Many of the messages Bob Marley shared with his legion of followers all over the world were focused on the plight of the disenfranchised, the poor and forgotten, the politically and economically oppressed, particularly in Third World nations. Only as his own story unfolded and was peeled back, with most of the details coming after the reggae legend’s passing, did the side of him as ambitious entrepreneur come into sharper relief. In 1970, a 25-year-old Marley, as a member of The Wailers, founded the Tuff Gong record label, pressing wax in the back and selling it out front, often raising a sidewalk sound system to conspicuous volumes, enticing passers-by to have a listen to their latest. 45 years later, Set Up Shop Vol. 2 is the modern equivalent of Marley’s primary intentions, distributed under the banner of Ghetto Youths International, an offshoot of the present-day Tuff Gong imprint, produced by the Rasta legend’s offspring, Stephen Marley and Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley, and featuring sibling Julian, and Stephen’s scion Jo Mersa. The 15-song compilation is the reggae of right now; a chart-topper that mixes reggaeton, dancehall, and even dashes of EDM into the pot. Not just a Marley endeavor, some of the stronger tracks come from Black-Am-I, whose “In the Ghetto” stays sunny despite the storm clouds, with a piano riff echoing “One Love,” or Wayne Marshall’s roots/R.E.M. collision, “On the Corner,” a vehement warning against apathy. The Marley men, too, get in their hits. Jr. Gong’s meditation on the mentality of a killer, “Is It Worth It? (Gunman’s World),” and his team-up with Stephen examining a Jamaican woman’s power to entice on “Strike Hard,” tie the dangerous and deadly to the bump of the dance hall. The real accomplishment, though, is the bringing together of these songs into a complete thought of an album. Rather than acting simply as a sampler of the individual artists’ singles to be divided and downloaded, the chosen cuts on Set Up Shop Vol. 2 feel more of a piece, and succeed not only in their variety, but also in their cohesion.
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