The Evolution of Urban Music: Reggae

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term reggae is derived from the word raggedy, which refers to the tattered clothing worn by poor Jamaicans. Reggae is typically played at a slow tempo and is characterized by its offbeat rhythms.

Origins of Reggae

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term reggae was first used to refer to a style of Jamaican popular music that developed from ska and rocksteady. Reggae is characterised by a four-on-the-floor drum beat, offbeat rhythms on the hi-hat, and a guitar style that is distinctly different from the style used in other genres such as rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and jazz.

Ska

Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the early 1960s. It is a precursor to rocksteady and reggae and is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat. Ska developed from earlier Jamaican mento and calypso music, as well as American jazz and rhythm and blues.

Rocksteady

Rocksteady is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in 1966. It is a slower form of ska, with a 4/4 time signature and prominent bass. The predominant instrument is the electric bass, often playing on the off beat.

Rocksteady was the transition between ska and reggae. The word rocksteady comes from a slang term used to describe the sound of rocks being grinding together while Ska was played. Many believe rocksteady was named after the 1967 song by Alton Ellis, “Rock Steady”.

Other important artists during the rocksteady era include Ken Boothe, Delroy Wilson, Errol Dunkley, John Holt, The Paragons, The Techniques, Alton Ellis & Hortense Ellis.

The Spread of Reggae

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term reggae refers to the rhythm of the music, which is characterized by a strong backbeat. Reggae is often associated with the Rastafari movement, which is a social and religious movement that developed in Jamaica in the 1930s. Reggae became popular in the 1970s and 1980s, and it is still popular today.

Jamaica

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, “Do the Reggae”, was the first popular song to use the word “reggae,” effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. While sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to all types of popular Jamaican dance music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.

United Kingdom

Reggae’s popularity increased in the United Kingdom during the late 1960s and early 1970s, with bands like Desmond Dekker and the Aces, Bob and Marcia, and Matumbi scoring hits. Reggae’s growth was given a boost by the inflow of Jamaican immigrants following the restrictions placed on Caribbean immigrants in Britain at the end of World War II. In 1967, Dandy Livingstone’s “Rudy, A Message to You” and Toots & the Maytals’ “Do the Reggay” were popular in England. The first reggae single released in Britain was Prince Buster’s 1964 Ska classic “One Step Beyond”.

In 1968, Dekker reached number one in Britain with “Israelites”, while Jerry Dammers’ The Specials (later known as The Special AKA) had a string of successful singles starting with 1979’s “Gangsters”, which helped bring ska back to popularity in Britain. More important for reggae’s subsequent development, though, was its cross-pollination with other genres of music.

United States

Reggae’s popularity first began to take hold in the United States in the early 1970s, thanks in part to the work of American-born record producer Lee “Scratch” Perry. Perry had helped to pioneer the use of studio techniques like echo and delay on Jamaican recordings, which gave them a larger, more atmospheric sound that was perfect for American radio. He also added elements of American R&B to his productions, which made them even more appealing to American audiences.

The first major reggae hit in the United States was Johnny Nash’s 1972 single “I Can See Clearly Now,” which went to #1 on the Billboard pop charts. Nash was followed by other reggae artists like Eric Clapton, who had a huge hit with his cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” in 1974, and Peter Tosh, who scored a Top 40 hit with his 1977 single “Get Up, Stand Up.”

As reggae continued to grow in popularity in the United States, it began to influence other genres of music as well. Hip-hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa and Public Enemy incorporated reggae samples into their songs, while rock bands like The Police and U2 began incorporating reggae rhythms into their own music. Reggae even had an impact on fashion, as the distinctive style of dress worn by Rastafarians (large dreadlocks, brightly colored clothing) became adopted by many young people in the United States and other countries as well.

Contemporary Reggae

Reggae music has come a long way since its inception in the late 1960s. The genre has evolved and blended with other genres to create a new sound that is distinctly its own. Contemporary reggae artists are taking the sound in new and exciting directions.

Dancehall

Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably, with digital dancehall becoming increasingly characterized by faster rhythms. Dancehall music saw mainstream success in Jamaica throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, with singers such as Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs and Bob Marley’s son Ziggy Marley having international hits. By the early 21st century, dancehall had begun to fuse with other genres such as hip hop and R&B, resulting in new subgenres such as rapso and fusion.

Dub

Dub is a style of music that emerged in the 1970s from reggae music. Dub uses elements of reggae, but is characterized by its own unique sound, which includes heavy use of echo and reverb, as well as other sound effects. Dub is often considered to be a subgenre of reggae, but it has also influenced other genres of music, including hip hop, electronic dance music, and even rock.