Today would have been Bob Marley's 66th birthday. He would have been in the same age bracket as the Stones and Bob Dylan who are both still going strong. I wonder how his music would sound if he were still performing today? Bob's reggae was progressive even within the genre. To most, Marley's music just sounds like good reggae music, but that's because I think we fail to realize just how much this man has influenced all who have come after him, in reggae as well as many other genres. Bob Marley came upon an already thriving Jamaican music scene, made some personal adjustments and in so doing remade reggae music in his image. To engage in an intelligent discussion about reggae without mentioning Marley's influence is impossible. His music as well as his political message have been watered down over the years, though. Few grasp just how revolutionary the words they're singing actually are. Bob Marley stood for the destruction of any system that would position itself in direct opposition of those inalienable rights all men are supposed to enjoy. The man was a freedom fighter who embraced his role as the voice of his, and all oppressed people's struggle. Respect.
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