Ziggy Marley, "Dad taught us discipline, ruggedness and survivability"

For Father's Day, Ziggy Marley opened up and reflects on how aggressive and stern a disciplinarian his father Bob Marley was.


The 43-year-old has opened up about life with his father in an interview with US website The Daily Beast.


"You’d get a spanking or a good whipping with the belt if you didn’t listen carefully", said Ziggy.

“I used to jump my fence and go check my friends across the street.

“I remember one time he told me: ‘Don’t leave the yard’. As soon as he drove out, I left the yard and went over to my friend’s. On his way back down, he saw me in one of the yards.

“He caught me and gave me a nice belt beating.

“It’s nothing to cry about, either. That’s how we do it in Jamaica. It’s no big deal.

“He taught us discipline, ruggedness and survivability. We have that make-up.'

"I remember me and him boxing, and he hit very hard when he boxed. He just loved sports. So one day, me and him went a round. There was no ring, it was outside on the concrete at Hope Road, Bob’s headquarters. He was just boxing with his friends and everybody was there. I don’t remember how I ended up having gloves on my hands. He gave me a few body blows. For me, it was bad, but I’m sure it could have been harder. It didn’t knock me down, but you feel it, and you get more scared at that point because you know you’ll get more. I didn’t get any hits on Bob because he was fast. He was known for speed and footwork.  Of course, he won. He didn’t cut you no slack. No headgear, just gloves. He toughened us up, you know? He always wanted us to be tough, so he gave us that tough treatment.