‘Skip’ off the old block
FORTY years after the death of Bob Marley, Skip Marley believes his grandfather’s message remains topical.
“The message is still relevant because the world still suffers. Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war,” Skip Marley, 24, told the Jamaica Observer, quoting a line from War, one of Marley’s greatest songs.
‘Skip’ was one of Bob Marley’s several nicknames.
Skip Marley, who created an international buzz last year with the chart-topping Billboard hit single Slow Down featuring Grammy- and Oscar-winning R&B singer H.E.R., describes his grandfather’s songs as a light to the world.
“His music was the truth. His message was the message of Rastafari. Bob Marley sang about one love and African unity,” he said.
The Grammy-nominated Skip Marley has no ideal Marley song.
“All of his songs, they’re all my favourites...too many in the songbook to choose from. There is a Bob Marley song for any mood...any time of day,” he said.
Marley died on May 11, 1981 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami (now University of Miami Hospital) of cancer. He was 36.
Skip Marley is signed to Island Records, the company that helped catapult his grandfather’s music to international acceptance.
“It’s an honour to carry on my grandfather’s legacy. Bob Marley cleared a path for many of us to walk, and Island Records is committed to preserving that legacy while supporting my career every step of the way,” Skip Marley shared.
Last year, Island
Records released Skip’s EP Higher Place, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album.