The Jamaican icon defined and redefined reggae for the world

There are a few artists whose entire body of work could be classified as essential. Bob Marley is one of them. And though The Wailers defined roots reggae in the '60s, this playlist emphasizes their crossover contributions from the '70s, when Marley redrew the genre's boundaries with smooth, distorted guitar lines, jubilant rhythms, and even a few hot disco grooves, as on the irresistibly bouncy "Could You Be Loved." Bob's vocals, meanwhile, remain generous and life-affirming: On the slavery-indicting "Redemption Song," his voice wavers as if carrying the burdens of all who are oppressed.