Marlon Asher
Encyclopedia
Marlon Asher is a Trinidadian
reggae
singer from Enterprise, Chaguanas
. His first hit was "Ganja Farmer" and later went on to release three more popular reggae songs, his latest being "Fit and Strong".
Marlon Asher grew up in Enterprise Street, Chaguanas. He was a member of the Mount Ararat Spiritual Baptist
Church Choir and later converted to Rastafari
.
Asher was a pioneer of the Trinidadian reggae movement and his first song Ganja Farmer sparked controversy in his country despite being a run away hit. In an exclusive interview with the Trinidad and Tobago Express, he answered his critics by explaining what the song meant to him.
"I was never a farmer, but I have friends who are and seeing what they have to go through when police burn their fields inspired me to create the song. People must understand that planters have mouths to feed and this is how they earn a living to do so. Putting aside the fact that herb is life and everything else about that, when you think about the work and money a man puts into his field and then see it being burnt, it's not easy,"
"Herb is not for everyone. It have people who will smoke and trip. My music is not about promoting hate and violence, it's about uplifting people. I may not be able to change the world, but I can lead people into thinking differently about life and living with each other. Also, the lyrics in the song that tell about the rocket launcher, does not mean that people should kill police. I am showing the anger that a farmer has inside when he sees his field being burnt. That anger and frustration is real,"
Asher was once a joiner and a mason but left the trade due to allergies. His left index finger was lost in a sawing accident. He is currently a member of a pan side led by his father Glenford Sobers.
Asher has toured together with the stars such as Beenie Man, Sizzla, Maxi Priest and even the American R&B Group Boyz II Men. He has toured Boston, Virginia, Miami, Baltimore and Toronto, and later plans to tour Germany, the United Kingdom as well as other parts of Europe.
He has since paved the way for other local reggae stars such as Prophet Benjamin
, I-sasha, Khari Kill, Jah Bami, Xebulon, King David and so many more.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
singer from Enterprise, Chaguanas
Chaguanas
The Borough of Chaguanas is the largest municipality 2000 census) and fastest-growing town in Trinidad and Tobago. Located in Central Trinidad about south of Port of Spain. It grew in size due to its proximity to the Woodford Lodge sugar refinery. It remained a minor town until the 1980s when it...
. His first hit was "Ganja Farmer" and later went on to release three more popular reggae songs, his latest being "Fit and Strong".
Marlon Asher grew up in Enterprise Street, Chaguanas. He was a member of the Mount Ararat Spiritual Baptist
Spiritual Baptist
The Spiritual Baptists faith is an Afro-Caribbean syncretic religion which combines elements of traditional West African religions with Christianity. The Spiritual Baptist faith originated in St. Vincent....
Church Choir and later converted to Rastafari
Rastafari movement
The Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
.
Asher was a pioneer of the Trinidadian reggae movement and his first song Ganja Farmer sparked controversy in his country despite being a run away hit. In an exclusive interview with the Trinidad and Tobago Express, he answered his critics by explaining what the song meant to him.
"I was never a farmer, but I have friends who are and seeing what they have to go through when police burn their fields inspired me to create the song. People must understand that planters have mouths to feed and this is how they earn a living to do so. Putting aside the fact that herb is life and everything else about that, when you think about the work and money a man puts into his field and then see it being burnt, it's not easy,"
"Herb is not for everyone. It have people who will smoke and trip. My music is not about promoting hate and violence, it's about uplifting people. I may not be able to change the world, but I can lead people into thinking differently about life and living with each other. Also, the lyrics in the song that tell about the rocket launcher, does not mean that people should kill police. I am showing the anger that a farmer has inside when he sees his field being burnt. That anger and frustration is real,"
Asher was once a joiner and a mason but left the trade due to allergies. His left index finger was lost in a sawing accident. He is currently a member of a pan side led by his father Glenford Sobers.
Asher has toured together with the stars such as Beenie Man, Sizzla, Maxi Priest and even the American R&B Group Boyz II Men. He has toured Boston, Virginia, Miami, Baltimore and Toronto, and later plans to tour Germany, the United Kingdom as well as other parts of Europe.
He has since paved the way for other local reggae stars such as Prophet Benjamin
Prophet Benjamin
Prophet Benjamin is a reggae singer. He was born in the rural village of Newlands in Point Fortin Trinidad, West Indies."Pretty Boy", his maiden recording, was number one in Trinidad's Genesis Countdown for 5 weeks....
, I-sasha, Khari Kill, Jah Bami, Xebulon, King David and so many more.