How Marleys Music Changed Society - 1683 Words

The paper discusses how Marley’s music changed society by mainstreaming the ideas of black resistance, social justice, racial equality, and anti-colonialism to the baby-boom generation and generations endlessly onward. The paper will outline the historical background of reggae as well as the social cause to which it became attached by the work of Marley. The paper submits that reggae, ultimately, became the chief means of expressing the angst and dislocation felt by many within the African Diaspora. Finally, the paper will offer a critical analysis of one of Marley’s works, â€Å"I Shot the Sheriff†, and will explain why this signature work is a classic instance of reggae speaking out against injustice and the prevailing power structure. We learn from looking at the literature that modern-day Reggae had its wellsprings in the African-American soul music of the 1950s and 1960s. The insistent, off-beat rhythmic pattern of soul music became a feature of reggae in th e late-1960s and early 1970s. However, the aforementioned pattern mostly appeared in the form of the trade-mark galloping backbeat of ska, which was a tip-beat and dance-oriented predecessor of reggae. Ska had a limited expressive range and its galloping speed needed to be slowed down if it was to enjoy a larger audience. Fortunately, it did slow down and, by the end of the 1960s, something known as â€Å"Rock Steady† was beginning to surface (Anderson, 206-208). â€Å"Rock steady,† for all intents and purposes, was what reggaeShow MoreRelatedBob Marleys Life and Times: A Critical Analysis1526 Words   |  6 Pagesso] we need to explore the utopia that is summoned by his music and its revolutionary post-and-anti-colonial imaginings†¦ (Gilroy, 2005, p. 229) Introduction Bob Marley died over 30 years ago but his legend as a musician, songwriter, and advocate for freedom lives on. In many cities of the world a visitor can hear Marleys reggae music, or see people wearing T-shirts with his image on the front, or otherwise come into contact with Marleys legacy. He is truly a cultural icon, and during his lifeRead More An Overview of Reggae Music Essay1268 Words   |  6 Pages Reggae is a genre of music that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. It is known for the heavy and strong emphasis on the bass within the background beat. Reggae was perceived as a kind of music used to express feelings about the social, political, and economic hardships in Jamaica during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was performed by musicians from black ghettos who used unhurried beats to make a style of music of their own. Reggae became an important part of the lifestyle of manyRead MoreBob Marley s Redemption Song1884 Words   |  8 Pagesdeath, is Bob Marley. A nyone who knows Bob Marley’s music knows one of his most famous pieces, Redemption Song. Personally, I have grown up listening to him, specifically this song, because my mother is one of the biggest Bob Marley fans known to man. Our ancestry, being Jamaican, is what led to the formation of my topic. My decision was to research the connection between race, family and financial background in people who were familiar with Bob Marley’s Redemption Song. While I had no assumptionsRead MoreBob Marley’s Spiritual Rhetoric, the Spread of Jamaican Culture and Rastafarianism6348 Words   |  26 PagesBob Marley’s Spiritual Rhetoric, the Spread of Jamaican Culture and Rastafarianism By Mark Haner Senior Seminar: Hst 499 Professor John L. Rector Western Oregon University June 16, 2007 Readers Professor John L. Rector Professor Kimberly Jensen Copyright  © Mark Haner, 2007 The spread of Jamaican culture and Rastafarianism can be accredited to many events and technical advances in communication. Bob Marley is one of the main influences the spread of Jamaican culture and RastafarianismRead MoreKing Isaac s Coat Of Many Colors1064 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"King Isaac’s† Coat of Many Colors African societies have a widely held public opinion that artists, especially reggae artists are either illiterates or take marijuana or other substances of abuse. As much as such stereotypes hold for some, here is a man whose career has broken the barriers of such stereotypes. As the door to the music studio opens, a neatly dressed, huge man of about 5’90† tall, and seemingly in his early 50s, walks in. Call him King Isaac. This is one of the rare occasionsRead More Analysis of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Essays3690 Words   |  15 Pages picking fruit and preparing sea-food. The children not only suffered because of lack of education, they also suffered from injuries caused by the machines. They usually had to work with machines that only adults have the strength for, and know how to use. Some children were deformed or crippled because of working with the machines. The children had no other choice, if their parents were poor; they needed to help bring money into the family. The orphans had no family but they needed the moneyRead MoreTheme Of Injustice In Macbeth758 Words   |  4 PagesMacbeth, written by William Shakespeare, implies that once injustice occurs, it stays in the society, and gets carried out by others. However, â€Å"Redemption Song†, lyrics by Bob Marley, implies that the act of unfairness exists in society but you can regenerate the situation to justice. To begin with, in Act 4 Scene 3 of Macbeth, because of the information Macduff began to learn and infer about Macbeth, Macbeth ordered murderers to attack MacDuff’s family, while he was visiting Malcolm in England.Read MoreMusic in the Caribbean1264 Words   |  6 PagesMusic is â€Å"The art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre† ( Farlex, Inc 2013). Caribbean music has its own unique history, is very diverse with each island having its own unique genre of music. With so many different types of music out there and different performing artists these artists are looking for ways to make money by becoming popular. Music in the Caribbean was first developed by the NeoRead MoreScrooges Change in A Christmas Carol Essay1691 Words   |  7 Pageshe is in his room he hears the deafening sound of bell chimes and footsteps. A ghostly figure floats through the closed door of Jacob Marley, transparent and bound in chains. Scrooge shouts in disbelief, refusing to admit that he sees Marleys Ghost. The ghost comes to warn Scrooge of the horrible fate that awaits him unless he changes his way. Jacob Marley regrets his past and has an everlasting feeling of regret. He warns Scrooge that if he does not mend his ways a greaterRead More Reggae: The Music of Protest Essay2358 Words   |  10 Pages There are several theories about how the word reggae originated. The first theory claims that the word reggae was coined on a 1968 Pyramid dance single, quot;Do the Reggay (sic),quot; by Toots and the Maytals. Some believe that the word is originated from Regga, the name of a Bantu-speaking tribe on Lake Tanganyika. Others say that it is a corruption of the word streggae, which is Kingston street slang for prostitute (The Origins of Ska amp;#8230;,n.d.). On the other hand, Bob Marley claimed