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Reggae

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Reggae is a music genre developed in Jamaica. Reggae may be used in a broad sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, including ska, rocksteady and dub.The term is generally used to distinguish a particular style that originated in the late 1960s. The two sub-genres of reggae are roots reggae (the original reggae) and dancehall reggae which originates in the late 70s. Reggae is founded upon a rhythm style which is characterized by regular chops on the back beat, known as the "skank", played by a rhythm guitarist, and a bass drum hitting on the third beat of each measure, known as "one drop." Characteristically, this beat is slower than in reggae's precursors, ska and rocksteady. Reggae is often associated with the Rastafari movement, which influenced many prominent reggae musicians in the 1970s and 1980s. However, the subject matter of reggae songs deals with many subjects other than Rastafari, with love songs, sexual themes and broad social commentary being particularly well represented.

Contents

Origins

See also Music of Jamaica
Its origins can be found in traditional African Caribbean music as well as US R&B. Ska and rocksteady are 1960s precursors of reggae. In 1963, Jackie Mittoo, pianist with the ska band The Skatalites was asked to run sessions and compose original music by record producer Coxsone Dodd at his Studio One record studio. Mittoo, with the help of drummer Lloyd Knibbs, turned the traditional ska beat into reggae, slowing the rhythm down in the process. Bob Marley, who popularized reggae worldwide, also recorded rocksteady records early in his career. By the late 1960s reggae was already getting radio play in the UK on John Peel's radio show.

It is thought that the word "Reggae" was first used by the Ska group Toots and the Maytals, who coined the phrase in the title of their hit Do the Reggay in 1968. Other stories claim that the term came from the word "streggae", a slang jamaican term for a prostitute, or that it originated from the term Regga which was a bantu speaking tribe from lake tanganyika.

Styles

In Jamaica however, new styles are nowadays becoming more popular, among them, dancehall and ragga (also known as raggamuffin). Mixing techniques employed in dub, an instrumental sub-style of reggae, influenced hip hop, drum and bass and other styles. The toasting or dee jaying first used by artists such as U-Roy and Dillinger had a world-wide impact because Jamaican DJ Kool Herc used them as he pioneered a new style that subsequently became hip hop or rap music. In the Jamaican sense of the word, a "DJ" is an "MC" or rapper, whereas the term "DJ" describes the music selector in the U.S.. Therefore what is called dee jaying, toasting or chatting in Jamaica is called rapping in most other parts of the world. In Jamaica the term Dee - Jay or the Dj is called the selector.

Roots

Music of Jamaica
Kumina Nyabinghi
Mento Ska
Rocksteady Reggae
Sound systems Lovers rock
Dub Dancehall
Dub poetry Toasting
Raggamuffin Roots reggae
US UK
Timeline and Samples
Anglophone Caribbean music
Anguilla - Antigua and Barbuda - Bahamas - Barbados - Bermuda - Caymans - Grenada - Jamaica - Montserrat - St. Kitts and Nevis - St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Trinidad and Tobago - Turks and Caicos - Virgin Islands
Other Caribbean
Aruba and the Dutch Antilles - Cuba - Dominica - Dominican Republic - Haiti - Martinique and Guadeloupe - Puerto Rico - St. Lucia

Roots is the name given to specifically Rastafarian reggae music. It is a spiritual type of music, whose lyrics are predominantly in praise of Jah (God).

Recurrent lyrical themes include poverty and resistance to government oppression. The creative pinnacle of roots reggae is arguably in the late 1970s, with singers such as Johnny Clarke, Horace Andy, Barrington Levy, and Lincoln Thompson teaming up with studio producers including Lee 'Scratch' Perry, King Tubby, and Coxsone Dodd. The experimental pioneering of such producers within often restricted technological parameters gave birth to dub music, and is seen by some music historians as one of the earliest (albeit analogue) contributions to the development of techno.

Roots reggae was an important part of Jamaican culture, and whilst other forms of reggae have replaced it in terms of popularity in Jamaica (Dancehall for instance), roots reggae has found a small, but growing, niche globally.

Social issues

One of the main themes of reggae music has been social liberation. This has both political and religious aspects.

Political awakening

The music attempts to raise the political consciousness of the audience:
The American dream
Is not what it seem.
Why do you slumber? (Jimmy Cliff, "American Dream" 1983)

Alternatives to orthodox religious dogma

It also militates for freedom from religious delusion:
Most people think
Great God will come from the sky
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high
But if you know what life is worth
You would look for yours on earth
And now you see the light
So stand up for your right. (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, "Get Up, Stand Up")

Freedom of religious expression

Repression of many kinds, and especially repression linked with the prohibition of ganja (marijuana), which is considered a sacrament by Rastafarians, is another recurring theme in the music.

Controversy

Quite a few of the most common themes found in reggae music have been viewed as controversial by many members of the public at various times. The most controversial of these themes have traditionally been the promotion of cannabis usage and the promotion of homophobic views. Other views prevalent in reggae music which have been the source of controversy at various times include black/african militancy, misogyny, criticism of colonialisation, anti-poverty, criticism of political systems, criticism of racism and criticism of the colonial education system. Some of these themes, like marijuana usage, have been prevalent in reggae music throughout the recorded and un-recorded history of the music, whilst others, such as homophobia, are a more recent phenomenon relative to the history of reggae.

Cannabis

Bob Marley is a prominent marijuana icon
Enlarge
Bob Marley is a prominent marijuana icon
The promotion of the use of cannabis through both lyrics, images and lifestyle has been a staple of reggae since its inception. The prominence of marijuana usage in reggae primarily stems from reggae music's origin as music derived from the musical tradition of the rastafarian religion, a religion within which marijuana usage is considered a sacrament. The controversy surrounding marijuana in Reggae has increased in proportion to the increased unacceptibility of marijuana in general society. For example Bob Marley's famous Catch a Fire album cover showing him smoking a spliff was controversial at the time the album was first issued primarily for its novelty. That the album cover was issued at all indicates some difference in society's views at the time, and such an album cover would never be issued by a major record label today. Peter Tosh was also renowned for his promotion of cannabis usage and lobbied for the decriminalization of marijuana. His most famous song is titled "Legalize It". Tosh was imprisoned multiple times in Jamaica for marijuana possession (Jamaica, incidentally, has some of the harshest anti-marijuana laws in the world) and often performed with a spliff in hand.

Homophobia

Dancehall has come under increased criticism from both Jamaican and international organizations for homophobic themes and lyrics. Many believe dancehall music has prompted or incited instances of gay bashing.

Anti-homosexual or homophobic themes have been associated with dancehall music throughout its history. To some degree, these themes stem from the anti-homosexual, though not necessarily violent, sentiment towards homosexuality of Jamaicans in general, as well as traditional Christian or Biblical views towards homosexuality. Homosexuality is technically illegal in Jamaica (see LGBT rights in Jamaica) as well as in most former British colonies in the Caribbean.

Homophobic lyrics have been described by J-FLAG, a Jamaican gay rights organization, as one aspect of "widespread cultural bias against homosexuals and bisexuals." Many of the affected artists hold the opinion that such legal or commercial sanctions are essentially an attack against the artists' freedom of speech.

The increased criticism of dancehall music by international organizations is often attributed to the increased international exposure of the music; see Sean Paul especially with regards to international media and the Internet. Dancehall has always included themes not only of homophobia, but of violence, sexism, and misogyny as well, which have come under their share of criticism, as in this Village Voice review: "Whether the homophobia and misogyny (that also blight almost all current reggae) are carryovers from tight-assed, purse-mouthed, colonial-era Brit sexual fear or personal limitation, the result was lyrical statements too stupid to be spoken."

Reggae music festivals

Jamaican reggae music festivals

International reggae music festivals

Music samples

Music Samples
[Buffalo Soldier - Bob Marley]

See also

Further Reading

External links

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[[:Spoken articles|More spoken articles]]

Reggae | Reggae genres
Mento - Rocksteady - Ska
Dub - Dub poetry - Dee jaying or Toasting - Dancehall - Ragga or Raggamuffin - Reggaeton - Roots reggae - Two Tone
Other topics
Haile Selassie - Jamaica - Marcus Garvey - Rastafari movement - Skinheads

 

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