Rastafari strongly influenced Bob Marley’s music and public identity.
Marley became associated with Rastafari during the 1960s, and its beliefs, vocabulary, symbols, and ideas became central to his artistic identity. His songs frequently refer to Jah, Babylon, Zion, liberation, African identity, and spiritual resistance.
Rastafari developed in Jamaica in the 1930s and regards Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia as a central religious figure. Marley’s international fame helped bring Rastafarian language and imagery to audiences far beyond Jamaica, although his music also addressed universal subjects such as love, justice, and peace.
Rastafari is sometimes described simply as a musical style, but it is a religious and cultural movement. Reggae became an important vehicle for its messages, yet not every reggae performer was Rastafarian. Marley’s own public image made the association especially prominent.