LETTER OF THE DAY - Stop dissing the Marleys
Published:Wednesday | February 15, 2012 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
My heartiest congratulations to Stephen Marley for copping the 2012 Reggae Grammy.
I want to jump to his defence in light of the scathing criticism he and his siblings have been receiving in recent years. The fact that Steve walked away with yet another Grammy has only served to add fuel to a burning fire that there is chauvinism being shown towards the Marleys and that they are winning solely based on their late father's fame.
If we lend an ear to the winning album, Revelation Pt 1: The Root of Life, we will understand why it won. This album is quality extraordinaire; it evokes the authentic '70s reggae sound which has been missing from most of our so-called reggae music todays. The album is captivating and Stephen's combinations with numerous artistes only serve to accentuate its quality.
The Marley descendants, as any other reggae artiste, have a hard time filling the void left by Bob Marley, and I think the pounding they receive is not justified. While the popularity of their dad might have made them more visible to the public's attention, I do not think they are being given preferential treatment at these awards.
If we carefully examine the Grammy statistics over the years, we would see the Marleys have had their fair share of loss as well, being beaten by Jimmy Cliff (1986), Shabba Ranks (1992), Inner Circle (1994), and Shaggy (1996).
I hope one day we can truly appreciate the quality music the young Marleys make. It's never easy being the children of an icon.
KOFI TAFARI
Cayman Islands