Reggae music is synonymous with issues of oppression, resistance and the struggles of Africans home and abroad. What is unique about this track 'Marcos' is the rare lyrical subject tackling the people's plight in the Philippines under the brutal dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos half a world away.
During the 1970s and 80s, Marcos is historically remembered for his atrocious human rights abuses, particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship.
Sadly today in the Philippines revisionist history is becoming rife amid signs the descendants of the former dictator are edging closer to a political comeback, making the lyrics of this track as pertinent today as when it was first released in 1986. As the music itself as traversed the globe, so too the lyrical content has no borders.
Make sure to hear to the second half of the video (immediately after the song) for an exclusive chat with producer Calvin Hodge about the making of 'Marcos' from his home in Montego Bay, Jamaica.