When troubled people from around the world saw how Marley had surpassed all expectations, it gave them inspiration that they could do the same. "Despite the poverty, despair and various unsavory activities that sustained some ghetto dwellers, Trench Town was also a culturally rich community" (Salewicz 21). Trenchtown was so unique from the rest of the country that it had a culture of its own. A music genre called ska was very popular throughout Trenchtown and Jamaica. It was a prerequisite to the reggae genre that would soon encapsulate the whole island and eventually the world. "He listened to the radio and heard Fats Domino, Louis Jordan, Larry Williams and Huey Piano Smith, among others" (Richmond). Many popular artists that were common in Trenchtown helped to develop Marley's love for music. Trenchtown may not have been the safest place or the greatest area to grow up in, but it did help to forge who Marley became. His words became a comforting canticle for troubled people all over the world. All in all, the tough but culturally rich streets of Trenchtown strongly influenced Bob Marley and made him into the man that the whole world admired.
Another important influence on Bob Marley's life was his religion and spirituality. Trenchtown was a very unique area despite the quality of life. One movement that took root in Jamaica when Marley was younger was Rastafari. Many poor black people throughout Jamaica adopted the religion, and Bob Marley was one of them. "It was in the mid-sixties that Marley embraced the Rastafarian religion"(Richmond). At the time, Rastafari was not very well known or accepted in the world. Bob Marley incorporated his beliefs into his music and reggae became more of a Rasta gospel type of music. As the religion began to spread throughout Jamaica, so did his music. Rastafari's all over the world began to listen to his music. Eventually, Marley's success became so worldwide that Rastafarian was becoming more accepted.