Ky-Mani Marley, son of late legend Bob Marley, has just penned a new memoir titled 'Dear Dad: Where's the Family In Our Family, Today?', in which the Grammy-nominated reggae star delves into his childhood, and details the hardships he faced growing up as an outcast, impoverished member of the Marley clan. Today, though, comes news that Ky-Mani is outraged at what the finished product looks like, and is threatening to sue his publisher over it. According to the artist, unauthorized captions and changes to the cover and title have distorted the central message of the work. In a statement, Ky-Mani says he did not expect publisher Farrah Gray to "be unprofessional and malicious in twisting my words or using things that were discussed in confidence to create controversy in an attempt to sell a book." According to him, the original title read: 'Dear Dad: The Marley Son Who Persevered From the Streets to Prominence.' On the finished version, a teaser has been added to the bottom of the cover, saying, 'The Story The Marley Family Apparently Doesn't Want You To Know.'
In a strange twist, Gray has come out not only defending himself and the veracity of the memoir, but is now saying that he may file his own lawsuit against the Marley family. Gray alleges that other members of the Marley estate intimidated Ky-Mani after finding out about some of the contents in the book, and threatened to cut him off financially because of it. According to PopMatters, Gray said he'll consider pursuing a civil action 'tortious interference' lawsuit against the Marleys. If convicted, the Marleys would be liable for damages caused by their intimidating threats to Ky-Mani.
The book, released on February 6, deals with several touchy issues, including the accusation that Rita Marley looked down upon Ky-Mani (who was from another mother), and that Rita cut him off financially. Rita herself could not be reached for comment. Bob's daughter Cedella, CEO of Tuff Gong International, has likewise declined to comment on the controversy.
