We're the Generation

How reggae and Rasta are relevant to the economy and emerging values.

Reggae legend Bob Marley would have turned 64 this past winter, Soul Rebel: An Intimate Portrait of Bob Marley in Jamaica and Beyond featuring work by award-winning photojournalist David Burnett has just been published, and director Jonathan Demme is currently at work on a Marley documentary slated for release on the singer’s 65^th birthday. Years after his passing, his image still appears on t-shirts and countless bedroom walls, and new books on the icon seem to emerge regularly.

“It would make perfect sense,” says reggae expert Roger Steffens (http://www.reggaesupersite.com). “What Bob Marley said would affect us in the future, does. Now we look back and see the artists who were truly important, and he is one of them. Bob is among a handful of those who are immortal.”

Why does Marley connect with every new generation of young people? Steffens, author of The Reggae Scrapbook (http://tinyurl.com/c7ybv3) notes that like Che Guevara, Marley is a ubiquitous image of rebellion. “But Bob never killed anybody, so he is much more deserving of respect,” he notes.

The well-known shot of Marley smoking a spliff, so commonplace in frat houses and dorm rooms everywhere, is a key image for Generation Y. “Bob is also a hero to young people because of his embrace of marijuana,” Steffens adds. “But you have to understand his relationship to it; you have to know more about his private opinion of it.”

Steffens, who spent time with Marley, says that they discussed the role of marijuana, or herb, and the Rasta way of life. “Bob said, ‘Herb is for education,” Steffens says, recalling that once Marley even chastised an acquaintance who constantly partook, “You don’t have to smoke herb all the time.”   

In fact, the new Soul Rebel, a collection of previously unpublished personal portraits of Marley, includes very few photos depicting his marijuana use. Many of the high-quality images feature a pensive, private man, pictures of him with fellow key reggae figures, and strong onstage performance shots. The photos of Trench Town and the Gun Court in Kingston, Jamaica are haunting and powerful, giving readers a glimpse of the context in which the iconic music was created (http://tinyurl.com/cnoll4). An exhibition featuring Soul Rebel is currently on display at Washington DC’s Govinda Gallery in honor of Marley’s recent birthday and to celebrate the book’s release (http://www.govindagallery.com).

Young people who use those images of Marley to justify their own recreational use of marijuana, Steffens says, misunderstand the role it played in his career, life, and beliefs. “Bob used it as a sacrament, as a communication device with the Almighty,” Steffens explains, adding that some of Marley’s greatest songs, such as Redemption Song, Exodus, and Jamming, were inspired directly by his marijuana use.

“Reggae music speaks to people's hearts about real issues that more and more people are able to relate to as the economy gets worse. It speaks of truth, history and the right in a way that most people can feel,” says Wayne O'Bryan, bassist for Richmond, VA-based reggae band Unity Sound (http://www.myspace.com/unitysoundreggae).

“Bob Marley was a great reggae ambassador who changed reggae in a way to make it more palatable for western audiences to hear,” O’Bryan adds. “Jamaican style reggae led to the rise of hip-hop and rap, whereas Marley's style of reggae has never really spawned a new genre of music.  Perhaps because he was such an unsurpassable giant in his style and strength of his lyrics that nobody can even attempt that.”

As Generation Y embraces reggae and Marley’s image continues to flourish are clues to emerging values found here?

Society’s changing values have indeed affected how we view everything from our food to conspicuous consumption. “This is why he is called a prophet,” says NY-based Amy Wachtel, aka "The Night Nurse," a veteran broadcaster, journalist and DJ specializing in reggae music. “The messages certainly hold for these times.”

“Some believe he is the fulfillment of ancient prophecy,” Steffens adds.

Marley’s enduring popularity connects with the new globalism, the Internet, and the gradual disappearance of traditional boundaries, says musician Quino, lead singer of reggae group Big Mountain (http://www.myspace.com/bigmountainreggae).

“The new generation is a concrete example of the effects of the hangover from a lot of the social/cultural arguments that have gone on in the past decade,” Quino tells demo dirt. “As a result of this new global environment that we are dealing with, the new kids are blending a lot of things, creating an amalgamation of whatever they tend to feel tends to work for them. They don’t have the cultural hangups that we had in the past.”

“Bob Marley, reggae culture and the message of Unity and One Love of Rastafari speak to people on a universal level for a number of reasons; and in these recent dismal economic times, those words and messages are like pearls of Hope and Light, in an otherwise uncertain and dark place,” Wachtel says.

The source of his inspiration is universal, she notes. “Many of Bob's lyrics come directly from the Bible, both the New and the Old Testament; they come from ancient, sacred texts with time-tested results which have proven to provide comfort, relief, and inspiration to the masses,” Wachtel explains.

Michael Goldwasser, musical director and producer for NY-based Easy Star Records (www.easystar.com) says that reggae and Rasta—“reggae would not exist without Rasta”—represent values that are relevant to what is going on today.

He shares Wachtel’s observations of the influence of the Bible on reggae music, making it a worldwide common thread. “Many lyrics come from Jewish scripture; [artists] took Jewish liturgy and extrapolated and applied it, and the values represent Jewish and Christian teachings,” he explains. “If you stop to think about it, we should all dig reggae.”

Songs like Marley’s Exodus and references to a return to Zion—in this case Zion being Africa or Ethiopia—as well as the Rasta reference to the world as Babylon, Goldwasser adds, reflect Biblical inspiration.

Marley fan and aspiring musician John "Fahrenheit" Petersen (http://www.myspace.com/rasfahrenhyt) says that as a youth growing up in his neighborhood, “Bob Marley's music was our voice. Tunes like Get up, Stand up; Redemption Song; and Jah Live were like ghetto anthems,” he says.

For many Marley fans, his music represents deep cultural messages, especially when he expressed his ties to Rastafari. “When Bob Marley was introduced to the Rastafarian culture—which is not to be confused with religion, as it is a way of life—it seemed as if his soul was set instantly on fire. His passion for life was visible in everything. Respect for all that Jah has created is the cornerstone of a Rastaman,” Petersen explains.

“That is why Bob Marley and most of the keepers of the faith don't eat meat. He was also a humble man and very well in tune with nature, being that earth is where our physical being calls home,” he adds. “The Rastafarian culture has been stapled through the years as one that has been associated with Bob Marley's music.”

Just as the growing numbers of vegetarians and vegans appreciate the ital way of eating, Quino contends that wherever one comes from, one can find some element in the reggae or Rasta culture that meshes with one’s own individual values; this may be why the appeal is so universal. “Today people use Bob for whatever need they need to fill in the gaps in their cultural story,” explains Quino, who is starting a media company called Rebel Ink, (www.rebelink.com). “Reggae empowers kids because it is an artistic cultural/political expression. No one sums it up like reggae artists have.”

The activism and consciousness is part of what makes it so attractive to every generation of emerging adults. “If you are against the status quo, or hegemony, it means that you have the ability to say, ‘Stop, I will stand up for my rights and who I think I am and who I think I should be,’” Quino maintains. “Kids are sifting through dogmatic negative energy in a lot of cultural traditions, and they connect with some aspect of reggae or Rastafari, whether they want to go back to nature, or they stand for the American indigenous movement, or for veganism, or the environment.”

Wachtel adds that in these challenging times, reggae may connect with a wider audience than ever, giving everyone who feels overwhelmed by the world’s ills something with which to identify. “Music is a universal unifier in general; it's the universal connector, language, and vibe that transcends time, space and circumstance.  Reggae music is designed to bring hearts and minds together in one harmony,” she explains.

Why this particular genre? “Reggae, particularly Rasta lyrics, originally addressed the ‘sufferer’—the downtrodden, the outcast, the poor,” she contends. “And now, so many of us are the ‘sufferers’ in the wake of this economic climate of recession and depression. Almost nobody has been unaffected or spared from the damage.”

Goldwasser agrees. “Marley and other artists are advocates for the underclass; Peter Tosh sang of ‘equal rights and justice,’” he explains. “The music encourages people to care about the world outside of themselves.”

Emerging values indicate the awakening of a deeper awareness, Wachtel adds, quoting reggae legend Burning Spear: “Rasta is a concept that brings forth consciousness.”

“People are waking up, and re-evaluating what really matters,” she tells demo dirt. “In many ways this financial collapse and loss of jobs has forced us to look at what we really need versus what we want; it's challenged our preoccupation with consumerism, and forced us to be more earthy and rooted.”

This consciousness has been reflected in American businesses as well, Wachtel adds. “As more and more people embrace Marley, there has also been a rise in the practice of yoga and meditation,” she says. “Just look around the U.S. and you find yoga studios cropping up everywhere. Grass roots folks and major corporations are all into going green.”

Where is the future of reggae headed? Jamaica-based writer and reggae producer Maureen Sheridan is the author of Soul Survivor (U.S. title, http://tinyurl.com/djoy3d), which focuses on the meaning behind his songs. Though published several years ago, Sheridan says, the tome still sells consistently.

The genre has changed a lot over the years, she says, with dancehall reggae most recently defining the modern Jamaican sound, a development which she and other reggae experts say has veered it away from its roots. That, however, may change.  

“Now that dancehall has descended into a self-made hell of vulgarity and violence—helped immensely by widespread payola on the island—there is hope, once again for traditional reggae to move forward and become the highly influential music form it was, I believe, destined to be,” says Sheridan, a former Billboard writer.

Goldwasser agrees. “Unfortunately, a lot of the modern reggae that has come out of Jamaica is not roots-oriented, and its focus has been on guns, sex, and the mistreatment of women,” he laments. “While modern dancehall may be legitimate as a form of music, it is part of the problem; it does not address the social issues that old school roots reggae addresses.” 

With the economic crisis, worries about the environment, and a return to humbler values, that may change. Sheridan, who has lived in Jamaica for 28 years, says that she has seen evidence of a gradual return to reggae’s roots recently. “Over the past ten years many of Jamaica's best musicians and producers vanished from the scene,” she says. “Strangely, in the past year, many of these key players have returned to the island and are once again producing or otherwise participating in the music that Bob Marley broadcast to the world.”

The impending surge in popularity has given some pause, especially those who eschew over-commercialization. “And speaking of Bob—the recent licensing of his image to Canadian company [Hilco] for products that include beer has raised a few eyebrows here as well as created something of a rift between Ziggy Marley, Bob's eldest son, and his mother, Rita—the latter being for and Ziggy being opposed to the deal,” Sheridan says.  

“From what I know of Bob, he would have been appalled,” she adds.

“The sad part of it all is that Marley is now a commodity,” Quino agrees. “On the other hand, that just helps reinforce the mystique of who he is and that reggae music is global.”  

The refocus on reggae has manifested itself in the works of established artists who have also found themselves influenced by the genre.  “A significant development is the upcoming release of a dub/reggae album by U2,” Sheridan says. “This I am sure will open up a new international audience and give reggae some invaluable promotion amongst rock fans.”

The forthcoming documentary, for which Steffens is a consultant, may encourage a swell of mainstream popularity, says Goldwasser. “The movie may be influential in popular culture,” he says. “It will bring the story to a lot more people, especially if it is well-received. Look at how many more people know the story of Harvey Milk thanks to the Sean Penn film.”  

“It is time,” Steffens adds. “A whole new generation is looking to learn the truth about Bob.”

“Chris Blackwell, the mastermind behind Bob Marley's global musical success, recently said that the golden age of reggae has passed. I agree, but also believe that there is hope of a forthcoming platinum age,” Sheridan maintains. 

Finally, one source who is not a reggae insider had something to say about the enduring popularity and power of the legend. “I'm not an expert, but I am the grandma of a six-month old girl named Marley,” OH-based insurance counselor Marie Trudeau tells demo dirt. “The parents are 20 and 21, and named her after Bob.”

Editor’s Note: This is an unsolicited appeal. Besides her work in the reggae industry, Maureen Sheridan also runs one of only two animal shelters in all of Jamaica. The Animal House rescues, heals and provides much-needed love and valuable medical attention to countless abused, neglected, and abandoned dogs, cats, horses, goats and other animals; it is also the only no-kill shelter on the island. Please go to http://www.theanimalhousejamaica.org/ and kindly consider making a donation to help these loving, vulnerable animals enjoy a second chance at happiness.