Despite the mixed groundswell reviews, Bob Marley’s biopic is dominating the box office. The latest biggest endorsement of the documentary film on the reggae icon comes from rapper and singer Shaggy, who is rallying Jamaicans to support it.
Speaking to TMZ Hip Hop at the Island Music Conference in Kingston, Shaggy asserted that it’s “un-Jamaican” for natives not to back the film. Shaggy’s endorsement of Marley’s biopic isn’t mere lip service; he’s backed his words with actions.
The rapper/singer attended the “One Love” premiere in Los Angeles, standing alongside luminaries like Brad Pitt and Stevie Wonder as well as various members of the Marley family.
Despite criticisms that the film rushes through Marley’s life, Shaggy stands by it, defending both the movie and lead actor Kingsley Ben-Adir’s portrayal. Ben-Adir, who is British, received flak for his Jamaican accent, which required coaching. Meanwhile, Ben-Adir didn’t perform the singing on camera as that duty was fully assigned to the iconic Marley himself.
Shaggy offers an honest assessment, conceding that Ben-Adir’s Jamaican dialect wasn’t perfect. He. however, praised his believable performance despite not being Jamaican himself, giving Ben-Adir his approval.
With the potential success of the film, Shaggy sees an opportunity for the Marley family to become billionaires, urging people to heed his advice and support the movie.
