by ERIN MACLEOD

The iconic, worldwide superstar Robert Nesta Marley died 25 years ago. It’s not surprising then that Montreal’s now internationally recognized reggae fest is celebrating the occasion. Every day of the festival there will be a free Marley tribute stage. Also, lecturer, Marley archivist, biographer and big-time reggae fan Roger Steffens will be presenting exclusive video and memorabilia in an interactive multimedia showcase on the legend’s life.

Somewhat serendipitously at the moment, amongst all the dancehall, there seems to be a bit of a renaissance of Marley-styled reggae, sometimes referred to as “one drop.” In Jamaica, over the past year, artists like Marlon Asher, Richie Spice, Natural Black, Turbulence and Fantan Mojah—all appearing at the fest—have had major hits on one drop riddims. Each of these hits happen to have pretty conscious and positive messages—just like the Tuff Gong himself.

Healthy hearts uplifted

Spice describes the appeal of this type of reggae. “The type of music that I sing is roots rock reggae music, one drop music, the heartbeat of the people. I’m speaking of the type of music like Burning Spear, Third World, Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley—which is the upliftment and development of the people. That is the music that I represent and stand for.”

“It is the beat of the healthy human heart at rest,” explains Steffens. “So people respond viscerally to it all over the Earth, even if they can’t penetrate the lyrics. There’s something mystical going on.” Dub poet Mutabaruka has taken notice. “Most of the youth, dem right now who take centre stage, are actually carrying the music from the dancehall into the one drop, like Richie Spice, I Wayne, Fantan Mojah.”

“Roots rock reggae music always has a connection to the people, and the people downtown, but also the people who face struggle worldwide, on an international level,” insists Spice. “It’s the root of our music. Every other music comes from the one drop. That type of music can never fade away, it will be always there. At this time, good is over evil and life over death the same way. So right now the youths are getting more wise, getting to know themselves and understand who they are. So the youths start to speak more righteousness.”

Good wins out

Steffens has an idea as to why, in the face of the ongoing commercialization of music in general, there is something of a call to consciousness within Jamaican music. “I think it is based in part on the issue of homophobic artists because they have spoiled the waters for the rest of the Jamaican artists. Others are getting tarred with the brush of homophobia and misogyny, and are unable to get gigs, so they are putting pressure on these other artists to change their ways, and so is the government of Jamaica, because that is a large part of their foreign earnings. There are many different causes to bring about this so-called roots revival.”

“There is less upliftment happening,” says Barrington Levy, who has been in the Jamaican music industry for decades and has noticed these negative, violent lyrics. But overall, he’s optimistic. “No matter how they go and where they go and where they take it, the music is still going to be positive. Good always wins out in the end. Right now, there is Richie Spice, and Gyptian and Sanchez. Luciano too. Music still stays positive. Nothing has changed, because we all have to go back to the foundation, no matter where you go.”

Think globally, dance locally

And going back to the foundation means recognizing that dancehall and reggae are two different things, at least according to Mutabaruka. “What is happening, because of the socio-political climate, people are reflecting what is going on in the music that is being played. Right now, the dancehall is reflecting the same thing that reggae would reflect. It is just that the dancehall music deals more with local issues. Reggae music was a more international thing. For instance, during the time of apartheid, reggae music addressed this system, global oppression. Dancehall music is more about the Jamaican way, Jamaican issues, the thing that is round the corner from the artist. Even though it is socio-political, a lot of people don’t see it as serious as the reggae music that was coming at you with social, political and religious implications for the world.

“You have some people who go for the reggae music and some people go for the dancehall. You can say that there is consciousness in reggae music, but the dancehall is what is prevalent now and the dancehall is sometimes not a conscious music. The biggest selling Jamaican album is really a dancehall album by Sean Paul.”

Cool school

Like Spice and Levy, he insists that there is still an audience for reggae. “People still hold fast to the roots reggae music. The dancehall music is the evolution of the reggae music. So if you were in the days of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and these things, most likely you’d go for the reggae music. The younger people see their music as the dancehall music.”

As the reggae fest hoists its “United Against Violence” banner over the main stage for the third year in a row, it’s important to make sure that this commitment to peace and unity is communicated to the youth, whether through the music or otherwise. Spice is particularly focused on young people. “In Jamaica,” he explains, “the youth out there need more attention, need more mechanisms set in place that they can find more jobs to do, more farming, develop the land. Youths need to go to school also.”

Though he’s working in his community on the development of a sports complex, his vision is international. “When I’m singing, I talk about the youths, the younger generation. I let them know about the people who suffer worldwide, the motherless, the fatherless.”

Levy concurs. “Music is basically a school. So you have to know what you are putting on record to say. People gonna listen to it, kids gonna listen to it, all types of people. What kind of purpose are you going to portray, put out there for people? To uplift us, that has to be the right one.”

Steffens agrees. “I want music to teach,” he says seriously. “Bob told my partner Hank Holmes and me on our radio show, when we were just starting out and he was our first guest—we asked him, ‘What do we need to know?’ And he said: ‘You must never forget that this music is for head-ucation, not just for jollification.’”

Richie Spice, Mutabaruka and Barrington Levy join Turbulence, Maxi Priest, Natural Black and many more at the Montreal International Reggae Festival, Friday to Sunday, July 14–16, in the Old Port, $40 daily, includes access to Roger Steffens’ Bob Marley presentation (weekend pass $80, Bob Marley Stage free, kids under 12 free). Go to www.montreal reggaefestival.com for more details.

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