Remake of ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ gets Marley family’s blessing

Get Up, Stand Up, the militant track recorded by Bob Marley and The Wailers back in 1973, has a new sound today courtesy of American singer-songwriter Nakkia Gold. Gold’s track, titled Justice (Get Up, Stand Up), was released early last month and is being touted by the overseas press as “a rebirth of the militant anthem that played an integral role in the fight for equality and human rights”. To date, the single has racked up more than 3.2 million views on YouTube and has received the full blessing of the Marley family.

In a recent interview with American morning talk show Good Morning America, Cedella Marley, daughter of the late reggae icon, shared that aside from Gold’s beautiful vocals, she was sold on the song’s message, which she said was in tune with that of her legendary father. “When you hear her (Nakkia), what’s not to love. Nakkia has a beautiful voice, and she has a very strong message, so it was easy,” she said.

Cedella Marley said she appreciated the update Gold gave Get Up, Stand Up.”What I appreciate is that Nakkia didn’t just remake the song. Her lyrics are inspired by dad’s original words, but she brings us into the current social climate.” In Gold’s remix, she talks about the social injustices being faced by black Americans in the United States. “There’s no peace where there’s no justice,” Gold sings in the first verse of the song. Bob Marley’s vocals are featured on the song’s chorus urging listeners to “stand up for their rights”.

On the Good Morning America interview, Gold, who is signed to the international record label Saban Music Group, shared that with all the world is going through right now in terms of the Black Lives Matter movement, a track like Justice, which reiterates Marley’s message of fighting for one’s rights, is a necessity. “The world is going through so much right now, and I feel like it’s important to spread the message of justice because that’s what we need right now. We’ve been going through this for so long now, and everything is being shown right in front of our faces, so I feel like if I don’t say nothing, I am not even being true to myself,” she said. Gold performed the track on the show, which was shown on screens in New York’s famous Times Square. In her prelude to the song, Gold described Marley as a “legend whose music will continue to speak unity, peace, and love”. She also shared that in keeping with Marley’s mandate, she believes that “it’s better to die fighting for freedom than to be a prisoner all [your] life”.

Get Up, Stand Up originally appeared on The Wailers’ 1973 album Burnin’. It was later included on Marley’s iconic Legend album.

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