Follow the Gong - Young artistes to walk in Bob Marley's footsteps

Several persons who turned up at the Bob Marley Museum to celebrate the birthday of the reggae legend on Tuesday urged Jamaicans, particularly entertainers, to not only celebrate the late artiste through tributes but to celebrate him through music with positive messages. 

“Bob Marley set the music in a way that other artiste can gravitate to conscious things but these artistes, some a dem, inna di music thing just a talk bout gun and all dem thing and a mash up the music,” Christopher Maxwell, a music lover, said.

Maxwell argued that legends such as Bob Marley toiled too hard to put Jamaican music on the map for the entertainers of today to tear down his legacy with music that does not give positive vibrations. 

“We need to take back this music because this music is spiritual weh the King set. The youth dem need fi look and see say the gun thing weh dem a sing and the slackness and certain thing not working because how much a dem weh go that route big like Bob or will ever big like Bob?”

Matthew, another patron at the Hope Road, Kingston-based museum, said young artistes need to listen more of Marley's music.

"Di type a songs weh go all over the world and touch people and weh still a touch people to this day,” he said. “The Marley dem set it and the message from the music really different these days. Sometimes when you fraid fi all listen to the radio because a di type of music weh a play, it nah educate or edify in no way,” Matthew said.

He also implored radio disc jocks and media houses to seek out talent pushing the messages similar to that of the late reggae icon. He argued that there are many artistes putting out positive music that are not getting the attention they deserve.