It achieved this by prioritizing songs centered on themes of love and peace, rather than those about Marley’s revolutionary Afrocentric politics and Rastafarian worldview, which appear on records such as 1979’s “Survival .”
These tracks don’t appear on “Legend.” In fact, none of the tracks from “Survival” do.
And so four decades after his death, Bob Marley remains the world’s top reggae artist. But it’s his lighter, less controversial fare that’s established him as a global superstar.
Marley-branded nicotine vape cartridges are displayed next to Snoop Dogg vape cartridges at the 2022 Vaper Expo in Birmingham, England.
John Keeble/Getty Images
The cannabis brand Marley Natural shows how the Marley name has become commercially intertwined with corporate America.
It’s funded by the American private equity company Privateer Holdings , which the Marley family had approached to gauge their interest in collaboration for the product’s release. The creators of the Starbucks logo were hired to design the logo for Marley Natural, further underlining the venture’s commercial ties.
Aside from the obvious fact that these associations pay no heed to Bob Marley’s anti-capitalist messages, I find it bitterly ironic that the private equity firm calls itself “Privateer.” Privateers were commissioned ships involved in plundering and murder across the Caribbean. They are among the “old pirates” Marley sang about in his mournful “Redemption Song .”
While the Marley family claims that Bob would have approved of the cannabis enterprise, critics see indiscriminate mass-marketing .
The artist’s popular songs and lyrics have also been adopted as marketing tools to sell products that bear little relation to Marley’s music and message.
In 2001, his daughter Cedella, who runs parts of the estate, released a fashion line called Catch a Fire. The name comes from the Wailers’ first international album, which the group released in 1973. On it, tracks like “Slave Driver,” “Concrete Jungle” and “400 Years” connect the poverty of the present to the injustices of the past.
Can T-shirts and other apparel help spread these messages? Perhaps.
But it’s hard to argue that Marley-themed hot sauce does.
The reel situation of ‘One Love’
Critiquing any aspect of Bob Marley’s legacy can elicit defensive responses. The estate has long portrayed the rampant commercialization of the Marley name and image as an important way to sustain and spread the artist’s ideals.
However, I think it’s important to ensure that the artistic and cultural values embedded in his music do not become clouded in a haze of rampant commercialization.
While many of the commercial enterprises tied to his name reportedly raise money for Jamaican youth , I’d hesitate to say that this serves as a complete counterbalance to the erosion of Marley’s messages.
The “One Love” movie backed by Paramount Pictures – with four Marleys listed as producers – will certainly extend the mythologies and harsh realities of Bob Marley’s all-too-brief life, which was cut short by melanoma . But it’s also a massive international marketing vehicle for the sale of even more officially branded merchandise.
On the one hand, the fact that people so eagerly buy products plastered with Marley’s face and words reflects the profound connection he continues to have with his listeners. But on the other hand, it’s difficult squaring Marley – a symbol of post-colonialism and anti-capitalism – with branding collaborations and private equity firms.
His music means so much more. And his anti-imperialist messages, as warmongers threaten basic human rights around the world, are perhaps needed now more than ever.
Mike Alleyne does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation