Before I get into what I am going to talk about today, I want to praise Martellus Bennett. He is a true patriot by refusing to go to the White House to take a picture with the current "president". He is standing by his beliefs, I fully agree and support his decision, his team should too, and I hope this leads to many, many other pro athletes refusing to go to the White House. I know that a second Patriots player has already said that he will not go as well. This makes me very happy that pro athletes, who make millions upon millions of dollars, can see the injustice and stand up for what they believe in. This is just the start, and I know more athletes and coaches, and maybe, just maybe, owners will stand by their players and protest this terrible, awful, racist "government", and not go to these photo ops. Nothing would upset that puppet and child more than pro athletes refusing to come say hi and take a picture. Thank you for starting the revolution Martellus Bennett, and hopefully the majority of pro athletes that win championships will also refuse to go to the White House for the next 4 years.

Okay, now for my main point of today. Yesterday would have been Bob Marley's 72nd birthday. I was going to write about him yesterday, but I had to touch on the Super Bowl. Bob Marley is, and always will be, an idol of mine. He was my introduction to "real" music. Before Bob Marley, I did not listen to music with instruments and decent singers. I was busy listening to pop and crappy rap music. I still listen to some pop music, and my taste in rap has gotten much, much better. But, Bob Marley was my guide. He was my intro to good music. My father and brother sat me down and they played me a bunch of music that they thought I'd like. I heard Cream, Bob Dylan, Run DMC, Ben Harper, Public Enemy, among many others, and while I was blown away by them all, Bob Marley was the one that I kept going back to. I could not get enough of his voice. I could not get enough of his band. 

At the time, I did not understand his message, but as I got older and devoured his entire catalog, I began to not only understand, but also agree with pretty much everything he was singing about. Bob Marley was an activist in a very volatile time in his homeland of Jamaica. He stood up for the downtrodden and did everything he could to help. We could really use a person like him today, that is for sure. But, he always gave back to his people. He always went back home to see his people and help out anyway he could.

Bob Marley was also heavily involved in his religion, Rastafarianism. He was a very close personal friend of Hailee Saliasse, when they were both still alive. Bob Marley was a man that not only talked the talk, he walked the walk. He was a true power to the people person. It is a bummer that he died so young. His religion forbade him from surgery, which could have removed the cancer that started in his toe and spread through his entire body, but he still lived all 36 of his years on Earth to the fullest.

We know Bob Marley for his music, and it is absolutely timeless. I can put on any record of his, and it feels relevant no matter the time. From ages 16-22, Bob Marley was all I listened to. As I said earlier, I devoured his music. I devoured his life story. I was, and I do not think I'm exaggerating, probably the biggest Bob Marley fan in the state of Missouri. His music was literally all I listened to for 6 years. I did everything I could to be like, and act like Bob Marley. I even had dreadlocks for a time, when I had hair. I always proclaim that Robert Johnson was my gateway to playing guitar, and he is, but Bob Marley was my gateway to good music. Through Marley, I learned that music played with instruments could be great. I loved the reggae sound. I loved the heartbeat rhythm to the music. I always feel relaxed when I listen to Bob Marley. His voice in undeniably unique as well. Marley has the greatest voice in the history of reggae music, and one of the greatest voices in music ever. It is so damn great. I even try to mimic his tone when I am singing along in my car, which can be very embarrassing for my wife and kids, but Marley's music moves me like that. I wanted to have a Jamaican accent when I was a high schooler because of Bob Marley.

I just wanted to wish one of my all time favorite musicians a belated happy birthday. I wish he were still alive, god we could really, really use him right now, and I miss him every time I hear his records. If you want some suggestions, go listen to records like "Exodus", "Catch a Fire", "Talkin Blues", his 4 disc box set of all his music, his early ska/reggae stuff, or my personal favorite record, "Burnin and Lootin". It is all great, and given the corrupt nature of the world right now, the music is incredibly poignant. I wish you were still alive, but at least I have your music to listen to for the rest of my life, and that is a great gift you left us. Happy belated birthday Bob Marley, and Rest in Peace.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is a strong believer in getting up, and standing up, for your rights. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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