Rohan Marley carries Bob Marley's legacy with pride: “It’s never a burden… It’s a way of life”

On the most recent episode of “Drink Champs,” N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN were joined by entrepreneur and athlete Rohan Marley, son of the late Bob Marley.

Rohan has lived nine lives in one. His early days in Kingston, Jamaica were character-developing years where he was able to learn from his father’s ways of the Rastafari. Eager to make something of himself, he earned a football scholarship at the University of Miami where he once led the team in tackles, alongside several future NFL hall of famers. Rohan eventually went pro in the Canadian Football League, but changed his path to pursue soccer and made the premier league squad in Jamaica.

Once again pivoting, Rohan decided to hang up his cleats and start his latest journey as a businessman. His entrepreneurial resume includes the brand Tuff Gong Clothing, Marley Coffee, RoMarley Beach House, and now a cannabis company, Lion Order. Surprisingly, he never followed in his father’s footsteps of becoming a full-time musician; however, he did go on to have five children with Lauryn Hill, and their son YG Marley just earned his spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. So, the legacy lives on.

Below are nine major takeaways from the interview. Rohan Marley discusses his father’s legacy and talks about the journey to establishing his own. Plus, watch the full episode here.

Rohan expressed how he and his siblings viewed the late Bob Marley as they were growing up. “The stories you hear about him is like he's doing magical things,” he started. “We see our father as a superhero.” Going into some associative memories, he continued, “Just the way he smelled, the things he ate. When you're young, you don't want none of that s**t. Beet roots, Irish moss, a lot of idle food, no taste, weed dumplings.”

DJ EFN asked Rohan if he ever felt like it was a burden to carry his dad’s legacy, to which he responded, “It’s never a burden. It’s a lesson and it’s a way of life. And it’s a way we choose to live and want to live because we feel good about it. It’s a goodness. And it’s like the way of the lion.” He added that his father was “a man that believed in greater existence, believed that we all can unite… He really was a man that connected the further self and the holy one.”

The biopic Bob Marley: One Love was released on Valentine’s Day this year. Rohan expressed his satisfaction with the film (calling it “family certified”) and saluted his older brother Ziggy Marley for stringing it altogether: “Ziggy did all of the research, found the right people, the cast and all the things that he needed for the film, got the money he needed to make the film happen. He did that.” Rohan further revealed that the production had been in the works for five years and commended the bond that was built with the movie’s staff throughout that time. “Most importantly the relationship that we have with not only the cast members but the main actor, the actress, the producers and some of the directors, it was just very much an intimate film,” he said.

Rohan and fabled football defender Warren Sapp have maintained a tight relationship since their college days. Rohan spoke candidly about his longtime friend in an attempt to spotlight the beauty behind the beast. “[He’s] super intelligent as well as a dominant athlete,” Rohan said, thinking back to the day where he caught Sapp watching “Jeopardy!” and answering all the questions in their old dorm room. He humanized the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year even more when he added, “He's like one of them type of guys where he's strictly law-abiding. He's proper. You can't be walking in the bike lane; he's gonna let you know.”

From balling out in football at Palmetto High school in Florida, Rohan earned a scholarship to the University of Miami where he lined up with legends: “I was a linebacker, and Ray Lewis was my middle linebacker and Warren Sapp was my D-line.” Speaking to their dominance, he said, “I think we lost three games my entire college career.” Rohan played in the CFL but said that he didn’t make it to the NFL because his stubbornness with taking direction made people view him as “uncoachable.”

Though his career didn’t pan out as intended, Rohan is at peace knowing that his son Nico carried the torch properly. “He actually played a whole preseason for the Redskins. At Tulane [University], he's like the [leading] tackler, top 20 in their history, No. 1 in tackles for loss. He became a great linebacker, so he superseded what I wanted to do.”

Rohan has traveled the world, but when visiting Barbados for a FinTech conference, he was able to realize how Rihanna shifted the culture in the Caribbean island with her success over the last few decades. “She wasn't there, but you felt her presence,” he said. “I was into the Rihanna vibe because she put the place… from a tourism perspective, people want to visit because they want to see where she lives. Because it's very nice and the people love her so much.”

Rohan Marley and Lauryn Hill’s son, YG Marley, released his first song “Praise Jah in the Moonlight” late last year. With the record, which samples his grandfather’s track “Crisis,” YG earned his first Hot 100 entry. When N.O.R.E. asked how Rohan felt about that success, he said, “YG is special, you know.” Rohan continued to salute Ms. Hill for helping their son find his early footing in the music industry. “Now it’s so beautiful to see her create her art and teach Joshua the way. And bring Joshua on stage to open for the Fugees reunion to give him a way and give him a spotlight. And guide him, help him orchestrate his music. She’s a G,” he insisted.

Rohan and Ms. Hill have five children together. He spoke highly about the mother of his kids at various points of the interview. When speaking about her stint of being an active artist and the impact that she had, he affirmed, “I remember when Chuck D said Lauryn was like the female Bob Marley. He’s right about that. He’s truly right because she’s really that person.” He saluted her ability to stand on principles when the industry tried to control her. “They tried to destroy Ms. Hill’s work and legacy because she didn’t want to do another Miseducation the way that they wanted her to do it. She wanted to make music as her evolution. But she ain’t gonna bow to that, so she’s a real queen in that industry.” He went on, “She’s a woman, and she stands up for her rights as a woman in the industry, and she don’t let nobody take advantage of her. Her word is bond, and she says what she believes in.”

After college, Rohan Marley went on to be a roadie with his brothers. Soon after, he decided to shoot his shot at playing on Jamaica's national soccer team. He unfortunately tore his hamstring, which prompted a move to Los Angeles in hopes to try out for the LA Galaxy. There, his brother Ziggy hit him with an ultimatum: “He says, ‘Let me ask you something. What do you wanna do? Business or football?’” Rohan’s thought process was sped up when he realized how unwilling he was to come off the bench. “I had to choose business and that’s when I became an entrepreneur… Everything Marley family, I’m kind of like, one of the guys in regard to the business side. Not so much music, but all of the extended products,” he explained.

One could imagine the number of celebrities Rohan has been around and witnessed during his life. But two stuck out when he was posed with the question of who made him feel entranced. “I remember watching the news at my grandma’s house in Miami. I just came here, it was like 1986… I remember watching him on the news and he bust out that Moonwalk. And I remember my skin, the goosebumps. I was like, ‘Wow.’ So that,” he said of Michael Jackson. Additionally, Rohan told a story about his love for Michael Jordan and his experience of being awed by sitting next to the six-time NBA champion, alongside Lauryn Hill, at an NAACP Awards ceremony back in the day. “Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, I would say outside of my family, are like two of my heroes, heroes, heroes,” he revealed.

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