Some people think about the image of a gunman and for them it’s all about the machismo of the big man with the big gun and “busting shots” and all of that. One thing that I’ve learned in my life is that people are just people, and as I say in the song, “Mankind will do what they must to survive.” Sometimes when you meet these people you’ve been hearing about ”“ whether it’s policemen and politicians or thugs ”“ they’re neither as great as you thought they would be nor as bad as you think. This is a song that talks about the reality of what actually happens in the life of someone who makes his living in this way. Damian Marley, “Is It Worth It? (Gunman World)” I can almost hear a rapper or a dancehall DJ on the chorus. This song isn’t very well known, but the lyrics on this are crazy! He’s breaking down all the different kinds of problems ”“ starvation, sufferation, segregation ”“ and saying we’ve got to solve them.

The Melody Makers did some really great work and it seems like some people don’t remember. My brother Ziggy is such an underrated writer. I decided to choose something a little bit unexpected here and go for a Melody Makers song off their One Bright Day album. Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, “Problems” I always like songs that bring you into the story they’re telling with those kinds of tangible details. And I just love all the little details, how the boy’s hair is never combed and he refuses to take a bath. This song is extremely relatable to real things that happen. I’ve had a few friends along the way, good people living a hard life who got themselves into difficult situations like this. I did not grow up in the ghetto, but my family has always been in touch with both downtown and uptown. and they get in a position to send down some guns or whatever else. The whole story here is very real, in terms of the way some youths may travel with their family to the U.S. This is another song by Dave Kelly, the producer who wrote “Look Into My Eyes” and many more great dancehall songs. Also See Rolling Stone India Monthly Playlist: April Cham, “Ghetto Story”

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