The video is filled with very interesting material, ranging from rehearsals in his Tuff Gong Studio to stupid questions by American and English interviewers. But also serious interviews are presented. The viewer is introduced to Bunny Wailer, Rita Marley, and many more interesting people who have experienced crucial things with Bob Marley.

But that is not neccesarily what makes Rebel Music such a special documentary.  

The makers have definitely wanted to present a side of Bob Marley that has been underestimated by most people. A side which Bob Marley himself considered to be the main inspiration and motivation for his works.

Bob Marley was a Rasta, a member of the 12 Tribes Of Israel Organization. He was also a ghetto youth, a sufferer who had to work his way under a great tribulation. This identity obviously had a profound influence in the life and work of the King of Reggae. 

And the fact that most documentaries on Bob Marley refuse to shed any light on this side of Bob Marley, is what maks Rebel Music a must have.

The documentary shows the whole story of Bob Marley's life, from the days in which he started recording music with the Wailers until the time in which he left his physical body. And while there is hardly any minute in which you cannot hear a Bob Marley riddim, the video digs deeper and actually reveals Bob Marley's consciousness to the viewer. A consciousness which is at least as  important as his musical talents!

As the title suggests, Bob Marley's work is not just music. No, it is a Rebel Music. A music which is feared by Babylon System. The true face of that wicked system is known to the majority of Jamaican people, of which the majority lives under the most terrible circumstances. For example: "In That Government Yard, In Trenchtown"...

The documentary reveals a lot about life and death in Jamaica, where the political parties have their own gunmen as they are caught in the middle of a global chess game with players such as the CIA. You can see people in the streets firing guns at each other,  a picture that very more common to Jamaica. 

As Rebel Music reveals, Bob Marley himself was also caught in the middle of this. It didn't matter whether he was in Jamaica or visiting his mother in the USA, Marley would be faced with the discrimination against Black People. His awareness of Babylon System made him realize his Rastafari Identity.

In his song "Rat Race", Bob Marley sang the well-known line "Rasta Don't Work For No CIA". The viewer of Rebel Music can actually see and hear a former CIA agent confirm that Jamaica has indeed been part of The Company's play ground. Jamaicans were provided with guns and other material by the CIA in an attempt to stop prime minister Michael Manley from taking Jamaica into the influence of communist Cuba. The former CIA agent also confirms, that conscious Reggae Music was considered a threat as well. 

Was Bob Marley actually killed by the CIA, as many people believe? This question remains unanswered, even in this documentary. It's suggested, that Marley could very well have been suffering from a particular cancer. This cancer isn't common to Black People, as it's usually found within Europeans. So he could have inherited the sickness from his biological father.

All in all, Rebel Music is a must have in the collection of every self respecting collector of Reggae Music.

SEE ALSO: