The Caribbean Heritage Organization is pleased to announce that Life Yard of Kingston, Jamaica and Grammy Award-winning Rapper, Pras, are the recipients of the inaugural Caribbean Heritage Robert Nesta Marley Humanitarian Award.
Life Yard, a collective based on Fleet Street in Parade Gardens, Kingston, Jamaica has transformed a strip of land into a small oasis, consisting of sustainable farming and community development. The community is accessible all day and serves as a peaceful place for all ages, specifically children. It ensures that the young are provided with positive opportunities to experience their culture through academics, art and activities. It also operates an affordable restaurant, serving healthy farm to table meals. Life Yard is an intergenerational multicultural eco-village, created by a group of innovative men, which includes its Executive Director, Shane Morgan and Director Secretary, Romaine “Sabukie” Allen.
Pras is a Grammy Award-winning rapper, filmmaker and activist, who rose to international super-stardom as a member of the multi-platinum group “The Fugees.” As a solo artist, he is most known for writing and producing the Grammy-nominated, worldwide top ten hit “Ghetto Supastar” feat. Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Mya. The hit single was included in the soundtrack for the film “Bulworth”.
From his start as a member of the Fugees, infusing hip-hop with social consciousness, to his efforts as a filmmaker documenting grass roots elections in Haiti, Pras has made it his mission to produce art that fights against injustice and sheds light on the important issues of our time. The success Pras created when he founded the Fugees opened the door for him to pursue impactful political activism. While he does not seek the spotlight, nobody should underestimate the passion and vision of the man who makes it his ongoing mission to live a purpose-driven life that uplifts, entertains, and transforms the world around him.
The committee and the Bob Marley family agreed that both Life Yard and Pras truly represent the self-less, uncompromised spirit of giving and serving the “down-trodden” that was Bob Marley. This inaugural selection certainly will set the bar for future honorees.
The awards will be handed out at the official Los Angeles Caribbean-American Heritage Month gala, the Salute to Hollywood & Excellence Awards dinner scheduled for Saturday, June 17, 2017 at the Hilton at Universal Studios in Hollywood, California.
About Bob Marley:
Bob Marley, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, is notable not only as the man who put reggae on the global map, but, as a statesman in his native Jamaica, he famously brought together the country’s warring factions – symbolized by rival politicians Michael Manley and Edward Siega joining hands on-stage — during his legendary “One Love Peace Concert” in Kingston, which took place on April 22, 1978, less than six weeks before this Music Hall performance in Boston. It was five years since Marley and the band arrived from Jamaica, with the 1977 release of EXODUS, recorded in London just after an assassination attempt on his life, turned into not just a socio-political statement, but one which included such hits as the title track, “Waiting In Vain” and “One Love,” paving the way for their next release Kaya and a world tour in ’78. Together with his music’s theme of liberation, Marley’s own rags-to-riches story brought inspiration to subjugated people around the world, where he was revered as a larger-than-life leader.
Today, Bob Marley remains one of the 20th century’s most important and influential entertainment icons. Marley’s lifestyle and music continue to inspire new generations as his legacy lives on through his music. In the digital era, he has the second-highest social media following of any posthumous celebrity, with the official Bob Marley Facebook page drawing more than 74 million fans, ranking it among the Top 20 of all Facebook pages and Top 10 among celebrity pages. Marley’s music catalog has sold millions of albums worldwide.
Thirty years after its original release, Bob Marley & The Wailers’, LEGEND, shared the top of the charts, holding the No. 5 spot on Billboard’s 200 Album Chart among Maroon 5 (#1), Jeezy (#2), Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack (#3), and Ariana Grande (#4). LEGEND also holds the distinction of being the longest-charting album in the history of Billboard magazine’s Catalog Albums chart and remains the world’s best-selling reggae album. Marley’s accolades include inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1994) and ASCAP Songwriters Hall of Fame (2010), a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award (2001), multiple entries in the GRAMMY® Hall Of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2001). For more information visit: bobmarley.com and facebook.com/bobmarley.
About the Caribbean Heritage Organization
The Caribbean Heritage Organization (CHO) was formed in January 2007 to celebrate the rich and diverse contributions of Caribbean people, Caribbean-Americans and friends of the Caribbean to international society through conservation and education of Caribbean arts and culture. CHO also produces the annual CaribbeanLens International Film & Art Festival “Where Hollywood Celebrates the Caribbean™.” CHO is a 501 (c) (3) entity.
Photo, left, Life Yard. Credit: Facebook @lifeteam360
Photo, right, Pras. Credit: Instagram @prasmichel
