Bob Marley and the Wailers released Rastaman Vibration in 1976.
The album became one of Marley’s most successful releases in the United States and helped introduce his music to a much wider international audience. It includes “War,” a song whose lyrics were adapted from a speech by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie.
Rastaman Vibration followed Natty Dread, released in 1974, and came before Exodus, released in 1977. That sequence helps distinguish it from several neighboring albums in Marley’s classic period.
The record combines roots-reggae rhythms with spiritual, social, and political themes. Its title refers to Rastafari culture and identity, which strongly influenced Marley’s public image and songwriting. The album’s success also demonstrated that roots reggae could reach major mainstream audiences without abandoning its Jamaican foundations.