Every other aspect of their lives, in which I will discuss, stems back to this key idea. Despite the fact that there was a great variation in the way culture influenced Marley and Rodriquez in a systematic approach, they shared a great set of similarities in using culture as "a set of tools for social change " (Sewell 2005). In a sense, culture does not just establish differences in how we interpret the world and give it meaning, but rather influences what kinds of strategies and actions are practically available to us. Marley who was surrounded by Jamaica and deeply rooted into Rastafarianism, and Rodriquez who was rooted into the streets of Detroit as an atheist had completely different political, economic, and social meanings, but brought about great social change in different parts of the world through their culture or "tool kit ". Both artists were able to defy a traditional-socialist view shared by many individuals, such as Karl Marx in the mid-19th century. This "view " discusses how people have a very small capacity to make decisions, and how society as a whole greatly determines our destination in life. .
Bob Marley and Sixto Rodriquez, who grew up in poverty and had very little resources, were able to defy the odds and use the social context they grew up in as a weapon, supporting Margaret Thatcher's view of individual free will and capacity in relation to agency and society. .
Rodriquez on the other hand incorporated local issues in Detroit, such as decay, poverty, and globalized it to other countries such as South Africa, which had outlined a bigger theme in his songs " anti-establishment. It is not that Rodriquez's messages are not meaningful or prominent, they are, and some might argue that they are more "creative " than Bob Marley's, however the songs were not as applicable towards a broader audience. Another aspect that is critical when looking at culture in relation to these to artists is the counterculture these singers created.