Artwork Name: "Music Kings" Original - Bob Marley and Michael Jackson
Edition: Original
Medium: Acrylic on Gallery Stretched Archival and Acid-free Canvas
Technique: Palette Knife, on acrylic archival paper
Size: 48x72 inch
Created: 2025
In 1975, at Jamaica’s National Stadium, a young Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 opened for Bob Marley and the Wailers — two future icons unknowingly crossing paths on the same stage. One was ascending toward pop royalty, the other already igniting a global revolution of consciousness through reggae.
This painting captures a rare, intimate moment from that encounter — Michael and Bob, seated in a tree at Marley’s Jamaican home. No lights, no stage, no spectacle. Just two young men, breathing the same island air, unaware of how deep their impact would one day be.
For me, this piece is more than just a historical snapshot — it’s a bridge between musical kingdoms. A reverent nod to the roots of my own journey as a painter. Bob Marley was my first muse, the doorway through which I found my voice as an artist. And over the years, that connection has taken form in countless ways — from permanent installations at the Bob Marley Museum, to global tours, and most recently, creating the official promotional painting for Bob Marley: One Love with Paramount.
But with this work, I moved differently. I let go of the chase for perfection and instead leaned into freedom — choosing essence over exactness, energy over detail. It’s a visual shift in my practice, marking a personal evolution as much as it honors theirs.
This piece stands as a celebration of Black genius, of cultural revolution, and of the quiet moments in history that echo louder with time. It reminds us that even legends were once just men — dreaming, building, becoming.