As the world grinds to a halt due to COVID-19, some artists are redefining what their music is and what they represent.
For Jamaican musician Julian Marley, music is his vessel to speak on his love for the earth. On his new single, Mother Nature, Julian Marley teams up with Reggae Legend Junior Reid to deliver a straight to the point message of love; love for the earth, and love for each other.
After making an appearance on DJ Cuppy’s debut album Original Copy, on the single ’54’ with Sir Shina Peters, Julian “Juju” Marley attacks a message that has been on his heart.
The virus caused the entire world to stop and slow down, but as we move into new ways and patterns we have to put love first. As Julian Marley puts it, love is the healing factor.
“We have to love one another, love the earth, love life. stop killing one another… that’s the way we can help the earth to earth,” he says
The call for love is one of unity. The unity of black people above all. As the cultures of African Americans, Africans and Caribbeans slowly become sonically intertwined, it makes an easier calling for our love for each other to also grow.
“People who love each other come together. Love is Unity and Unity is love” he says, “We all get hungry. We all need to drink water. We all breathe the same air. We all buck (hit) our toes and it hurts when you buck your toe pon (on) the curb. Nobody have no special toe,” he adds with a smile.
Mother Nature expands beyond the love for the earth and into love for self. Julian Marley hits on the importance of knowing oneself. Being aware of your history and yourself.
When the pandemic hit and the whole world went into lockdown it’s not just a space for the world the heal but for humans to heal also. To look within ourselves and be aware of ourselves, our history and our culture.
“Because love and unity starts from within”
Mother Nature featuring Junior Reid was not by accident. Junio Redis who Julian Marley affectionately calls Uncle Reid is a brother in love and rastafari religion. The love they both have for each other, the earth and the world around them, easily translated into the music.
“Rastafari is the cure, love is the answer and freedom is the goal,” says Reid, who is a former member of the Grammy-nominated music group, Black Uhuru.
When asked if he thought songs like Mother Nature would live on forever he earnestly said he hoped not. “If in the future people are still listening to and making songs like this, it means nothing has changed,” he says, “In the future, there should only be happy songs.”
Watch an excerpt from our interview on IGTV below:
View this post on Instagram