Music: Artists That Did Similar to What Bob Marley Did for Reggae?

[OzzyFan]

I keep seeing the Wakanda Forever trailer in theaters with the No Woman No Cry cover playing and this got me thinking, has anyone done for any genre of music what Bob Marley did for Reggae? The popularizing, pioneering, revolutionizing, and that doesn't even get into the influence beyond the centralized music aspects.

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[Jack Straw]

Chuck Berry, rock and roll.

 

[holy]

Tupac did it for hip hop. Rock also became the genre for boys instead of men at the same time, but hip hop absolutely cemented itself after Tupac happened.

 

[Teemu]

Louis Armstrong
Scott Joplin
Jimmie Rodgers
Woody Guthrie

 

[kook10]

Run DMC

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I keep seeing the Wakanda Forever trailer in theaters with the No Woman No Cry cover playing and this got me thinking, has anyone done for any genre of music what Bob Marley did for Reggae? The popularizing, pioneering, revolutionizing, and that doesn't even get into the influence beyond the centralized music aspects.

Lee Scratch Perry

 

[kihei]

Antonio Carlos Jobim for Bossa Nova.

 

[frisco]

I'd say no one has had an influence and dominated his genre like Marley.

My Best-Carey

 

[cupcrazyman2]

Run DMC

Run DMC for rap & crossing over musical generes.

 

[Primary Assist]

Weird Al for parody music
Mozart for the piano

Two sides of the same coin, really

 

[Hippasus]

I think Aphex Twin had a similar impact for IDM, but the genre is probably more underground and obscure than reggae.

 

[Mikeaveli]

I think Aphex Twin had a similar impact for IDM, but the genre is probably more underground and obscure than reggae.

I was going to mention him. My Bloody Valentine is my other choice.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

The closest I can think of is Nine Inch Nails for Industrial.

Yeah, I know there's a whole genre with even the bands that influenced Trent like Ministry and Kraftwerk, but in terms of the general public and their knowledge/exposure to the genre it mostly begins and ends with Nine Inch Nails. Not only the exposure, they were the one to best marry Industrial with dance music to give it the mass appeal.

 

[gswift]

Tupac did it for hip hop. Rock also became the genre for boys instead of men at the same time, but hip hop absolutely cemented itself after Tupac happened.

I feel that, Tupac may have had an influence on hip hop lifestyle, but not as much, the music. Hip hop was cemented long before Pac. NWA was a bigger influence on hip hop as some of the originators of west coast gangster rap as we know it today.

 

[MVP of West Hollywd]

I think at the end of the day Linkin Park will separate themselves from everyone else in the nu metal or rap rock genres, while artists like Limp Bizkit or Kid Rock are forgotten. The over the top emotional lyrics and heavy metal combo without being tainted by self awareness is perfect for nostalgia as seen by this recent meme.

 

[Xelebes]

Just running through Canadian genres:

Down East - Don Messer
Red River - Andy DeJarlis
Turlutte - Madame Bolduc
Quebecois Boîte À Chanson - Félix Leclerc

 

[J T Money]

Hip hop is a bit unique in how far it’s come in such a short time.

While I agree with posters mentioning Run DMC and NWA having their influence, I can’t help but feel that Eminem had the greatest impact to the genre.

Don’t know if I’d say he’s at a Bob Marley level of influence to a genre, but he’s pretty high up there.

 

[Hippasus]

The closest I can think of is Nine Inch Nails for Industrial.

Yeah, I know there's a whole genre with even the bands that influenced Trent like Ministry and Kraftwerk, but in terms of the general public and their knowledge/exposure to the genre it mostly begins and ends with Nine Inch Nails. Not only the exposure, they were the one to best marry Industrial with dance music to give it the mass appeal.

I'm tempted to argue against Nine Inch Nails for industrial since Ministry and Skinny Puppy (maybe also Cabaret Voltaire) were more original and perhaps at least as good quality. But Nine Inch Nails should probably still be there in this discussion for high-level albums and huge pop culture influence. I can see your point as well.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

I'm tempted to argue against Nine Inch Nails for industrial since Ministry and Skinny Puppy (maybe also Cabaret Voltaire) were more original and perhaps at least as good quality. But Nine Inch Nails should probably still be there in this discussion for high-level albums and huge pop culture influence. I can see your point as well.

Agreed. But no one outside of Industrial fans know who they are

 

[The Waffler]

Kurt Cobain right?

 

[Shareefruck]

How about The Sex Pistols for punk or Brian Eno for ambient? And more obvious ones, The Beatles for pop? Miles Davis for jazz?

I also badly wanted to mention Feli Kuti, because his outside-of-music political stuff is even wilder than Marley's, but like Aphex Twin/MBV, afrobeat's not super popular, so.....

 

[Hippasus]

How about The Sex Pistols for punk or Brian Eno for ambient? And more obvious ones, The Beatles for pop? Miles Davis for jazz?

The Sex Pistols and Brian Eno are only okay choices, I think, because they were one among many in terms of starting and developing their genres.

Ambient was a thing for years with John Cage, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Wendy / Walter Carlos, Kraftwerk, etc. They were around the same time or earlier. I'm not sure why Brian Eno thinks he invented ambient, or even if he does. I think he might have just coined the term around the time his solo career drastically shifted. I think before him that it was just considered electronic music, synthesizer music, keyboard music, or computer music, or something. His music might be the best of the early ambient artists, though, in my opinion.

For the Sex Pistols, there was also The Clash, The Ramones, etc. The Ramones might be a better choice for this thread because pop influence seems to be an important criterion.

 

[Shareefruck]

The Sex Pistols and Brian Eno are only okay choices, I think, because they were one among many in terms of starting and developing their genres.

Ambient was a thing for years with John Cage, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Wendy / Walter Carlos, Kraftwerk, etc. They were around the same time or earlier. I'm not sure why Brian Eno thinks he invented ambient, or even if he does. I think he might have just coined the term around the time his solo career drastically shifted. I think before him that it was just considered electronic music, synthesizer music, keyboard music, or computer music, or something. His music might be the best of the early ambient artists, though, in my opinion.

Can't the same be said for Bob Marley and Reggae though? Or hell, most of the choices brought up? Industrial existed long before Nine Inch Nails (decades before, even), hip-hop existed long before Tupac, etc.

I figured it wasn't really a criteria for the thread. They just brought those genres to the mainstream and played a role in developing it further/in a certain direction. I think the version of Ambient that Eno made did feel like it's own unique thing and seems closer to what we hear today in the mainstream than those other guys (I'd add Neu! to that list, too), so giving him credit for actual influence doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

Point taken for The Sex Pistols, though.

 

[Stylizer1]

Hip hop is a bit unique in how far it’s come in such a short time.

While I agree with posters mentioning Run DMC and NWA having their influence, I can’t help but feel that Eminem had the greatest impact to the genre.

Don’t know if I’d say he’s at a Bob Marley level of influence to a genre, but he’s pretty high up there.

Eminem had the same influence on a new generation that Vanilla ice had.

 

[Stylizer1]

Grand master flash and the furious Five created a whole new category for rap. Before them it was just club music but The Message brought social commentary to it. Schoolly D Also gets the nod for being the pioneer for Gangster Rap.

As for Reggae Marley made it commercially successful. In Rap I would say Run DMC were the first to be globally recognized.