Thematic Completeness in Reggae: Positioning Beres Hammond’s “Putting Up Resistance”

This essay employs a critical cultural analysis to examine Beres Hammond’s Putting Up Resistance as a thematically complete reggae composition. Grounded in Afro-Caribbean philosophy, Black radical thought, and Rastafarian epistemology, the analysis positions the song not merely as entertainment but as a cultural text and sonic archive of resistance. By engaging with Hammond’s lyrics, delivery, and thematic structure, the paper argues that the song exemplifies reggae’s emancipatory ethos through its synthesis of systemic critique, emotional and familial love, and a spirit of resilience. Methodologically, the paper combines lyrical close reading with historical and philosophical contextualisation, drawing on Caribbean and diasporic cultural studies to highlight reggae’s role as both critique and affirmation. Autobiographical reflection is incorporated not as a confession but as a methodological stance consistent with postpositivist traditions, situating the scholar within the interpretive framework of Caribbean intellectual praxis. Ultimately, Putting Up Resistance is presented as more than a song: it is a site of lived cultural production and a testament to reggae’s continuing capacity to articulate hope, resistance, and communal survival in the face of ongoing injustice.Keywords: Reggae music, Cultural resistance, Rastafarian epistemology, Caribbean cultural studies, Afro-Caribbean philosophy