With the Controversy of “Dear Dad” Resolved, Bob Marley’s Son Ky-Mani Embarks on Book-Signing Tour
When I met Bob-Marley’s 2nd youngest son, Ky-Mani at the soundboard of West Hollywood’s House of Blues some dozen years ago, we exchanged very few words, but I felt a humble “Air of Nobility” from this “Prince of Jamaican Royalty.” In an interesting “Opposite Parallel Universe” kind of way, I compare his life to that of Shakyamuni Buddha, in that Buddha, before he became one, was Prince Siddhartha, an heir to the throne of the Shakya Clan of India. His father King Suddhodana, did everything he could to keep his son content with all the delights of the senses and to keep him from seeing the suffering of the world outside the palace walls, which backfired when he escaped and renounced “the world” taking on the life of a wandering yogi to eventually attain Buddha-hood while sitting under the Bodhi Tree.
At that time I had no idea I was meeting someone who’d lived that, in the sense that while most of his dozen brothers and sisters had a life of comfort in Jamaica due to their father’s music industry wealth, he was an “outcast,” taken at age nine by his mother, table tennis champion Anita Belnavis, to the Miami inner-city where they lived in poverty, sharing a two-room apartment with eight others of her family. It was here in the ghettos of Miami that Ky-Mani survived his experience of gangs, drug dealing and violence. It was here that he also developed the attitude that all people are equal- that no one is above or below him, and that same attitude has become the motto of the way he lives his life today: “Humble. Soft-Spoken. Sincere. Loyal. Honest. Genuine” (as stated on one of his websites).It has only been more recently in his life, by “pulling him-self up by the boot-straps” that he is experiencing the long overdue wealth of his birth-right.
His legendary father Bob Marley’s message of Equality, Justice and “One Love” for all Humanity is definitely being carried on and spreading world-wide even further through his off-spring, many of whom have won Grammies in the Reggae and Hip-Hop categories. At first, Ky-Mani had no interest in following in his musically-famous father’s footsteps, devoting his developing skill to sports. As a teenager he tried dee-jaying and rapping, but returned to focusing on sports, until, at age 20 those inherent “seeds” of his blood-line were caused to sprout and an album of covers of some of his dad’s music, “Like Father, Like Son” soon emerged. Then, in 1997 he collaborated with Pras of the Hip-Hop group The Fugees to cover Eddy Grant’s hit “Electric Avenue,” and the spark of his father’s legacy within was set ablaze, setting off a fire-storm of song-writing over the subsequent years. His 1999 album “The Journey” received critical acclaim, achieving relatively good sales, but his 2001 album “Many More Roads” was nominated for a Grammy Award, only to lose to his brother, Damian “Junior Gong” Marley’s album “Halfway Tree.” He is featured in a wide variety of collaborations, including Young Buck’s “Buck the World” on a track called “Puff, Puff, Pass,” Afu-Ra’s song “Equality” on “Body of Life Force” and Ms. Dynamite’s “A Little Deeper.” These are just the tip of the “I and Ice-berg” as just typing his name into a search on Youtube.com brings a seemingly endless choice of Ky-Mani collaborations!
He is also quite the accomplished actor. In 2002, Ky-mani starred as the character Kassa in the film “One Love,” a compelling love story of a “conch-us” reggae musician dealing with the corruptions of the industry. After he meets a church girl with an angelic voice, (played by Cherine Anderson, who has recently recorded and toured with Michael Franti and Spearhead for their “All Rebel Rockers” album) they end up drastically transforming each other’s lives, ending in a heart-opening finish. (I found that you can watch this intriguing film on Youtube for free, albeit in 10 segments). He played the role of John the Baptist in the film “Haven” that stars Bill Paxton and Orlando Bloom, directed by Frank Flowers. He later starred opposite acclaimed Reggae Artist Spragga Benz in the film “Shottas,” a captivating story of two young men from Jamaica struggling to reach their dreams through living life in the "fast lane". This film and its sequel created a tremendous buzz upon being released by Sony Pictures in 2007. He also played himself in the BET J television series, “Living the Life of Marley” in 2004.
Incorporating world music, hip-hop, blues, rock and a “grass-roots” sound into his music, he transcends the label of “Reggae Artist.” Still, with the unmistakable Marley-esque raw, gruff sound of his voice in songs such as “Dear Dad”, “I Pray”, “Ghetto Soldier” and “Fist full of Dollars,” Ky-mani conveys his true life experience that intones Peace, One Love, Unity, Street Life and pays homage to his Jamaican Culture and Heritage.
Now, what of this controversy that the title of this article refers to? He recently tried to delay the release of his new book, "Dear Dad: Where's the Family in Our Family, Today?" after realizing it could upset his relatives, but the tome hit shelves in February, to mark what would have been his father's 65th birthday. The book's cover boasted it contains the "story the Marley family apparently didn't want you to know," referring to his being shunned by the Marley estate early on in his life. But he took issue with that quote, which placed him at odds with his publishing firm over the claim, but on February 16, his editor Farrah Gray agreed to pull the tagline from the second edition. It is currently ranked the #1 Reggae bestseller in the world and ranks in the top 10 Celebrity memoirs, according to Amazon.com. Ky-Mani has now spoken out about the controversy surrounding the expose. In a post on his MySpace page, he writes, "The book was not an attack on my family. I love my brothers and sisters more than anyone can know."
When asked in a recent interview what his early life was like he said, “I speak it now proudly, but when I was younger I was a little bitter, knowing my legacy and where I was coming from and knowing that my condition in which I was being raised was unfit. But yet it’s a part of my life; I can look back on it and really appreciate it because it molded me as a human being, it built my character, it gave me meaning towards life, it gave me understanding for people in the gutter, for people in the forest and for people in the palace, so I don’t regret that any one bit.
In the same interview, he defended his use of cannabis as a sacrament and advertising a related herbal product on his Myspace site: “You see some people smoke marijuana and say ‘We’re going to get high, we’re going to have a nice time’; that is not for me. This is for meditation, for spiritual up-liftment, for a clear mind, to see the world and to see people for who they are and what they are. My thing is not to go smoke and get high and get nice. I smoke to put me in a meditative state, so I can relate to people in the most natural way and form possible…” The ad for “Herbal Balance.com? ”It does exactly what it says: balance the herb. This is a pill that if you look at it, everything in it is organic- there is nothing that is manufactured, everything is from a root and is organic. What this herbal supplement does is it prevents you from getting the munchies. It gives you a more natural sensation from the herb, it replenishes the fluids in your joints because of course when you are smoking you’re taking in the smoke and it dries out the fluids so it keeps your joints nicely moist. It’s a good thing. Rastafari.” Kymani comes to L.A. for his book-signing on April 30, 7pm at Barnes & Noble, The Grove at Farmers Market. (323) 525-0270
