A member of the legendary Morgan Heritage, Mojo, has argued that on the new version of ‘Stir It Up’, Sarkodie honoured the memory of the iconic Bob Marley.
The comment made on 3Music’s Culture Daily show, Wednesday morning, March 8, 2023, flies in the face of that of local pundits who vehemently argued that Sarkodie desecrated the said song and the legacy of Bob Marley.
“What makes it [a genre, in this instance, Reggae] sacred?” Mojo quizzed.
In a series of rhetorical questions, he underscored why artistes cross borders of genre, land and eras to collaborate.
“How do you make what’s old new again?” he first asked.
“How do we introduce [a new generation to an old genre or artiste]?” he went on.
“Like you guys grew up on our [Morgan Heritage] music. How did that happen? Because your parents were listening to it.
“I think [these types of collaborations] makes what’s old new again,” he said.
“But it also makes sure that we as the next generation don’t forget the road that was paved for us.”
He insinuated that the aforementioned commemoration and memorialisation cannot happen if younger generations are not allowed to musically and creatively interact with their predecessors.
Mojo added that younger generations of musicians pay respect to the older by way of collaborations.
“So now [imagine], say Reggae is so sacred [that] it cannot be touched or reimagined the way Sarkodie did on that song…
“It’s just a form of homage and it shouldn’t be looked at as anything else,” he pressed.
He argued that if anyone says differently, they are simply looking to stir trouble for attention.
“Anything beyond that, is just – we’re looking for a headline,” he categorically noted. “I’m sorry.”
Appearing on the interview without Gramps and Peetah, Mojo was proud to admit that the Grammy winner Morgan Heritage is famed not just for Reggae music but cross-genre fusion music.