Statement of research question
The primary purpose of this study is to show how Bob Marley, through his life and career at large contributed to the development of music and the Rastafarian movement as a whole. The research will further intend to elucidate how through Bob Marley’s songs and lyrics, serves as a motivational factor to the people. Also, the paper will be giving an understanding of the songs of the reggae music specifically those for Bob Marley and their implications for appreciating the effectiveness of music in motivating and mobilizing the populace. The Reggae maestro Bob Marley asserted in one of his quotes that ‘Music is like news. In addition, this paper will be aiming at proving such affirmations. In essence, Studies reveal that reggae music that has ever since been analyzed majorly concentrates on the oppressed individuals who are as well marginalized.it criticizes acts such as capitalism corruption among others.
The analysis was made possible due to the data that ironically came from the reggae musicians various lyrics in their songs. The study will also specifically seek to find out the correlation between the ideology of Rastafarian and reggae music specifically those of Bob Marley. For instance, whether Bob Marley’s music ought to have some political message in it, whether it could have had some effect on the politics and whether or not it brought about some change in the social aspects of life.
Working thesis
Bob Marley’s music tries to explain the Rastafarian ethics and the societal, commercial, and dogmatic ideas and issues being brought out (King, Stephen, and Richard 18). However, these socio-economic and political issues represent the same issues being expressed in the entire globe. Many of his lyrics had the calls of the populace particularly on issues such as oppression of the marginalized, alienation, radical capitalism ideas, slavery, and racism among other social concerns. To properly appreciate Bob Marley’s reggae music career, the ethical values and conditions of the background of the music need to be comprehended as well. As such, this proposal will also analyze the history and origin of Reggae music and the emergence of the Rastafarian movement. For instance, societies that enhanced capitalism set up organizations and institutions to counterattack social control that aimed at awakening the social consciousness of people with the aim of liberating social revolution (King, Stephen, and Richard 23).
Through reggae music, musicians like Bob Marley tried to attack these organizations and institutions being set up by such societies. The setting processes used in reggae music effectively help in the observance of Rastafarian association. Some of the lyrics from Bob Marley’s songs preaches about empowerment of the mainly oppressed people in the society (King, Stephen, and Richard 28). He argues that for this to happen, then the people who are not yet part of the solution for the realization of this dream ought to brought aboard for better realization of this initiative. Bob Marley believed that this call for revolution could be fully enhanced and successfully through his songs and reggae music.
Primary source
The study will do an analysis of a number of literatures about the relationships of Rastafarian ethics ideas and Bob Marley’s reggae music. This will possibly explain how reggae music through Bob Marley, tries to theoretically explain the setting process of identifying problems, their respective solutions. This will be achieved by use of Bob Marley’s reggae music lyrics as the primary data source which will be selectively analyzed for their contributions of the various themes portrayed in Rastafarian movement
Literature review
According to a past study, that try to scrutinize the role of reggae music and music as whole and the various social movements, they explain that the various songs and music from different cultural backgrounds and time in history do serve as a watching gap into the history and possible realities of the particular societies. Music has been a core figure of philosophy throughout the account of history. Another past study reiterated the significance of ‘Music and social movements’ and acknowledge that songs greatly contribute to the widespread of great ideas into the world as well as bringing back social movements that were long lost (Burke and Juleen 24). It explains that even should such movements fade away, the music remains as a reminder and a sole political core of inspiration for new mobilization organization. Some other studies refer to this as ‘tradition mobilization’ to try to bring out the correlation between traditions and various social movements. Some of the songs began having spiritual backgrounds but later taken by various labor organizations then transformed as anthems for activists of human rights and finally for other global movements.
Another study on politics and arts further explains that art should have a radical dispatch in them. The studies argue that popular music has always been connected to political aspects and social values in society (Burke and Juleen 26). For instance, great musicians such as Bob Marley that were widely famous in the 20th c globally strengthened the link between legislation and music. Most of Bob Marley’s music are mainly centered on exposing the serious issues that were politically motivated, with more emphasis on troubled history of the ancient community. Music, through its ability in motivational and influential aspects, takes a center stage in politics. Correspondingly, Bob’s music helps in defining societies and plays a significant role in re-birth of culture. Some other studies by puts more stress on regional political fracas through music. The studies provides comparable cases of Chilean and American music. While music could not solve all the various political differences, these studies affirms that through music, the Chileans and Americans could determine their own destinies as what music normally does is but enabling people to identify each other as partners of a common body with similar interests for solving the various upheavals in this particular common body (Burke and Juleen 34). These studies show that societies that are mainly assisted through music can organize and support each other on favorable ground for political action. For instance, Bob Marley’s song in Jamaica can be accessed faster and efficiently than televisions spreading about the Rastafarian movement straight to the marginalized people allowing them an avenue of sharing their various experiences.
Reggae music is therefore more than just a medium of expression, it is a bridge that allows diverse communities to link each other by accessing the different forms of communication across ethical borders (McCann, Ian, and Harry 34). This study will further scrutinize and elucidate this notion given that the ethical setting of reggae music provides a stable ground for cultural social action for those that listen to the music. Another past tried to link the political issues of various social movements to the cultural aspect (McCann, Ian, and Harry 36). The study elucidate the correlations that exist between music and societal engagements. Through the feelings and movement ideas that were dispersed through popular music, and inversely, the movements at that particular moment in time influenced the progress of popular music. The blending of politics and music that occurs in social movements is a crucial source of cultural transformation.
Further study
Most of the various available researches on social movements has majored on mobilizing individuals with the aim of achieving the goals of the movement, political opportunities among others. This ideology is just but a scrutiny used by various social movements to gang up people for collective duty. Another area of interest is the scrutiny of how changes in political aspects may interfere with Reggae music and how such initiatives may alter the socio-economic and political aspects of society.
Work Cited
Burke, Juleen S. “The Bob Marley Effect: More Than Just Words.” (2014).
King, Stephen, and Richard J. Jensen. “Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”: The Rhetoric of
McCann, Ian, and Harry Hawke. Bob Marley: The complete guide to his music. Omnibus Press, 2011.
Reggae and Rastafari.” The Journal of Popular Culture 29.3 (1995): 17-36.
Stephens, Gregory. On Racial Frontiers: The New Culture of Frederick Douglass, Ralph Ellison, and Bob Marley. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Toynbee, Jason. Bob Marley: Herald of a postcolonial world. Polity, 2007.