Sean Paul, Shaggy, And Buju Banton To Pay Respect To Bob Marley

Yahoo! Music, Feb 4, 2003 1:00 pm PST
(2/4/03, 1 p.m. ET) -- Sean Paul is among reggae artists paying respect this month to the late Bob Marley, whose musical genius introduced the genre to the world. Marley was born on February 6, 1945, and observations of Marley's birth anniversary include the 22nd Annual Ragga Muffins/Bob Marley Day Festival. Shaggy, Buju Banton, Steel Pulse, and Marley's kids Stephen, Damian, and Julian also perform at the celebration, which kicks off February 15 in Long Beach, California.

Marley was well-known for his politically conscious lyrics, which gave a voice to the oppressed in Jamaica and elsewhere. Jamaican-born Paul also pens songs about the state of his homeland, and he recently explained why he doesn't vote. Paul said that he remains heartbroken by the deadly violence carried out by members of Jamaica's opposing political parties while he was growing up in Kingston, a city far from the tranquil areas most tourists choose to visit in the Caribbean nation.

"It bothers me every day," Paul said. "I voted one time in Jamaica and people died that day, and from that time I was, like, 'I am not voting again, ever, just to prove that point, and I will get famous and I will tell people that I don't because of that--because that means I am voting on someone to go and kill another person.'"

Barrington Levy, Ce'Cile, Anthony B., Wailing Soul, Donovan, George Nooks, Tippa Irie, Lloyd Brown, Don Campbell, and other great reggae artists are also scheduled to perform at the Ragga Muffins Festival. For more information, call the festival hotline at (310) 515-3322 or visit the websites raggamuffins.org or bobmarleyfestival.com.

-- Anna Maria Gibson, New York

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