Jamaican Bob Marley was a cultural icon who helped popularize reggae music and inspired peace throughout the world. Today, I’ll discuss his impact on society through the lens of cultural studies theory.
Born on Feb. 6, 1945 in the Jamaican village of Nine Mile, Marley’s career as a musician began with the Wailers, a band he joined with childhood friend Neville Livingston. Three members of the Wailers left by 1966, leaving the trio of Livingston, Marley, and Peter Tosh.
Though he was raised as a Catholic, Marley became involved in the religion of Rastafarianism in the 1960s and began growing his signature dreadlocks.
Once the Wailers broke up in 1974, Marley embarked on a solo career and released a variety of songs including “Waiting In Vain”, “Redemption Song”, and “Jammin’". His health began deteriorating, though, and Marley passed away on May 11, 1981 in Miami, Florida. His cause of death? Skin cancer.
Now that we have an idea who Bob Marley was, we can apply the theory of cultural studies while looking at his impact on society. "Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis And Application", a textbook written by Richard West and Lynn H. Turner, states that cultural studies is "a theoretical perspective that focuses on how culture is influenced by powerful, dominant groups".
Cultural studies theory comes to us from Britain, and was originally proposed by theorist Stuart Hall. Hall came to the conclusion that the powerful use media as an instrument to bring their ways of thinking to the masses.
The textbook states that the theory works on two specific assumptions. These assumptions are that "culture pervades and invades all facets of human behavior" and that "people are part of a hierarchical structure of power".
An important concept in the theory is hegemony, which is defined as the dominance that a certain social group has over a different submissive social group. There is also a term known as the "theatre of struggle", which happens when differing sets of ideals compete in a society.
Finally, there is a circuit of culture, an operation where researchers look over cultural artifacts. This "circuit" involves five stages: representation, identity, production, consumption, and regulation.
Through his music, Marley brought a message that was anti-hegemonic. He did not believe that certain social groups should have dominance over others; instead, he promoted peace and equality and the idea that all social groups, regardless of beliefs or class, should unite to help each other.
Marley also rejected the style of life that Westerners adopted (which focuses mainly on materialism) and embraced Rastafarianism. The official Bob Marley website states that he "advocated for social change while simultaneously allowing listeners to forget their troubles and dance."
In an article in the "New Yorker" entitled "Manufacturing Bob Marley" Hua Hsu explains that Marley "came to embody an alternative to orthodoxy." Hsu went on to state that "his lyrics lent themselves to a kind of universalist reading of exodus and liberation."
According to the Rolling Stone article "The Life and Times of Bob Marley", young people in Jamaica had started to catch on to popular American music during the late 1940s. One of the biggest inspirations for them musically was, as the article puts, "the earthy and polyrhythmic dance and blues sounds of New Orleans".
This is a prime example of cultural studies theory, because the dominant superpower America had an influence on Jamaica's music scene and, therefore, the songs written by Bob Marley. The United States, specifically New Orleans, held dominance over this portion of Jamaican culture by using hegemony.
However, as Jamaicans began to develop a distinct musical personality, the hegemony that America held became more of a moving equilibrium. "Introducing Communication Theory" states that this moving equilibrium occurs "with the dominant ideologies (in this case, American music) struggling to maintain their own positions of power within an unpredictable population (the Jamaican people)."
"Rolling Stone": The Life And Times Of Bob Marley
Marley also grew up in a town riddled with gang violence and earned his nickname "Tuff Gong" from his time in Trench Town, a government tenant yard in the city of Kingston. However, he did not aspire to be a criminal and found a crude sort of beauty in the streets, wanting to describe a life of growing up this way and be a voice for those who didn't have it. Subject to ridicule from others, he didn't let the condemnation stop him and kept going, forming the Wailers.
Jamaican music took on a R&B style in the 1960s as a result of this, creating a tight weave of pounding rhythms and vocals. This new style of music helped maintain unity among the black community in Jamaica in times of trouble.
The style of reggae began to come together in the late 1960s. It fused together ska and rock music to create a new entity, and Marley started taking on this new and intriguing format. The "Rolling Stone" article explains that "it gave him new vision and ambition: he wanted to make music that would satisfy and represent his homeland but that would also reach a larger world outside."
That is an important characteristic that helped Marley stand out and push his vision to the world around him.
Back during the 1970s, Jamaica was in a state of political unrest as the conservative Jamaica Labor Party and the liberal People’s National Party engaged in a civil war. The tension was bitter and politicians from both sides hired Jamaican gangsters to assist them in staying in power.
Right around this time, Bob Marley was performing in the One Love Peace Concert. The show climaxed on April 22, 1978 with a performance of Marley’s hit song “Jammin’”.
Towards the end of the performance, Marley brought together the hands of Michael Manley, a liberal politician, and his rival, Edward Seaga, and the three brought their hands together in a display of unity.
"Watch, watch, watch, what you're doing, because I wanna send a message right out there," Marley said during the moment. "I mean, I'm not so good at talking but I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. Well, I'm trying to say, could we have, could we have, up here onstage here the presence of Mr. Michael Manley and Mr. Edward Seaga. I just want to shake hands and show the people that we're gonna make it right, we're gonna unite, we're gonna make it right, we've got to unite. The moon is right over my head, and I give my love instead. The moon was right above my head, and I give my love instead."
However, that didn't last long, as both of the concert organizers ended up dead less than two years after the One Love show.
Marley held a vision of resistance, to stand up for what is right and never take "no" for an answer. His more important contribution in this area was using spirit as a way to resist. It is true that plenty of other artists have created songs with similar intent; John Lennon is one figure that comes to mind.
However, as the article in "Rolling Stone" mentions, Lennon and other artists, not including the late Tupac Shakur, "addressed injustice, intolerance, deprivation and oppression from outside the living heart of that experience." Marley put his life on the line to say what he believed in, and fought to gain a global audience.
Bob Marley was a Jamaican icon, creating hit after hit in the national music scene and spreading his message of love and peace to the world. To quote the man himself: “live for yourself and you will live in vain; live for others, and you will live again.”
Do you enjoy the work of Bob Marley? What is your opinion on his legacy? Do you have a favorite quote from the King of Reggae? Feel free to leave a comment down below!
