It all sounded so great at first and one could almost
imagine oneself as a fly on the wall when the Bob Marley Tribute at the 2013
Grammy Awards was being posited and discussed. After all, the first and last
(?) Marley sons respectively Ziggy and Damian along with Sting, Bruno Mars and
– to top it all off (pardon the pun, if you saw her performance) - reigning West Indian pop queen Rihanna.
Other than reincarnating the Gong himself, what could be better?
But, with the benefit of several viewings of the vaunted
telecast, one of several that increasingly give a sense of heft to an otherwise
breathy and even featherweight Grammy
programme, a different sentiment begins to bubble up, if you will.
A number of things were re-confirmed for me in watching the
Tribute, and in perfect timing so as to follow-up my last column on the roots
reggae revival currently being touted on Jamaican shores (as an aside by the
time you read this, both Protoje and Freddie McGregor will have hosted
listening parties for new CDs in Kingston). Firstly, US audiences, whether
white black or in between (but largely white) still love reggae music, and
still associate it primarily with Bob Marley and his various progeny.
Take a look at the vibe inside the Grammy Hall on the
appearance of first Ziggy then Damian on Sunday night – the audience was
clearly electrified in a way that is not evident in any of the other artistes,
not even Rihanna, who mauled the opening lines of “Could You Be Loved” . Seeing
that, I’m reminded that though literal xhart success escaped him in his
lifetime, Bo Marley built a global following almost solely on the appeal of the
message and the music. Granted, times were different, but the overall principle
remains the same: a connection was made in the 70s and that connection remains
largely intact.
Which brings up the next point – the record industry,
despite the verbiage about the Internet, iTunes, YouTube and other non-physical
phenomena, remains very much a physical commodity, a commodity whose
distribution is still controlled by a power structure, ie, the record
companies. Just as the studio system still has its hand firmly on the release
volume of major league films into American cinemas, the “record-breakers” the
Clive Davises and Lyor Cohens of this world, still have their reactionary hands
on the emergence of bona fide stars in the US market, whatever form that market
takes.
The final point, and I’m open to anyone challenging me on
this is this: whilst the individuals named, and others may not be racist in
their own views and dealings, the power structure which birthed and nurtured them
and which they naturally uphold, has NO room for another Jamaican music
superstar on the order of a Bob Marley – especially if said superstar is black
– in that US market. Yes, ther will be occasional big sellers and yes, black
Jamaican artistes will have the opportunity to tour the US (the current visa
scandal nothwithstanding, but that’s another column) and even to do the late
night talk show circuit, as Beres Hammond recently did.
But, looking at Bruno Mars carry what was meant to be a
tribute to the Jamaican King of Reggae, with his actual scions made subservient
to a relative (if moderately talented) upstart, one really has to decipher the
code and this – the next pop mega star may be black (we already had MJ and
Prince) or just maybe he/she might be Caribbean (we’ll allow Rihanna for now –
she’s malleable) but make no mistake: he will NOT be both.
Let’s see what happens next year.
