Africa: Get Up Stand Up

The great Bob Marley once sang rebel music. But where have all the rebel musicians gone?

The problem for anyone trying to make what Bob Marley once called "rebel music" today is not that there's too little rebellion out there but, by Western pop culture's liberal definition, that there's way too much. Since the dawn of rock 'n' roll, popular music has been de facto rebellious, at least insofar as the term is defined by record labels and soft-drink ads. All it takes to be a rebel in America, it seems, is to be young and loud. In a music culture where a rebel is the Backstreet Boy with a goatee or the rapper with a lifestyle...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!