the only reason weed is attributed to Bob Marley is because it was a huge part of the Rastafari religion. Rastafarians promoted black empowerment, self-love, and self-reliance and smoking pot was used as a way of enhancing meditation. although he was rumored to smoke one pound of weed a day, police found no pot in any of his belongings while on tour and none in the belongings of everyone on tour with him.
now Bob Marley is depicted as a happy dude smoking on a beach when he was actually a huge activist against African countries with dictatorships and even did a huge concert in Zimbabwe when they declared independence. thousands of fans broke in to the concert to see him and police shot tear gas into the mob. Bob didn’t stop performing even when tear gas reached the stage, making most of his bandmates rush off. he also did a huge peace concert in Jamaica to unite two warring political parties. his songs often spotlighted racism and inequality and he was an important voice for black people not only in the US, but the entire world.
and now he’s a snapchat filter
This is the man that wrote revolutionary songs like “Africa Unite”, “Black Man Redemption”, “War” (where he spoke out against apartheid and the conflict in Angola). Songs like “Buffalo Soldier”, “Redemption Song”, “Crazy Baldhead”, “Stiff Necked Fools”, “War”, and many other songs that made it clear where he stood in the movement. But folks have reduced him to “Jammin’” and “One Love”, ignoring his entire library of music in which he clearly sent the message that he was an activist who worked and strived for global Black liberation.
