“Legend: The Best Of Bob Marley & The Wailers” spends a record 176 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. The album originally released in 1984 is the most successful reggae album in the US, earning more than 8 billion streams on Spotify between the original and the Deluxe versions. WMV caught up with Ky-Mani Marley recently who shared his perspective on why the compilation as well as his father’s brand is so successful worldwide as it continues to adopt to new distribution avenues.
“That comes from originality and that comes form the message, that comes form a person speaking from his soul to your soul. I am so grateful to come from such a great legacy and the magnitude still hasn’t really dawned on me because it continues to grow. The I can travel the world and go into some remote corners of the world and see a little youth run out of a hut and still have on a Bob Marley shirt without even knowing English it still thats speaks volumes to where this legacy is now and where it is going,” he said.
Ky-Mani’s callab with Farruko “Chillax” is the most streamed song on YouTube by a Marley and he also shared why its important to think outside the box in this modern time.
“I come from the root of reggae music and for me that’s always the root but you don’t only have root you have the bark and the branches, you have the leaves, you have the fruit. So being able to expand and to create in different genres while continuing to spread a positive message I think thats all that matters. It doesn’t matter the genre of the music because the message is within the music.
Billboard Reggae Albums Chart (June 3, 2023
| RANK | ALBUM | ARTIST | LABEL | RELEASE DATE | LAST WEEK | PEAK POS. | WKS ON CHART |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Legend: The Best Of Bob Marley… | Bob Marley And The Wailers | Island Records | May 8, 1984 | 1 | 1 | 177 |
| 2 | Best Of Shaggy: The Boombastic… | Shaggy | Geffen Records | August 25, 2008 | 2 | 2 | 217 |
| 3 | Dutty Classics Collection | Sean Paul | Atlantic Records | November 29, 2013 | 3 | 2 | 147 |
| 4 | Greatest Hits | UB40 | Virgin Records | April 1, 2008 | 4 | 1 | 245 |
| 5 | Wisdom | Stick Figure | Ruffwood Records | August 3, 2018 | 5 | 1 | 37 |
| 6 | World On Fire | Stick Figure | Ruffwood Records | August 30, 2019 | 6 | 1 | 195 |
| 7 | Set In Stone | Stick Figure | Ruffwood Records | November 13, 2015 | 7 | 1 | 254 |
| 8 | Backyard Sessions: Malibu Edition | Iration | Three Prong Records | May 13, 2022 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| 9 | Count Me In | Rebelution | Easy Star Records | June 10, 2014 | 9 | 1 | 103 |
| 10 | (re-entry) Live At Red Rocks | Rebelution | Easy Star Records | June 3, 2023 | – | 1 | 103 |
Meanwhile on the US Afrobeats Singles Chart for June 3, 2023, “Calm Down” by Rema and Selena Gomez sits at the summit for another week (39 weeks). The song has been at No. 1 on the Afronation sponsored the longest.Calm Down was certified 2x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) on Friday (May 5, 2023) for selling more than 2 million equivalent units in the US. The Nigerian singer performed at the NBA All Star Weekend last February and was a headliner at last weekend’s Afronation Festival in Miami day 2. This week it peaks at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
See full US Afrobeats chart below:
| RANK | SONG | ARTIST | LABEL | YEAR | LAST WEEK | PEAK POS. | WKS ON CHART |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calm Down | Rema & Selena Gomez | Mavin Records | 2022 | 1 | 1 | 62 |
| 2 | People | Libianca | Sony UK | 2022 | 2 | 2 | 25 |
| 3 | Free Mind | Tems | Reset Industries | 2021 | 3 | 1 | 62 |
| 4 | Essence | Wizkid Featuring Justin Bieber & Tems | Starboy Entertainment | 2020 | 4 | 1 | 62 |
| 5 | Rush | Ayra Starr | Mavin Records | 2021 | 6 | 3 | 36 |
| 6 | Last Last | Burna Boy | Spaceship Entertainment | 2022 | 7 | 1 | 54 |
| 7 | Soweto | Victony, Rema & Tempoe Featuring Don Toliver | Mavin Records | 2022 | 5 | 5 | 36 |
| 8 | Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah) | CKay | Warner Music | 2020 | 8 | 1 | 62 |
| 9 | Peru | Fireboy DML & Ed Sheeran | YBNL Nation | 2022 | 9 | 1 | 62 |
| 10 | Unavailable | DaVido Featuring Musa Keys | DMW | 2022 | 13 | 8 | 8 |
| 11 | soso | Omah Lay | KeyQaad | 2021 | 16 | 11 | 26 |
| 12 | Charm | Rema | Mavin Records | 2023 | 11 | 11 | 4 |
| 13 | Higher | Tems | Reset Industries | 2020 | 10 | 5 | 56 |
| 14 | Ku Lo Sa | Oxlade | KeyQaad | 2021 | 12 | 5 | 45 |
| 15 | For My Hand | Burna Boy Featuring Ed Sheeran | Spaceship Entertainment | 2022 | 15 | 2 | 46 |
| 16 | Found | Tems Featuring Brent Faiyaz | Reset Industries | 2021 | 14 | 8 | 62 |
| 17 | Jerusalema | Master KG Featuring Burna Boy & Nomcebo Zikode | Open Mic Productions | 2019 | 17 | 10 | 60 |
| 18 | Ye | Burna Boy | Spaceship Entertainment | 2018 | 19 | 12 | 62 |
| 19 | Monalisa | Lojay X Sarz X Chris Brown | Marlians Music | 2022 | 18 | 8 | 28 |
| 20 | Feel | DaVido | DMW | 2022 | 20 | 11 | 8 |
| 21 | Amapiano | Asake Featuring Olamide | Cash Nation | 2023 | – | 21 | 1 |
| 22 | Alone | Burna Boy | Spaceship Entertainment | 2022 | 22 | 2 | 29 |
| 23 | Party No Dey Stop | Adekunle Gold & Zinoleesky | Afro Urban Records | 2022 | 21 | 9 | 10 |
| 24 | Pray | BNXN | Empire | 2023 | – | 24 | 1 |
| 25 | It’s Plenty | Burna Boy | Spaceship Entertainment | 2022 | 23 | 8 | 46 |
| 26 | 2 Sugar | Wizkid Featuring Ayra Starr | Starboy Entertainment | 2023 | 25 | 5 | 28 |
| 27 | Finesse | Pheelz x Buju | Pheelz | 2023 | 24 | 5 | 62 |
| 28 | Who Is Your Guy? | Spyro | Upfront Records | 2022 | 29 | 17 | 15 |
| 29 | Asiwaju | Ruger | Jonzing World | 2021 | 26 | 16 | 27 |
| 30 | No Competition | DaVido Featuring Asake | DMW | 2022 | 27 | 12 | 8 |
| 31 | Normally | Joeboy, BNXN & ODUMODUBLVCK | Empawa Africa | 2023 | – | 31 | 1 |
| 32 | 2:30 | Asake | Cash Nation | 2023 | 28 | 8 | 7 |
| 33 | Damages | Tems | Reset Industries | 2020 | 31 | 12 | 62 |
| 34 | Kante | DaVido Featuring Fave | DMW | 2022 | 35 | 17 | 8 |
| 35 | Cough (Odo) | Kizz Daniel | Flyboy Inc | 2022 | 33 | 8 | 32 |
| 36 | Aquafina | Young Jonn | Jonzing World | 2023 | 30 | 30 | 4 |
| 37 | On The Low | Burna Boy | Spaceship Entertainment | 2018 | 36 | 21 | 61 |
| 38 | Hallelujah | CKay Featuring Blaqbonez | Warner Music | 2023 | 32 | 26 | 3 |
| 39 | Duffle Bag | Joeboy | Empawa Africa | 2023 | 48 | 39 | 3 |
| 40 | Mood | Wizkid Featuring Buju | Starboy Entertainment | 2023 | 37 | 27 | 28 |
| 41 | Replay | Tems | Reset Industries | 2021 | 39 | 18 | 62 |
| 42 | Soundgasm | Rema | Mavin Records | 2021 | 41 | 15 | 46 |
| 43 | This Year (Blessings) | Victor Thompson X Ehis ‘D’ Greatest | NWE | 2022 | 42 | 35 | 6 |
| 44 | Gwagwalada | BNXN, Kizz Daniel & Seyi Vibez | Empire | 2022 | 40 | 12 | 14 |
| 45 | Ta Ta | Bayanni | Marvin Global | 2023 | 45 | 13 | 21 |
| 46 | Away | DaVido | DMW | 2022 | 44 | 16 | 8 |
| 47 | Jireh (My Provider) (Remix) | Limoblaze, Lecrae & Happi | GospelNaija | 2023 | 50 | 26 | 37 |
| 48 | Holiday | Rema | Mavin Records | 2022 | 43 | 13 | 14 |
| 49 | Fall | DaVido | Sony Music | 2017 | – | 18 | 27 |
| 50 | Over Dem | DaVido | DMW | 2022 | 49 | 10 | 8 |
