Bob Marley‘s nephew, Emmy-nominated actor and filmmaker Charles Mattocks, identifies as a ‘health advocate’ and believes that if the Easy Skanking reggae superstar Bob Marley were alive today at 78, he wouldn’t be smoking marijuana. Despite its spiritual significance in Rastafarianism, Mattocks suggests that Marley would instead be focusing on alternative methods for well-being.
Mattocks, who is 48 years old and the son of Bob’s sister Constance Marley, who has since passed away, reflects on Marley’s potential evolution in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times. He states, “Not that there is anything wrong with marijuana, but at his age today, it would not have been the best thing for him… I’m being honest because he would’ve evolved.”
Having met his uncle twice, Mattocks draws inspiration from his mother’s anecdotes about Marley, which he says prompted him to transition from a flashy career in rap and acting to a self-described “health advocate.”
Several journalists made it their point of duty to ask Marley about Marijuana which he publicly smoked during his lifetime even though it was illegal in many countries that he visited as well as his home country of Jamaica. In an interview during sound check at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse, NY, 1978 Bob Marley said, “today when him come fi tell I that I mustn’t smoke herb him must remember say him was a baby that mean seh I have knowledge for myself, because where him get that knowledge from that I must smoke herb when my knowledge say I must smoke herb.”
Marley’s philosophy on Marijuana was also stated clearly in his speeches as well as some of his popular songs as part of his rebellion against society’s dogmas and he was opposed to the drinking of alcohol and one time in a sit down Interview in New Zealand he said, “Herb is the healing of the nation like how alcohol is the destruction of man kind.” Adding “the more you accept herb is the more you accept Rastafari.”
In the same interview about the qualities of herb, the Ganja Gun singer said, “We who accept herb, herb is important, but herb is more important to the people who don’t accept it yet because that is reality. I mean, it’s not to say it’s something that you crave, but you check in yourself and say, ‘Herb, herb is a plant.’ I mean, herbs are good for everything. Why do these people who want to do so much good for everyone, who call themselves governments and this and that, say you must not use the herb?”
“All they say is ‘you mustn’t use it, you mustn’t use it because it makes you rebel.’ Against what?” Marley asked.
In the revolutionary song “Get Up, Stand Up,” Marley sings, “Take away everything/ And make everyone feel high.”
Still, Bob said he didn’t believe everyone had to smoke to be a Rasta. “You reach in a sense where you’re strong enough to take a little smoke so when all them cars are passing, although you live in the city, you don’t hear it because you’re thinking. Differently, you just live like that, and the whole world confuses you. You’re worried, and you don’t have time to think. Herb is a thing that gives you a little time for yourself so you can live if you use it.”
It will be surprising if marijuana is not part of the upcoming biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” as marijuana is a central part of Bob’s philosophy. Despite not having insights into the content of the upcoming Marley biopic hitting theaters on February 14, Mattocks says he wishes for it to inspire others, mirroring his own transformative journey.
Looking ahead, Mattocks echoing Bob Marley’s philosophy, emphasizes that his career is centered on helping others, stating, “Bob used to say that if this life is just for him, he doesn’t want it. I feel the same way.” Born and raised in New York, Mattocks, who met Marley during his childhood, recounts moments like playing soccer in a smoky room during one encounter. He recalls another meeting after Marley lost his iconic dreadlocks to cancer treatment, symbolizing the artist’s multifaceted identity.
Following Marley’s death in 1981 to cancer, Mattocks, now a celebrated chef says he gained a deeper understanding of his uncle’s global fame and musical impact after seeing the sea of people who attended his funeral at the National Arena in Kingston, Jamaica.
A former protoje of LL Cool J, Mattocks released one gangster rap album in 1994 under the moniker Eddie Bone titled “Check The Game” but now sees himself as part of a broader mission to leave a positive impact, akin to Bob Marley, aiming to change lives for the better.
