“If you know your history, then you'd know where you come from, then you wouldn't have to ask me, who the hell do I think I am? ” (Bob Marley) In other words, if people understand their narrative, then they will know their lineage, so others will not need to question their fight for equality, reparations, and sovereignty. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "Buffalo Soldier" is a reggae song written by Bob Marley and Noel Williams and recorded by Bob Marley and the Wailers. In 1980, Bob Marley produced the third album of the Confrontation trilogy, released after his death in 1983 and including his smash hit Buffalo Soldier. The main purpose of this essay is to analyze how the reggae song, “Buffalo Soldier,” relates to issues of race, class, and socioeconomic inequality, especially among blacks in America. Additionally, it provides an in-depth classification of reggae genre, style, tempo, and instrumentation, along with a general overview of Bob Marley's biography. Reggae originated from three well-known Jamaican genres classified as Mentor, Ska and Rocksteady. These genres have significantly shaped reggae, so much so that to appreciate it one must recognize and understand its lineage. Mento originates from Jamaican popular music and choreography. Its bases are mostly European and African, with a strong Jamaican melody. For example, the chin typically features acoustic instruments, such as the acoustic guitar, banjo, drums, and rumba. Subsequently, the genre that arose from Mento was Ska, which combined Mento, American R&B, Doo-wop and Jazz. Distinctly, it "stands out from other musical genres by its walking bass line accented by upbeat rhythms." Around 1966, ska struggled to gain more popularity, paving the way for Rocksteady. Rocksteady was born from the slums of Kingston, otherwise known as ghettos, after Jamaica's independence in 1962. Rocksteady's signature instruments include the piano, drums and bass. Rocksteady could forego the highest quality horn section, so production was economical. The electric bass, intertwined with the drums, combines his explicit acoustic style; this symphonic quality, known as riddim, was later transferred to reggae. Reggae emerged in 1968 as Rocksteady's replacement in Trench Town, a poor area of ​​Kingston. The key difference between rocksteady and reggae is the lilting, robust, lively guitar, which typically achieves a two-chord pattern in the melody of bass and drum riddims, and the projection and complexity of the bass line in reggae. Although some reggae songs focused on unity, romance and joy, the theme of reggae was different from rocksteady. Reggae, however, became a powerful means of expressing grievances against sociopolitical inequality, prejudice, and socioeconomic disparity, placing particular emphasis on the difficulties of everyday life for black Jamaicans. Therefore, the term reggae is synonymous with the typical local majority in the “trenches” otherwise known as “ghettos” of Kingston, Jamaica. For example, Bob Marley illustrates the reggae theme in “Buffalo Soldier,” a militant song that highlights the need for blacks in the diaspora, particularly in America, to fight political and social inequality. Contrary to the contemporary portrayal of Marley's music as a symbol of solidarity, unification, love, hope and Rastafarianism. "Bob Marley is among the most popular and most misunderstood figures in modern culture." The undisputed most famous reggae musician, Robert NestaMarley, (aka Bob Marley) was born on February 6, 1945 in St. Ann's Bay Parrish, Jamaica and died on May 11, 1981. The son of a white European father and a black Jamaican teenage mother. Marley moved to Kingston at age and remained in Kingston's ghettos throughout his childhood. Marley's father died when he was only ten years old. He began his career as a singer at the age of fifteen after the release of his first Ska record, "Judge Not". In 1963, Marley's career in Ska music began to flourish after he became the leader of the musical group The Wailers, which included Peter McIntosh (aka Peter Tosh) and Neville 'Bunny' Livingston (aka Bunny Wailer). In 1966, Marley married singer Rita Anderson, who later became part of his backup singer, the I-Threes. Furthermore, in 1966, he briefly moved to Wilmington, Delaware, United States, to live with his mother. Upon his return to Jamaica, Marley and the Wailers began to integrate Rastafarianism into their lyrics and Marley's style morphed distinctively with his signature dreadlocks. In 1971, the Wailers recorded their biggest hit to date in Jamaica: "Trenchtown Rock". In the early 1970s, Bob Marley and the Wailers unofficially sponsored the People's National Party (PNP) and Prime Ministerial candidate Michael Manley, who went on to win the national election in 1972. Consequently, the correlation between Marley, reggae music and politics intensified. Additionally, in 1972, the Wailers produced their first Island Records album Catch a Fire, which included songs such as "Stir It Up", which while successful, was criticized for its hybrid reggae and rock sound. Next, their album Burnin', which began to incorporate traditional Jamaican folk rhythms such as Burru drums, which can be heard in "Rastaman Chant". The album Burnin includes songs like "Get Up Stand Up" and "I Shot the Sheriff". In 1974, internal disputes pushed Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer to leave the group and launch solo careers. As a result, Marley rebuilt the group to include the Barrett brothers on bass and drums and officially renamed the group Bob Marley and the Wailers. The new sound, heard on the next album, Natty Dread (a reference to the dreadlocks worn by Rastafarians), added an amplified blues/rock electric guitar sound and a gospel-influenced female backing trio, known as the I-Threes. In 1980, Bob Marley produced the third album of the Confrontation trilogy, launched after his death in 1983 and includes his smash hit Buffalo Soldier. Marley's "Buffalo Soldier" was inspired by the tyrannical subjugation and continued marginalization of blacks in America. For example, Jim Crow and many other policies were part of the liberal history of the United States from 1776 until the 1960s. Marley uses the analogy of the Buffalo Soldier to illustrate the heroism, courage, and courage of blacks in America, now ancestors of African slaves, who were brought from Africa to America. For example, Marley begins the song by saying "There was a buffalo soldier in the heart of America, stolen from Africa, brought to America, fighting on arrival, fighting for survival." While the Buffalo Soldier belongs to the black U.S. cavalry regiments, (also known as Buffalo Soldiers), an army on the battlefront in the post-1866 Indian Wars. Marley identifies their struggle for survival and revolutionizes it as a symbol of black resistance, of courage and patriotism. The song aims to shed light on the significance of black people in the betterment and enrichment of America, who under such consideration are equally deserving of basic civil liberties, free from oppression, marginalization and inequality..