gösterime girmesi planlanıyor.

BOB MARLEY'NİN YAŞAM ÖYKÜSÜ
Asıl adı Robert Nesta Marley olan unutulmaz sanatçı, 6 Şubat 1945 tarihinde Jamaika'da dünyaya geldi.

5 yaşındayken annesinin Kingston'a taşınmaya karar vermesinin ardından Bob ve ailesi, yaşamı boyunca Bob'un en iyi arkadaşlarından biri olan Bunny Livingston ve ailesi ile birlikte yaşadı.

Reggae müziğinin sadece Jamaika sınırlarında kalmamasını sağlayıp, onu bütün dünyaya duyuran en önemli isimlerden biri olan söz yazarı, şarkıcı ve gitarist Marley, profesyonel anlamda müziğe The Wailers grubu ile başladı.

Bob, The Wailers'tan ayrıldıktan sonra, üç kadın reggae sanatçısının oluşturduğu The I-Threes adlı gruba müzikal alanda yardım etti.

Şarkılarında politik içerik de bulunan Marley, ''Catch A Fire'' adlı çalışmasını 1972 yılında yayımladı. Bu çalışmayı, 1973 çıkışlı ''Burnin?'', 1975'te kaydedilen ''Natty Dread'' ve 1975 tarihli ''Live'' albümleri izledi. İngiltere, Almanya gibi önemli Avrupa ülkelerinde büyük dinleyici kitlesine sahip olan Marley, bu sayede Avrupa'da özellikle o yıllar için büyük önem taşıyan konserler verdi.

En popüler şarkılarından biri olan ''Get Up, Stand Up'' ile sosyal karmaşayı konu edinen Marley'nin ''No Women, No Cry'' adlı parçası dillerden düşmedi.

1978'de Afrika insanına yapılan insancıl yardımlara şarkılarıyla destek olduğu için Birleşmiş Milletler Barış Madalyası'na değer bulunan Marley, bu ödülü aldığı sene insancıl yardım amacıyla Jamaika'da konsere çıktı.

Sanatçının ''I Shot The Sheriff'' ve ''Get Up, Stand Up'' gibi şarkıları, ünlü sanatçı Eric Clapton tarafından yıllar sonra yeniden düzenlendi.

Fırtınalı bir yaşamı olan ve bir kısmı evlilik dışı ilişkilerden 13 çocuğu bulunan Bob Marley, 11 Mayıs 1981 tarihinde 36 yaşında deri kanserine yenik düştü. (AA)

The Weinstein Company Acquires Rights to Produce the First Ever Feature Film About Legendary Musician Bob Marley

NEW YORK, March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Weinstein Company is thrilled to announce that they have acquired the rights to develop, produce and distribute the first ever biopic about the legendary Jamaican singer, songwriter, guitarist, and activist, Bob Marley and his wife Rita Marley. The feature film will be based on the autobiography "No Woman No Cry: My Life With Bob Marley" written by Rita Marley, the widow of the legendary reggae musician. The book is an intimate and epic account of their relationship, which went from the streets of Trenchtown to the heights of the international music and political worlds. Rudy Langlais ("The Hurricane") is set to produce the film from a script written by Lizzie Borden ("Working Girls"). Rita Marley will serve as executive producer. More details about the project will be announced soon. The announcement was made today by Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company.

Rita Marley stated, "Bob always told me, 'Wherever you are I will be there' and I didn't understand it until much later. Our lives began in a government yard in Trenchtown with hopes of reaching the world through music and through our dreams. I wrote my book to tell my story -- of the dreams we shared and those days we spent living and believing in our hope. I saw it and now we get to tell it through our movie. I have waited a long time to tell this story, about growing up in Jamaica and meeting Bob and making our music and falling in love and making our family. All that, and all that we went through went into this. Now is that time. This is my story."

Harvey Weinstein stated, "I could not be more excited about this film and about bringing audiences around the world a true look into the delicate and dynamic lives of Rita and Bob Marley. Bob Marley was a prolific individual who has influenced and impacted the world with engaging messages he expressed through his moving and socially observant music. His voice commanded attention, it commanded compassion, and it commanded peace. He was a profound musical prophet, whose voice and words inspired generations across the world. We hope this film will resonate across all classes and creeds."

Rudy Langlais stated, "Rita Marley is the only one and the only way to tell this extraordinary love story. There's a reggae song, 'She who lives it, knows it.' Rita lived it all with Bob - the rugged years in the Trenchtown ghetto, the rise to fame and stardom with the Wailers, the complex love affair that spanned his short life, the attempted assassination of both of them on the eve of a concert, and his tragic death at 35. Rita was there, she saw it all -- and she is taking us into the heart of it all through her amazing book and story. This is Rita's story of her life with Bob."

Production Executive, Ben Famiglietti brought this project to The Weinstein Company, along with Michael Cole, Co-Head of Production. They will oversee the project on behalf of The Weinstein Company. Eric Roth, EVP of Business and Legal Affairs negotiated the deal on behalf of The Weinstein Company. Mickey Freiberg from ACME Talent Literary along with Eric Weissmann from Weissmann, Wolf, Bergman, Colman & Silverman negotiated on behalf of Rudy Langlais and Lizzie Borden. Attorneys Bob Epstein, Marvin Zolt and Claude Ismael represented Rita Marley in negotiations.

"No Woman No Cry: My Life with Bob Marley" written by Rita Marley with Hettie Jones, was published by Hyperion in May of 2004.

About Rita Marley

Rita Marley was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, married Bob Marley in 1966 and remained married to him until his death in 1981. She was the mother of two of his children, who displayed musical talent like their parents. Rita was also a musician, and performed with a girl-group called the I-Three who had been the back-up singers to Bob Marley and the Wailers. After having witnessed the visit of Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie to Jamaica in 1961, Rita Marley converted to the Rastafarian religion and introduced it to Bob as well. He began to devote his spiritual life to its beliefs and adopted its traditions, which included wearing his iconic dreadlocks. As Marley's music and persona became more and more controversial in Jamaica, the political turmoil it stirred resulted in an assassination attempt on the eve of a concert in Kingston, at which Bob and Rita were shot. To this day, Rita Marley is a benefactor of numerous humanitarian causes. She continues to perform worldwide and lives in Ghana, West Africa.

About Bob Marley

Bob Marley was born under the name of Nesta Robert Marley in the Jamaican countryside town of Nine Miles in 1945. His father was a white Jamaican Marine Officer and Captain of English descent, while his mother was a young black Jamaican girl. After his father's death, Bob moved with his mother to the Kingston ghetto of Trenchtown. There he began playing music, imitating American R&B, and soon formed a band with several other musicians, including Neville O'Riley Livingston and Peter Tosh, calling themselves The Wailers. Their music evolved into what they called "reggae," expressing their rebellious spirit against British colonial rule. Financed by Island Record owner and fellow Jamaican Chris Blackwell, Marley and the Wailers soon were brought to international attention and broke out into world fame. Marley went solo under Blackwell's direction and became an international legend, his music addressing everything from passionate love to revolution in the third world, to humanity's unity in the anthem "One Love." Bob Marley died of a long- gestating cancer in 1981. At the end of the century, Time Magazine and The New York Times named him the most important popular artist of the 20th Century and his record "Exodus" the important record of the century. He was also awarded the United Nations Medal of Peace for the Third World.

About The Weinstein Company

The Weinstein Company (TWC) was created by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films Corporation in 1979. TWC is a multi-media company that officially launched on October 1, 2005. Dimension Films, the genre label that was founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, is also included under the TWC banner.

During the Weinsteins' tenure at Miramax Films the company released some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful independent feature films which received 249 Academy Award(R) nominations and won 60 Oscars(R), have generated billions of dollars in worldwide box office receipts and billions more in home video sales. In its history, Dimension Films has released some of the most successful franchises including "Scream," "Spy Kids" and "Scary Movie.

The Weinstein Company

Ten Best: Contributions of Bob Marley

Brian Clarey Editor

Bob Marley Day

Everybody loves reggae music. Okay, maybe not everybody. But we can all agree on the cultural significance of Bob Marley, the genre's godfather and one of the pioneers the sound in the '60s and '70s before his death in 1981 at the age of 36. But the aftereffects of his short life are still felt today, particularly on Feb. 6, his birthday and also the date each year of Bob Marley Day, which I believe is a paid holiday in Humboldt County, Calif.

Rastafarianism

Marley didn't invent Rastafarianism, but he did help popularize it - kind of like the religion's Tom Cruise to Haile Selassie's L. Ron Hubbard. Before Marley and the Wailers hit it big with their first album, Catch A Fire in 1973, the religion was virtually unknown outside of Jamaica, Ethiopia and a few other countries, and has now spread throughout the world. You can even find certain elements of it practiced on college campuses across the United States.

The Wailers

Marley formed the Teenagers, a ska and rocksteady group, in Jamaica in 1963. It morphed into the Wailing Rudeboys, then the Wailing Wailers and the finally settled on the Wailers. The group, which included longtime associate Bunny Wailer, underwent a lineup change in 1974, a configuration that still exists and tours today.

Peter Tosh

Also in the original Teenagers lineup was one Peter McIntosh, a product of Kingston's Trenchtown slum. Angrier, funnier and more politically intense than Marley - Tosh called cities "Shitties," called Island Records President Chris Blackwell "Whiteworst" and crafted a song, "Legalize It," which would become an anthem of the pro-marijuana movement - Tosh also folded layers of heavy, rock-influenced guitar into the traditional reggae paradigm like no one else. Give a listen to "Rastafari Is" and you'll see exactly what I mean.

His children

Bob Marley had 13 children. Five were by his wife Rita - two of which were adopted by Marley - and the remaining eight each had a different baby-mama. Of them all, the most famous are Ziggy, who scored a big hit in the '90s with "Tomorrow People" and still tours today; Stephen and Damian, who worked together on several albums; Ky-Mani, who recently opened for Van Halen; and Rohan, who played linebacker at the University of Miami and went on to play pro football in Canada.

The Ocho Rios hustle

Don't ask me how I know, but cab drivers in the Jamaican tourist town of Ocho Rios offer any and all out-of-towners a chance to visit Bob Marley's house, which they'll describe as being up in the hills by scenic waterfalls. In truth, the house they describe is a nearly two-hour drive from the port, following a route that traverses rough roads and poverty-stricken neighborhoods. But really all they're trying to do is sell marijuana.

"Master Blaster" by Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder was onstage with Bob Marley & the Wailers on Oct. 4, 1975 in the National Arena in Kingston, the last time the original Wailers ever played together. Wonder wrote this song in 1977, when Marley was diagnosed with cancer, as a tribute to the man. It also kicks ass.

Tuff Gong Records

Tuff Gong was Bob Marley's nickname, derived from the fact that he was such a badass - after discovering cancer in his toe, Marley refused to have it amputated due to his Rastafarian beliefs. But it was also the name of a record label begun by the Wailers in 1970 to promulgate reggae music's message. Its headquarters in Kingston now houses the Bob Marley Museum.

The Bob Marley Foundation

After he passed, Marley's wife Rita founded the Bob Marley Foundation in order to, according to the website, "fulfill his comprehensive vision of social development through advocacy for social change." Its current projects include Africa Unite, which sponsors events in different countries on that continent with an eye toward unification.

"No Woman No Cry"

Enough said.

Proudly his father's son TheStar.com - entertainment - Proudly his father's son

May 18, 2007

Ashante Infantry
Pop & Jazz Critic

You expect to hear Bob Marley songs at a reggae concert, whether it's the DJ spinning them during intermission or covers by the headliner; 26 years after his death, the King of Reggae still resonates.

When the performer in question is his widow, former bandmate or offspring, the nostalgic medley is typically relegated to the bottom half of the show, after the crowd (and there is always one, even when the Marley connection is tenuous) has been dazzled by their material.

Though he took the stage an hour late for his Tuesday night gig at the Phoenix, Stephen Marley didn't waste time.

The first song from the second of Bob's seven sons was the late great's "Roots, Rock, Reggae."

With a guitar strapped across his torso and that mid-reverie tendency to hold his left hand to his forehead, locks swinging, 35-year-old Marley was in full dad mode.

He followed with "Chase Dem" from his acclaimed solo debut Mind Control and continued alternating his tunes with his father's gems for the first half of the 90-minute set.

Accompanied by an 11-piece Wailers-style band and two fierce back-up dancers updating the I-Three's moves (despite one with a distracting, oh-so-impolitic hair weave) his works are rootsier than eldest brother Ziggy's current fusion fare and more traditional than youngest brother Damian's dancehall reggae-rap oeuvre.

But like those better known brothers, Stephen Marley executes the King's originals with aplomb, branding them with precision endings and modern grooves.

With his own lyrics echoing the family's trademark call for unity, he halted the music to lecture: "They use politics and race and religion to divide us, (but) we are one people."

A more contemporary vibe emerged once he brought out little brother Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, 28, to perform several of the hits from his Grammy-winning disc Welcome to Jamrock.

That album was produced by Stephen, who has been criticized for dipping into his dad's catalogue to fashion dance remixes and rap collaborations for his brothers and others.

But with a sold-out Phoenix audience of 1,100 frat boys, Rastas, hipsters and Boomers, and his own young son onstage dancing and waving a flag throughout the gig, which ended past midnight, it would appear the father of eight has the Marley legacy well in hand.

Bob Marley's classic Exodus album re-released for 30th anniversary

Bob Marley’s Exodus album will be reissued on USB memory sticks to mark the 30th anniversary of its release on May 28.

The USB memory stick will be limited to 4,000 copies and will also include three videos filmed at London’s Rainbow Theatre in June 1977.

n addition, it will also be released on micro SD memory card format – of which just 2,000 will be released – and two different CDs.

One CD will come in a hardback case, while the deluxe CD version will also include a DVD featuring 12 songs recorded live at Bob’s concerts at the Rainbow Theatre in London.

David Corio's best shot

'I was chest-deep in water and down to my last frame. I clicked the shutter - and got it'

Interview by Leo Benedictus
Thursday May 17, 2007
The Guardian

In 1980, the last full year of Bob Marley's life, the NME asked me to shoot his gig at Crystal Palace Bowl. He only performed about eight more before he died. There was a big lake right in front of the stage, so photographers had to stand 50 yards away. I remember Joe Jackson performing there once. Someone found a dead duck and threw it at him. It hit him in the chest and he just walked off, understandably.

after a few shots, I hadn't got anything, so I put a camera and film in a carrier bag, and just waded in. It was chest-deep. A bunch of fans had jumped in, so there was lots of splashing. It was difficult holding a carrier bag up in the air with one hand and the camera with the other.

Bob was also really difficult to shoot. He was almost in a trance, dancing like a shaman. His locks were thrashing around and it was hard to capture a good expression when they weren't totally covering his face. I wouldn't have known at the time that he was ill.

I got down to my last shot, the 37th frame on my last roll of film, and waited - and just managed to capture it all at the right moment. There have been a few times over the years when, just as you click the shutter, you feel that you've got it. This was one of them.

But the NME didn't print it. They chose a singing-into-the-microphone shot. I was 20, just starting, and I'd only done a dozen jobs, so I was glad to get the gig. But I was a bit peeved.

The picture has been used over the years because of its graphic quality as much as anything. I tried getting rid of the little bit of the microphone stand in the corner, but the result just looks too clean to me. The image sums up that day. I went home on the tube covered in green slime and stinking of old pondlife.

· Memoirs from the Mosh Pit, an exhibition of photographs by David Corio, is at the Rockarchive Gallery, London, until June 1. Details: 020-7376 7129

David Corio's photographs of Bob Marley and other subjects can be seen on his website

Europe, Africa, Jamaica (Pt III)
published: Wednesday | May 16, 2007

Peter Espeut

I have been commenting on the powerful 1997 book, Jamaica Genesis by anthropologist Diane Austin-Broos, in which she proposes a plausible theory of the evolution of Jamaican culture. It is a theory of conflict: after Emancipation the African-based religion dominant in Jamaica came into conflict with (non-Anglican) Protestant Christianity from England to produce a Jamaican version of Christianity underpinned with an African understanding of spirits and how to control them. And in the early 20th century this synthesis came into conflict with ecstatic Pentecostalism from America producing a new synthesis more in tune with the African view of spirits and how the world works.

In the 19th century, adopting non-conformist Protestant Christianity was one way of challenging Jamaica's oppressive domestic economic, social and political arrangements supported by the British Parliament and the Anglican Church. In the first half of the 20th century adopting American Pentecostalism was one way of challenging the rigid colour/class system of pre-Independence Jamaica dominated by the colonial state and the now mainstream (British) non-Conformist Christianity.

Religious hybrid

Remember that neither the 'pure' Baptist faith brought by the English nor the 'pure' Pentecostalism brought by the Americans was what we adopted in Jamaica; over the last 200 years we developed a religious hybrid - a syncretism - with a strong African foundation in the background. Beneath the surface is belief in duppies, dreams and divination; and some resort to obeah if Christian prayer fails. The more ecstatic (Puk-)Kumina, Revival Zion and Myal are in the picture, but on the fringe, since they are less respectable and less socially acceptable.

Jamaica's culture of protest is deeply ingrained. Remember that in Atlantic slave history Jamaica had the greatest number of slave revolts, and (except for Haiti) the most serious ones. And after Emancipation there were: the Kingston John Canoe Riots of 1840; the Buie Riots of 1859 in Falmouth; the Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865; the Montego Bay Riots of 1902; the riotsagainst the Chinese in 1918 beginning in Ewarton; the 1938 disturbances in Islington, Frome and the Kingston waterfront; the Rodney riots of 1969; widespread blocking of roads in the 1970s, '80s and '90s; all these indicate a seething discontent with Jamaica as it is, and readiness to take to the streets.

The emergence of Rastafarianism in the 1940s was another profound protest against Jamaican society which had failed to produce real equality after Emancipation. Dressed in religious garb, Rastafarianism began as a rejection of Jamaican economy, polity and society containing the unrighted wrongs of slavery. The fact that Rastas pay no homage to the Jamaican flag (the Black, Green and Gold) but rather to the 'Ites' (Red) Green and Gold is an indication of where true loyalties lie. Disrespect for the national anthem shows that many Jamaicans do not believe independent Jamaica is organised for their benefit, any more than slave Jamaica or colonial Jamaica was.

The spread of Rasta as a religion to the far corners of the globe is due less to belief in the divinity of Selassie than to its rejection of capitalism and warmongering. The characteristic dress and hairstyle of Rasta, and its rejection of wage slavery (employment), are a profound rejection of Western ideals and standards.

Rasta elements captured popular music in the 1960s, and reggae was born, songs of protest which matched Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, and then went further. Its worldwide popularity is not just because of its pulsating beat, but because of its message rejecting the domination of so many by Western white Christian capitalism. Globally, reggae has positioned itself as the musical voice of the oppressed, because it is grounded in an experience of oppression at home. We need to understand what Bob means when he sings, "I want to disturb my neighbour".

The protest continues today: on talk shows, in the music, rejection of mainstream churches, refusing to register to vote and refusing to vote, dropping out of the formal economy, street protests; and by the large numbers who migrate elsewhere to work hard for the rewards they cannot get here. And most notably, a main vehicle of protest against injustice is through crime. Crime won't be contained until Jamaica becomes a more just society, and comes to closure with our oppressive past.

Icon: Marcia Griffiths - Feel like jumping after 40 years
published: Tuesday | May 15, 2007

Marcia Griffiths in performance. - Nathaniel Stewart/Freelance Photographer

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

THE MUSIC scene in Jamaica was on the verge of international acceptance in 1967 when a young singer named Marcia Griffiths broke through with Feel Like Jumping, an uptempo song for producer Clement Dodd.

Forty years later, Griffiths is still making hit songs. She may be approaching 60 but she remains young at heart and can still rock with the youngest of them.

Recently, VP Records released Melody Life, a two-CD collection of 30 songs that tracks Griffiths' career to the days of Dodd's Studio One, to her time with producers Harry 'Harry J' Johnson, Lloyd Charmers and Sonia Pottinger in the 1970s.

Most of the second disc covers the 1990s when Griffiths' career enjoyed a renaissance at producer Donovan Germain's Penthouse Records.

Melody Life (the name of one of her hits at Studio One) is not just a tribute to Griffiths' staying power, but shows her refusal to be linked to a particular sound or era.

The Studio One songs reflect the party mood of post-Independence Jamaica. Her work with Pottinger is homage to the social impact Rastafarianism had on the country's popular culture during the 1970s, when Griffiths toured the world as a member of the I-Three, Bob Marley's backup group.

Rubbing shoulders

While most of her contemporaries were relegated to the oldies circuit in the 1990s, Griffiths was rubbing shoulders with the new wave of dancehall acts. With Germain at the helm, she had an energetic chart run, recording with Penthouse regulars like Buju Banton and Wayne Wonder.

Two collaborations from that period, Live On with Beres Hammond and Half Idiot (with Cutty Ranks), are included on Melody Life.

One of the high points of Marcia Griffiths' endurance is her ability to fit in. She is just as comfortable performing at 'vintage' shows like Heineken Startime or contemporary roots events such as East Fest.

No matter the demographic, the reception to songs like Feel Like Jumping, Dreamland or I Shall Sing is the same: rapturous.

No matter the demographic, the reception to songs is the same: rapturous.

Ghanaians celebrate Bob Marley

Reggae Lenged Bob Marley

Myth about Bob Marley remains in music and philosophy. Last friday marked the 26th anniversary of Bob Marley as one of the greatest music legends of all time.

As a tradition, many radio and FM stations, night clubs and theatres have been running programmes to pay tribute to him.

By all standards the late Bob Marley is comparable with other music mortals like Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, John Lennon of Beatles fame and Jim Hendrix.

However there is an extraordinary force in Marley’s music synonymous with rhythmic eloquence in thought and philosophy which goes to distinguish him from other legends.

To prove this, a decade ago when Island records released a catalogue on a cassette disc format, Marley turned the charts upside down, shook and leapt on to the pinnacle of the charts with meritorious speed.

‘The legend,’ an album of a compilation of his memorable hits out sold everything previously released in his life time.

Globally his unique style and poly rhythmic music stirred not only romantic hearts but also conscientise the human race and even gingered the effort of politicians in their strife to find peace, justice and freedom.

It is indeed an irony of history that Zimbabwe whose President Robert Mugabe acknowledged the musical resourcefulness of Bob Marley and extended an invitation to him with a government guarantee and a role to play at the country’s independence ceremony in April 27 years ago, should now be seen as being diametrically opposed to the very freedom for which the reggae legend was expected to harp on, when he sang among other tracks, Zimbabwe, being connotative of political independence and dignity of man at the ceremony.

The effect which his album ‘Survival’ released in 1979 including ‘Zimbabwe’ ‘so much trouble in the world,’ ‘Stand up get up’ underscores a common thing about him that he defiantly scorn mistreatment, injustice done to people and always showed a disgust with a swelling tide of fury at such things.

Bob Marley inspires artistes
15 May, 2007
GABORONE - Botswanas Rastafarian community converged on Gaborone Civic Centre on Saturday to celebrate the life of Robert Nesta Marley commonly known as Bob Marley.

The commemoration of Bob Marleys life was a fitting celebration for the man who has affected all people of all races and ages.

The man still leaves through his music and it does not look like he will ever disappear from the music industry.

Marley, who died 26 years ago, still gets the respect of Rastafarians and reggae music lovers as he had contributed tremendously to the music genre and the religion of Rastafarism.

The show at the civic centre started at a slow pace with just a few spectators in the afternoon but as the night approaches the hall was filled with people from all ages.

The show had a predominantly reggae line up but was diverse as kwaito music (Mapetla), kwasa-kwasa (Chris Manto 7) and hip-hop (Steez) were all represented.

Among the reggae greats were Steppin Razor and Oom G, Jah Revelation Sounds, Jahman States and Chanty Killa.

One of the organisers of the show Ras Kabelo Mokgalajwe said Bob Marley stood for Africaness so the inclusion of musicians from different genres was to show unity among all artists.

We wanted to promote African consciousness and talent, he said. Mokgalajwe also stated that the show was organised to celebrate the life of a great man, a musician and a true ambassador of African culture.

All the musicians and the spectators alike admitted that Marley has influenced their lives one way or the other.

In his words, Mapetla said I listen to Bobs songs before I write mine so as to get inspiration from this great musician.

Mapetla further stated that he did not get any payment for this show, as he wanted to pay his respect to the legend Bob Marley.

Chris Manto 7 said he sings his songs in his native Hambukushu as Marleys encouragement of Africans to maintain their African culture inspired him.

Steez who gave quite a performance as he managed to get the reggae loving audience to transcend and listen to his good hip-hop songs said, Marley is a legend that should never be forgotten.

A Rastafarian woman, Sister Rita Maloko, who came with her two children, Dimpho,7, and Thabo, 12, said Bob was a great man and he deserves the respect from the entire world as he has touched all people of all races through his powerful music. BOPA

One Love!

The Voice (Francistown)15 May 2007

Botswana's local Rastafarian community is pulling on all stops to host a show in honour of their hero figure, Robert Bob Nesta Marley.

The show, which coincides with the fallen legend's International day (May 12), will be held at the Civic Centre tomorrow (Saturday).

Hosted with the help of Bhingi Vibe Productions and Erad Cashan Squad, the gig will among other artistes feature Stepping Razor, Jah Revelation Sounds, Jahman States, DT, Mapetla, Chris Manto 7, Steez.

The anticipated show which kicks off at 1500hrs will also offer the audience a chance to learn about Marley's history as well as his significant role in international politics and his influences in spiritual forces.

There will also be an exhibition of reading materials such as books, pamphlets, thesis' and biographies.

A spokesman for the Rasta Community, Dithuso Selepeng, noted that patrons would also be treated to different teachings pertaining to spiritual enlightenment.

"We are going to have all the bands sharing the stage to sing one of Marley's outstanding hits called One Love. Most of the music at this show will be centered around the Reggae hero."

Rudie believes that Marley was a hero figure, in the classic mythological sense. His departure (May 11) from this planet came at a point when his vision of One World, One Love - inspired by his belief in Rastafari - was beginning to be heard and felt. The last Bob Marley and the Wailers tour in 1980 attracted the largest audiences at that time for any musical act in Europe.

Bob's story is that of an archetype, which is why it continues to have such a powerful and ever-growing resonance: it embodies political repression, metaphysical and artistic insights, gangland warfare and various periods of mystical wilderness.

And his audience continues to widen: to Westerners, Bob's apocalyptic truths prove inspirational and life changing; in the Third World, his impact goes much further.

Bob Marley never wrote a bad song. He left behind the most remarkable body of recorded work. "The reservoir of music he has left behind is like an encyclopedia," says Selepeng.

"When you need to refer to a certain situation or crisis, their will always be a Bob Marley song that will relate to it. Bob was a musical prophet."

It goes without saying that Jamaica has produced an artist who has transcended all categories, classes, and creeds through a combination of innate modesty and profound wisdom. Jah Bless!

Marley Celebrated
New Vision (Kampala) 14 May 2007
Posted to the web 15 May 2007
Kampala

Winne Ngabirye receives her prize from Shem Semambo as Tshaka Mayanja looks on

MANY stories have been told about Bob Marley, the man believed to have started the reggae music genre, which has helped spawn many other derivatives. Although he passed away 26 years ago on May 11, many people still love his music.

Last Friday's Tuff Gong Night in Ange Noir discothèque fell on exactly the same date as that of the reggae icon and as expected, there was reason to celebrate. Scores of frenzied revellers, many great fans of Marley, could not hide their joy while on the dance floor.

Be it corporate or lower class, reggae music has no boundaries. Kenya's King Tubbs of King Lion Sounds and Ange Noir's Mark Rebel alongside Ras Klan spun the wheels of steel like Reggae was born in Uganda. Good "chunes" is what was on most of the patrons' lips in reference to the music played.

This Friday will be the Gals Nights Out and there will be prizes from African Woman Magazine and Sylvia Owori Fashions, but only for lucky ones

Bob Marley album to be re-released

Tuesday, May 15 2007, 12:02 BST

By Matt Houghton

The legendary Bob Marley album Exodus is to be re-released on USB Memory Stick and Micro SD Card.

It has been reissued to coincide with the album's 30th anniversary and is to be the first artist-specific album to be released on the two unprecedented formats.

The memory sticks will be made available from June 4th, and will be issued in the rastafarian colours, red, green and gold.

A special edition DVD will also hit the shelves for Bob Marley fans, in addition to a book to mark the occasion.

bob Marley's Exodus Released On USB Stick
In a pioneering move...

By: Jason Gregory on 14/05/2007 15:10:27

Island records have announced plans to re-release Bob Marley’s pioneering album, ‘Exodus,’ on June 4th.

Reissued to coincide with the album's 30th anniversary, amongst traditional formats, ‘Exodus,’ will be available on USB Memory Stick and Micro SD Card - the first artist-specific album to be released on both formats.

The limited edition USB Memory Stick is limited to 4000 copies and comes in the Rastafarian colours of red, green and gold. The multi-compatible Micro SD Card will be limited to 2000 copies.

As well as the album, a specially-packaged 30th Anniversary DVD of ‘Exodus Live at the Rainbow’ will be released on June 18th and a commemorative book - which includes the album - will hit shops on June 7th.

May 14, 2007

Music Review | Stephen Marley

Got Reggae: Marley and Marley (and Marley, Too)

Rahav Segev for The New York Times

Stephen Marley, left, was joined by his brother Damian Jr. Gong Marley on Friday night at the Nokia.

Rahav Segev for The New York Times

Stephen Marley interspersed his own songs with hits like "One Love" and "Jammin'" by his father, Bob Marley, on Friday at the Nokia Theater.

By JON PARELES

For brand recognition, the best family name in popular music may well be Marley. Bob Marley’s reggae hits are instant singalongs for multiple generations of listeners worldwide — feel-good music that lets fans equate dance grooves and ganja smoke with political and spiritual righteousness.

Bob Marley’s singing sons — including Stephen Marley, who headlined a sold-out show at the Nokia Theater on Friday night with his brother Damian Jr. Gong Marley as special guest — have latched on to their father’s vocal style and his mix of idealism and pleasure. Stephen has a strong share of the Marley voice, grainy with yearning and determination, and he adds some quirky timing of his own.

Stephen and Damian have been melding their father’s legacy with music that has spread since his death in 1981: the rhymes and electronic tracks of hip-hop and Jamaican dancehall ragga. Both brothers perform on Stephen’s hit “The Traffic Jam,” a ragga song about being stopped by cops who smell marijuana and envy their luxury car. Damian’s music leans toward dancehall while preserving a social conscience, and Stephen’s current album, “Mind Control” (Tuff Gong/Universal Republic), sometimes blends his father’s roots-reggae grooves with the ominous minor chords of gangsta rap. Mr. Cheeks, a New York rapper, joined him onstage for “Iron Bars.”

But for much of his set, Stephen Marley made clear that he was in the family business. His band was modeled on the Wailers, playing steadfast 1970s-style reggae, and he alternated his own songs with his father’s familiar hits. (Since the Nokia Theater has a Broadway address, he couldn’t resist opening with Bob’s “Reggae on Broadway.”) Songs like “No Woman No Cry,” “One Love” and “Jammin’ ” are surefire, and Mr. Marley sang them as well as anyone; the audience enthusiastically joined in. But singing so much of his father’s material made him more like an oldies act than he needs to be.

His band replaced the minimal electronic beat of “The Traffic Jam” with a more standard live dancehall vamp. Backdating the music didn’t affect the roar of approval when Damian Marley arrived onstage. He took over the band for his own songs, among them “Pimpa’s Paradise,” which warns against crack addiction, and “Welcome to Jamrock,” which depicts crime alongside Jamaica’s tourist paradise.

With Damian chanting rhymes and Stephen singing choruses, the music turned contemporary; it was not always as rich as Bob Marley’s, but not nostalgic either. For the finale, Stephen fervently sang his father’s “Exodus,” and Damian reappeared with rapid-fire rhymes from his dancehall update on it, “Move!” They were holding, and extending, the family franchise.

The opening act, K’naan, brought his own social statements. He grew up in Somalia before coming to Harlem, and he rapped and sang — over djembe drumming, acoustic guitar and Ethiopian funk — about violence in the streets of Mogadishu and about facing the worst with a smile and a sense of purpose.

Rastafari - co-opted by politics

SIZZLA

Today, Sizzla continues his reflections on Rastafari with a look at the relationship between politics and Rasta.

"In the last election Prime Minister X went to Ethiopia and met with the King of Kings and had a conversation with him. He came back to Jamaica and showed the people a rod, which he said was given to him by the King, Haile Selassie the First, to bring freedom to the black people of Jamaica. He carried that rod all around during the campaign. The Rastafarians heard this; the dreadlocks heard this; and this rod caused him to win a landslide victory for the party.

The Prime Minister came to power talking like a Rastafarian. He started some progressive moves on behalf of the African peoples of this country. But after a while he forgot the rod; he forgot to talk about Africa; he forgot to talk about the Rastafarians.

The other party was so anti-black that not even Elijah Muhammad could enter Jamaica as a black man. Today, it is a little better; there is freedom of speech for I and I. As you see, we even got the Marcus Garvey Park to use. Here and there we have seen a little change on the part of the government but not enough to bring the black masses out of the slums they are in right now."(Barrett 180)

This quote, along with numerous other readings, sparks interest in the political scene and situation surrounding Jamaica, Rastafarianism and reggae music in the 1970s and what it holds for the upcoming elections. It seems to me, despite the economic shambles of Jamaica and the staunch and deliberate refusal of Rastafarians to participate in 'politricks', that politics has had a deep impact on any and every aspect of life in Jamaica. A better understanding of Jamaica's political parties, what they stood for, why they sparked gruesome violence, and their impact on Rastafarians and reggae music are necessary.

At this earlier time Rastafarianism was gradually gaining attention in Jamaica. Although typically Rastafarians didn't participate in politics, the politicians were somewhat successful in wriggling their way into the Rastafarian scene through icons, music, language and symbols.

Prime Minister Manley's relationship with Bob Marley gained him support and admiration with many Jamaicans. Manley politics and Marley's music were integrated during the rule of the PNP, with Manley and Marley even living as neighbours on Hope Road. During the first four years of the Manley regime, Marley gave many free performances at the request of the PNP - two of the most significant being the 'Smile Jamaica Concert' in 1976 and the 'One Love Peace Concert' in 1978. Just prior to the Smile Jamaica Concert, Marley, his wife Rita, and his manager Don Taylor, were shot by gunmen at Bob's home on Hope Road. Many believe that this shooting was carried out by Jamaica Labour Party supporters although no concrete evidence has ever been brought forth to support this belief.

Stellenbosch's Rastas say they 'puff' ganja

Kerry McCatty Sunday, May 13, 2007

STELLENBOSCH, South Africa - Stellenbosch is probably the last place one would expect to see a chanting Rasta man draped in red, green and gold, obligatory rod in hand and carrying a boom box playing Bob Marley's Soul Rebel.

The South African college town is one of terrace restaurants, expensive boutiques. It is the kind of romantic, Hollywood artist pad, which, come to think of it, is probably the reason we found Zebulon Tafari there.

Rueben Tafari (left) and Ras Simon.

"You have to give me something for the picture," Tafari shouted as he saw the camera. Ten Rands gets him talking. His speech, one of a sing-song, rehearsed, high-pitched nature, is littered with 'I mans,' and proclamations that "Rasta is the right order".

Tafari, who is South African by birth, is one of roughly 300 Rastafarians living in and around Stellenbosch, according to another Rasta, Rueben Tafari.
The Rastafarians are members of the Nyabingi order, Ruben Tafari, who was selling assorted wares under a tree with his friend Ras Simon, said.

They share practices associated with Rastafarianism, such as smoking marijuana. Correction: "We don't smoke, we puff," Rueben Tafari, pointed out. Born into African ethnic groups, the Rastas of Stellenbosch have chosen the faith for a simple reason.

"Rasta livity is good livity. It is a African levity," Ras Simon said. Zebulon Tafari shared similar sentiments.
"I stand for the right of Jah," Zebulon said, explaining that he was involved in illegal activities and his life was lost, "but God pick me up".

Soon, Tafari was giving a street side homily. He doesn't really work, but gets some money from tourists who want to take his picture. He also sells 'ital' food occassionally.
"I don't worry," Tafari said.

Marley lives in Motherland
published: Sunday | May 13, 2007

Rastafarian vendor, Margaret 'Sister Yellow' Thays (left) and her children, Zebulon (second left) and Philoireen, at their mini sidewalk shop near Cape Point, in Cape Town, South Africa. - Janet Silvera/Freelance Photographer

Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

Sun City, South Africa:

It has been 62 years since Cedella Booker gave birth to Robert Nesta Marley and, 26 years following his death, Jamaica's king of reggae, Bob Marley, is still revered by Black South Africans,who survived the cruel apartheid system.

"Bob was the person who kept me sane, especially during the period of oppression," Ngou Nthengeni, a South African porter, who resides in Soweto, the city of contrasts, told The Sunday Gleaner.

Ngou's English name is Patrick, and he is duly branded 'Patrick Marley' by his colleagues at the posh five-star Michaelangelo Hotel where he works, in Joburg (Johannesburg).

"I am constantly preaching the gospel of Rastafarian and one love to those around me, so it was automatic for them to tag me with the name of my hero," he said.

From 1980 to 1991 was an especially difficult time for blacks to make anything of their lives in South Africa, but through the music of Bob Marley, Nthengeni said he was given hope and a chance to see the light.

Segregation

Equal opportunity was a word that Nthengeni heard being bandied about, but at no time did he experience it. "We were not allowed to go to the same toilet as the whites, not allowed to travel on the same buses, even in the shops there were two queues," he said.

During this period, he said he felt like a lost sheep in his own country, and he saw no hope of betterment as blacks were at the bottom of the ladder, having to remain there while the whites stood at the top, coloureds ruled the second rung and Indians on the third.

"Having black skin was such an awful thing. I felt small, but Bob lifted me up spiritually through his songs, One Love, Africa Unite and Redemption Song, and made me big. He was my light, the passageway through which I would find salvation," Nthengeni said.

Ngou 'Patrick Marley' Nthengeni said he is richer today because of the influence of Bob. "I learnt about love, peace and harmony from him," he said.

Like Nthengeni, a young professional, who now owns a number of companies in Johannesburg, was empowered by the Jamaican icon.

Collin Mangena, a Zimbabwean, who has spent the latter part of his adult life in South Africa, said the inspiration drawn from Bob Marley spans his entire life. "I identify him with Zimbabwe's independence, as he gave one of his last performances on our Independence Day. I subsequently grew up to One Love and Is This Love. The latter helped my wife and me through a very difficult time financially," he said.

Today, he lives by the songs Satisfy My Soul and Jammin', which define the state of his life and mindset. Through Bob Marley, Mangena said, God gave him inspiration, hope and a sense of brotherhood as a black person, and with songs like Redemption Song and Buffalo Soldier he was introduced to Jamaica.

"Every man of my generation has gone through their Rastafarian stage, courtesy of Bob Marley and The Wailers. No artiste has done that to the world since," he said.

Jamaica, Bob Marley land

In every city and rural township in South Africa visited by The Sunday Gleaner, as soon as the people knew the newspaper was based in Jamaica, the next words to come out of their mouths were "Jamaica Bob Marley land".

With immense pride and love for their acclaimed idol, one coloured South African, Arthur Arries, who was forced to live with persons of his hue during apartheid, admitted marrying a black woman because he was following in the footsteps of Marley, whose wife, Rita, has dark skin as well.

Arries, a restaurant manager in Stellenbosch, Cape Town, said he was attracted to Marley's humility, and will to fight.

As early as age 17, he had become an ardent fan and today remains one of the biggest. He said Marley achieved a very important milestone before he died. "He said we were to stop the fighting, through his album, Uprising, and it was obvious that he had accepted a lot of things before he died," Arries said.

"I too lost a lot of hatred I had for whites then," he admitted.

Today, Rastafarianism is growing in South Africa, as a number of youngsters embrace the faith and most who look up to Haile Selassie as their God, saying that Bob Marley is their inspiration.

Margaret 'Sister Yellow' Thays, a Rastafarian for more than 20 years, said there was much hypocrisy in the country as theirs were the only belief that was not accepted. "They treat us like castaways. I don't know why they say there is freedom of religion," she lamented.

The mother of two, who is a vegetarian and does not believe in birth control, proudly displays a large piece of cotton material with Bob Marley's face on it. Her head in wrapped in a turban, her children are of the faith and she smokes marijuana daily.

"That is daily sacrifice and I smoke only high-grade marijuana," Thays said.

As she continues to give 'ises', she makes no bones about being the watchwoman, who sits beneath two columns in the hot winter sun at the entrance of Africa (Cape Point). She makes sure to identify her location with "this is where Babylon entered our land to invade our continent. It's where the oceans clash".

Marleys mellow mood

Gabriel Singh
Sunday, May 13, 2007

BOB Marleys influence on Fiji was, and is, immeasurable. He paved the way for the greatest era in local music, giving birth to an unrivalled passion and creativity.

Marley, the Rastafarian modern-day prophet and undisputed king of reggae died aged 36 this week 26 years ago, leaving behind a legacy of empowerment for the down-trodden of the world.

In stepping into eternal life and claiming his seat on the left hand of Jah, Marley became larger than in life.

Today, his influence continues to spread despite the efforts of the establishment to portray reggae and Rasta as marijuana mania.

Although reggae arrived in Fiji as early as the mid-1970s, it was largely ignored by the then still rock-loving locals.

There was little original work emanating here, although bands like the Dragon Swingers, Ulysses, Red Fink and Tumbling Dice, to name but a few, had enviable reputations as full-blown rock outfits.

Tourists arriving off cruise liners would clog the Golden Dragon nightclub and later Lucky Eddies to check the sounds of the premier groups that were making waves across the Pacific.

It was not unusual to find even larger crowds, often young, under age people, sitting outside the clubs to, as the Dobbie Brothers sing, Listen to the music.

But, while the country rocked and rolled on, roots rock was slowly but surely spreading it primal pulse among those very young people, many of whom would grow up basking in Marleys shadow.

Pockets of adherents were already gathering in the homes of the lucky few who had LPs or audio cassettes of albums like Burnin, which with songs like Small Axe, and its powerful biblical references, struck a deep chord in all who heard.

Little was known of Marley then, there were hardly any images of him available, certainly none in the media here.

Today, Marleys image is everywhere from Tee-shirts to banners and posters even in a supposedly religiously Christian State, the Rasta prophets visage outranks that of Christ himself in popularity.

With the advent of video, people began seeing the man himself in some of his greatest performances.

Countryman did for reggae here what Woodstock had for rock globally. But, it was Marleys very death and his disco-challenging Uprising album that finally emancipated the minds music lovers here.

Suva, at the time, was as wild as the West. Gang fights erupted violently, engulfing neighbourhoods.

Youths on every street, every suburb deemed it their duty to be brutally, even mindlessly macho.

Best of friends in school would often find themselves in the middle of pitched battles facing each other, knowing any backing down would lead to his own gang turning on him.

It was a time when one trod very, very lightly when on any turf other than ones home turf and even there, there was always a downpresser man.

In that pressure cooker atmosphere, Marley and his reggae had a startlingly calming influence on the youth, no doubt because with Marley came a greater desire to experiment with marijuana.

But marijuana had been around in Fiji for a long time before. The Fiji-Indian community is littered with tales of their ancestors squatting on the sands of Nukulau, the quarantine base for indentured labourers, and whacking a chillum at sunset, wondering where into the green mass they could see across the horizon they would be sent.

Before reggae, with its magnetic pull, drew marijuana out into the open, it was pun-pun, the sniffing of benzene, from which the ghetto and inner city youth graduated to booze. It was the perfect combination for igniting the mindless gang wars.

Redemption Song changed all that. For once, the youth sat and listened. Having a toke helped in slowing them enough so they could not only listen but actually hear. Suddenly everybody started latching onto the Jamaican patois. More importantly, it put to end gang wars over nothing.

In a miraculous transformation, rival youths could actually sit and do something together other than fight.

The common denominator was reggae and Marley, Tosh, Wailer, Jacob Miller, I Jah Man all the early angels and saints who pioneered what is today the most popular genre in Fiji.

Suddenly people couldnt get enough of the Tuff Gong.

Fittingly, it was Exodus, no not the Marley album rated by Time Magazine as the Album of the 20th Century, but the pioneering groupies from what was then known as Tombstone.

Led largely by the Heatley and Moore clans, Exodus took reggae public in Fiji, coming in from the cold to astound a generally conservative society.

They quickly established a reputation and a following.

Fittingly, Exodus is still the only reggae band still alive today.

Following Exodus came the greatest band this country has ever seen Rootstrata, whose blend of socially conscious music was decades ahead of its time. Rootstrata, which has given us Pacific anthems like Brother Kanaki, Unemp Lament, Warrior of Love and Street People led a pack of biting reggae sounds.

At the 1987 Cyclone ReggAid, Rootstrata headlined the 12-act charity gig where, for the first time, all of Fijis top reggae acts appeared under one roof. Then band leader Freddy Fesaitu even penned a special song for the concert to raise money for victims of Cyclone Raja.

By then Ben Rabaka had split Roots to drive the rhythm section of the deadly Kings Knights, a young Stephen Heatley brought Purple Haze, Exodus was still pushing its powerful sound and even Gabby Abarigas Gypsies joined the jam.

The then Governor General, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, who opened the show, was deeply impressed by the wealth of talent, even asking one of the organisers whether that overpowering aroma smell in the then National Gymnasium was marijuana, jokingly saying it smelt better than cigarettes.

Ratu Sir Penaia was even more impressed when the proceeds of the show were handed over to him at Government House a month later that he asked to make arrangements for Rootstrata to join the army jazz band to play at that years Queens Birthday garden party.

Sadly, a month later a crazy colonel raped this country, unleashing a greed and sowing the seeds for a racism we are still reeling from today.

Of them all, Rootstrata stands the tallest for producing outstandingly original work, with even a tribute to Marley called Brother Bob Marley made up by putting lines from Marleys songs into a totally new song.

A few years earlier they had been the first group to have a concert at the Suva Civic Auditorium broadcast live nationally over Radio Fiji.

But that song was the first tribute to Marley song I heard and remains by far the best, although theres some new stuff cooking in a part of Raiwaqa that everyone should be raving about in the not too distant future, hopefully.

Rastafari.

BOB Marleys mother, Cedella Marley Booker, now 81, believes her son was killed.

The Rastafarian prophet and reggae pioneer who has given a meaning in life to millions of people across the world died this week 26 years ago, aged 36.

His death, at the prime of his career, shocked family, friends, music lovers and the Rasta faithful.

Marley died in Miami on his way back to Jamaica after undergoing a radical cancer treatment in the then West Germany.

The matriarch Marley, pictured below, who now lives in Florida, in an interview with the Classical Reggae Interviews website, lamented the death of her world-changing son, the Third Worlds greatest hero.

On Marleys untimely death, she said: "I dont think that Bob have cancer. If Bob have cancer, I think it was injected in him in some way.

"I really do think so. I dont think he really had cancer."

She does not say who she means by "they" but her claims add fuel to Rasta suspicions that Marley, whose rise, progress and growing influence over the world was viewed with alarm by the Central Intelligence Agency, did not die a natural death.

She believes Marley was "got at" in Miami. "

I leave all vengeance to God," she said.

Recognise Asante Amen

By Debra Edwards Observer writer Friday, May 11, 2007

"Mi nuh conquer no whey if mi nuh conquer mi yard, I am a Jamaican and would like to get recognition here," stated the self-proclaimed son of the soil and reggae artiste Asante Amen, with regards to his musical accomplishments and notable fan base abroad, but less-than-stellar acknowledgment here in his homeland of Jamaica.

Asante Amen

He continued, "The game is not easy in Jamaica, it is not just about talent, money talks. Many DJs don't grasp that if they played your music one time a day just on the basis of talent, it could make so much of a difference". With this understanding the 29-year-old lecturer of Cognitive Psychology at UWI, who made sure to get his education first, knowing that "academia is key", has tried to find innovative ways of getting his music heard with the help of, most recently, online marketing and the use of websites such as Myspace, on the advice of fellow reggae artiste Tony Rebel.

Asante explained that he has always had a passion for music, but began singing at his local church, school, fetes, birthday parties and weddings at the age of 12. His influences are first and foremost Jah, but include Chicago, UB40, Michael Jackson, Freddie Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. But it is none other than Garnett Silk who he considers to be "a prophet whose life was cut short", who made him want to become a Rastafarian and sing reggae music.

"Reggae needs an ambassador that can articulate the views of Rastafari, Jamaica and reggae music, and I am that man." The Wolmer's high school alumnus sees himself as "an undiluted type of energy", which he has proven with his debut single entitled Ras Tafari's Love on the One Drop Music label, the 60th birthday celebration of Bob Marley's life in February 2005, and at Rebel Salute in January 2006.

Where does Asante Amen see the music taking him in the future? He says, "To the ends of the earth, bringing a resurgence with spiritual reggae to a fever pitch like Garnett Silk did in the 90s."

Bob Marley not just a Cultural Ambassador

If he had done nothing but record Catch a Fire, Bob Marley would still be known as the person who introduced reggae music to millions of Americans.

But more than just a cultural ambassador, Robert Nesta Marley was a fabulously talented songwriter who could mix protest music and undeniable pop as skilfully as Bob Dylan; even before Marley’s death at age 36, he was becoming a true culture hero — the first major rock artist to come out of a Third World country.

More than 20 years on, his records sound as fresh as ever, something proved every week by the astonishing continued sales of his greatest-hits package Legend.

Although Marley is best known for the string of memorable albums he recorded during the ‘70s, the original Wailers — Marley, Peter Tosh, and Neville “Bunny Wailer” Livingston — were a leading Jamaican vocal trio in the ‘60s, cutting R&B-flavored sides with distinctive island rhythms.

The development of the Wailers into a self-contained band mirrors the evolution of reggae itself; gradually, the group shook off the singles-minded approach of the early Jamaican studios and forged an expansive new groove from established local styles like ska, mento, and bluebeat.

Emerging as a fiery topical songwriter and spiritually compelling frontman, Marley led the Wailers to international acclaim with the release of two startling albums in 1973.

With stalwart bassist Aston “Family Man” Barrett and drummer Carlton Barrett pumping out incendiary “riddims” behind the Wailers’ smoky harmonies, Catch a Fire is a blazing debut.

“Concrete Jungle” and “Slave Driver” crackle with streetwise immediacy, while “Kinky Reggae” and “Stir It Up” (a pop hit for Johnny Nash in ‘73) revel in the music’s vast capacity for good-time skanking.

“Stop That Train” and “400 Years,” both written by Peter Tosh, indicate the original Wailers weren’t strictly a one-man show. Burnin’ glows even hotter; “Get Up, Stand Up” backs its activist message with an itchy, motivating beat.

“I Shot the Sheriff” (covered by Eric Clapton in 1974) and “Small Axe” show Marley’s verbal and melodic skills growing by leaps and bounds; he expertly blends personal testimony with political philosophy to make enduring points about institutionalized racism.

Tosh and Livingston left for solo careers after that album and were effectively replaced by the “I-Threes” trio: Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley (Mrs. Bob), and Judy Mowatt. Natty Dread captures the refurbished Wailers at an ambitious peak.

“No Woman, No Cry” features Marley’s most soulful vocal performance; while avoiding crippling despair, “Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)” and “Rebel Music (Three o’Clock Roadblock)” articulate the anger of the oppressed and downtrodden; the title track and “So Jah Seh” posit the tangled web of Rastafarian belief without slipping totally into the cosmos. Live! documents a thrilling, tight-as-a-drum 1975 London performance of highlights from the first three albums.

On Rastaman Vibration, Marley starts to fall back on pat formulas and ganja-stoked rhetoric. But the grimly prophetic “War” and the deceptively feel-good “Positive Vibration” stand out on an album that holds up to repeated listening (and dancing).