BY RICHARD JOHNSON—
Observer senior reporter—
Ziggy Marley (Photo: Tim Cadiente)—
Ziggy Marley is a very busy man. The eldest son of reggae icon Bob Marley will readily tell you he is working on multiple projects at any given time.
Currently in-between performances and promotions for his seventh solo studio album, Rebellion Rises, which was released last year and earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Reggae Album, Marley has his hand in a number of other projects.
He has taken a keen interest in young people and their advocacy on matters regarding climate change. He noted that this demographic has become very vocal on the matter and really want to know what’s happening and what it will take for the leaders of the world to recognize that something needs to be done about this issue before it is too late.
“I am always doing things. I was just watching the demonstrations by young people regarding climate change and I decided to write a song which may even become an album on this topic. I believe we all have a responsibility to the planet… leaders need to step up. We all as humans have to become good stewards instead of denying that it is happening, we can’t sit and watch it being destroyed. Even in Jamaica I see the discussions regarding the Cockpit Country and I like that we are being aware in that way. So the song that I’m working on is really my contribution to the whole discussion, doing my part in the way I know best… music,” he noted.
But that’s not his only project in the studio at this time. Along with his brother he is working on a track to mark their father’s 75th birthday, which comes up in February next year, and he is also deeply involved in producing a children’s album either. This is not his first children’s album. Family Time was released 10 years ago and earned Marley the Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children. A portion of the album’s proceeds were donated to Chepstowe Basic School, Port Antonio.
Marley noted that he remains inspired by his own children to produce material for young children.
But music is not Ziggy Marley’s only means of sharing his thoughts and ideas. In 2016 he released Ziggy Marley and Family Cookbook: Delicious Meals Made With Whole, Organic Ingredients from the Marley Kitchen, and now he is also working on another publication, this time a children’s book about the vulture known in Jamaica as a John Crow, which should been on shelves early next year.
“It’s something I’ve been working on for a while. I really wanted to point to the important role that the John Crow plays in our ecosystem. For the most part the John Crow is looked down on, yet it plays such a necessary role; so the message in the story is that we all have a role to play. I have never seen any good stories out there about the John Crow…the crow is never seen in a heroic light and I wanted to offer that spin,” said Marley.
It has been some time since he last performed on local soil. Passengers who were aboard the Welcome to Jamrock cruise last November had to opportunity to see him as he performed with his brothers during the Jamaican leg of the popular event. With no immediate plans for a local performance, Marley said he is making plans to be in Jamaica next February for his father’s birthday celebrations.
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