Rebel Music: The Story of Jamaican Music

Rebel Music: The Story of Jamaican Music is a fascinating new documentary that chronicles the history of Jamaican music from its earliest days to the present. Featuring interviews with some of the biggest names in Jamaican music, the film tells the story of how this unique and vibrant music scene came to be, and how it has influenced the world of music as we know it today.

Roots of Jamaican Music

Reggae, dub, and ska all originated in Jamaica. The island’s music scene was heavily influenced by American R&B and jazz. Jamaican musicians started to experiment with these genres, and they created their own unique sound. The rest is history. Let’s take a look at the roots of Jamaican music.

African influences

The African influences on Jamaican music are many and varied, but there are three principal sources: work songs, folk songs, and spirituals.

The first African slaves were brought to Jamaica by the Spanish in the early 16th century. These slaves were put to work on plantations, where they sang songs to help pass the time and make the work go more smoothly. These songs were mostly work chants, or calls and responses between the labourers and their overseers.

The slaves also brought with them a rich tradition of folk songs from their homeland. These songs were about all aspects of life, from love and marriage to death and funerals. Many of these songs were adapted by the slaves to fit their new circumstances, and many of them survive to this day in various forms.

Finally, the slaves brought with them a tradition of religious spirituals from Africa. These spirituals differed from the Christian hymns sung in church in that they were usually much more lively and often involved dancing as well as singing. They also incorporated elements of African rituals and mythology into their Christian beliefs. Many of these spirituals are still sung today in churches all over Jamaica.

European influences

The English colonizers brought European musical traditions with them when they came to Jamaica, and these had a significant impact on the development of Jamaican music. The most important European musical tradition was the English ballad, which was a narrative song that told a story. This type of song was very popular in England, and it was also sung in Jamaica.

Jamaican musicians began to adapt the ballads to their own purposes, and they also began to write their own songs in this style. Ballads were often about famous events or folk heroes, and they were usually very emotional. Jamaican ballads often had a political message, and they were used to communicate resistance to the colonial authorities.

Another important musical tradition that came from Europe was church music. The English colonizers brought with them the Anglican Church, and its music became an important part of Jamaican culture. Jamaican musicians began to adapt church music to their own purposes, and they created a unique style of religious music that blended African and European influences.

Jamaican musicians also borrowed from other European musical traditions, including classical music and military music. Jamaican classical composers such as Edward Bunting wrote pieces that were influenced by the music of Jamaica, and military bands sometimes played Jamaican tunes.

The Rise of Jamaican Music

Jamaican music has its origins in the African diaspora, which was brought over by slaves who were forced to work on plantations. Reggae, ska, and dub are all genres that have emerged from this experience. Jamaican music has been shaped by the country’s history and has become a symbol of Jamaican culture.

Ska

Ska is a style of Jamaican music that developed in the late 1950s. Ska is characterized by a walking bass line played on the off beat, guitar and piano played on the up beat, and horns playing the melody. Ska was extremely popular in Jamaica in the 1960s, and it subsequently spread to other countries in the region, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Panama. Ska later became popular in Britain, Europe, and North America.

Rocksteady

Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in 1966. The term rocksteady comes from a style of dancing called “the rocksteady”. The music was a slower predecessor to reggae, and many of the bands that created rocksteady specialized in the new style.

The Rolling Stones’ song “Paint It Black” (1966) was one of the first international hits to use the new rocksteady beat. Other artists who recorded early rocksteady hits include The Beatles (“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”, 1968), Alton Ellis (“I’m Still in Love With You”, 1967), Desmond Dekker (“Israelites”, 1968), and Ken Boothe (“Everything I Own”, 1974).

The rocksteady era lasted until around 1968, when the faster, more uptempo style of reggae began to dominate the Jamaican charts. Rocksteady bands continued to play their brand of music, but it was no longer the dominant sound. By the early 1970s, most rocksteady groups had disbanded or migrated to other genres such as soul or disco.

Reggae

The rise of reggae music out of Jamaica in the 1960s and 1970s was a watershed moment not only for the island nation, but for music itself. Reggae would go on to exert a massive influence on popular music around the world for decades to come, with its signature style of laid-back, easygoing rhythms and infectious melodies.

Reggae first gained international attention in the early 1970s with the release of Bob Marley & The Wailers’ album “Catch a Fire.” The album’s blend of reggae, rock, and R&B caught the ear of mainstream audiences, and Marley quickly became an international superstar. He would go on to release a string of classic albums that further cemented his reputation as one of the greatest musicians of all time.

Reggae’s influence can be heard in many different genres of music today, from hip-hop and pop to electronic dance music. Its unique sound and feel has captivated audiences around the world for generations, and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

The Golden Age of Jamaican Music

The 1950s was a golden age for Jamaican music. At this time, a new genre called ska was born. Ska was a mix of American Rhythm and Blues and Jamaican mento and calypso. The first ska song was “I’m in the Mood for Ska” by Lord Flea and the Skatalites.

The birth of dub

The 1970s was the golden age of Jamaican music. It was a time when the island’s sound systems were at their peak, and genres like reggae, dub, and ska were being created and popularized.

One of the most important figures in this era was producer Lee “Scratch” Perry. Perry was a pioneer of dub, a style of music that stripped away the vocal tracks of reggae songs and emphasize the bass and drums. Perry’s dubs were revolutionary, and they had a major influence on subsequent genres like hip-hop and electronic dance music.

Today, dub is still an important part of Jamaican music, and its influence can be heard all over the world. If you’re a fan of reggae or Jamaican music in general, then you owe it to yourself to check out some of Lee “Scratch” Perry’s classic dub tracks.

The international success of Jamaican music

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, ska was the dominant genre of Jamaican popular music. It originated as a slower offshoot of mento, a style that blends African elements with those of Spanish and British folk music; like mento, ska is often played by acoustic guitar and percussion ensembles. The distinctive ska sound is created by the guitars, which play choppy rhythms known as “chop-chop” or “skank,”while the bass provides a steady, thumping pulse. The horns (usually saxophones and trumpets) play short, sharp melodies known as “riffs” or “licks.”

Ska enjoyed its first wave of international popularity in the early 1960s, when it was embraced by British mod bands such as the Specials and Madness. In the 1970s, ska was revitalized by punk rockers in England and America who were looking for something to rebel against. These so-called “two-tone” bands blended ska with punk’s energy and attitude to create a new style known as “punk-ska” or simply “2 Tone.”

The 1980s saw the rise of “dancehall” music, a more electronic form of reggae that was often criticized for its violent and sexual lyrics. However, dancehall also spawned a new generation of socially conscious artists like Freddie McGregor and Ziggy Marley who used their music to promote peace, love, and unity.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Jamaican music continued to evolve as artists experiment with different sounds and styles. Today, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, dancehall, 2 Tone – all these genres and more – are enjoyed by fans all over the world.

The Modern Age of Jamaican Music

The modern age of Jamaican music began in the late 1960s, with the rise of ska and rocksteady. These genres were a fusion of Jamaican mento and American R&B, and they quickly gained popularity in Jamaica. Ska and rocksteady laid the groundwork for reggae, which would become the most iconic Jamaican music genre.

The rise of dancehall

In the 1970s, a new style of Jamaican music began to emerge. Called “dancehall,” it was a more raw and aggressive form of reggae that was often associated with violence and gang culture. But dancehall also had a profound effect on fashion, language, and pop culture both in Jamaica and abroad.

One of the most significant figures in the rise of dancehall was a DJ named Yellowman. Yellowman’s freestyle style of rhyming, coupled with his risqué lyrics, made him one of the most popular DJs in Jamaica. His popularity soon led to a record deal, and he released his debut album in 1982.

Other popular dancehall artists from this era include Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, Ninjaman, Bounty Killer, and Beenie Man. In the 1990s, these artists began to cross over into the mainstream American market with hits like “Mr. Loverman” and “Who Am I (Sim Simma)”.

Dancehall has continued to evolve in the 21st century with artists like Vybz Kartel, Popcaan, and Rihanna all incorporating elements of the genre into their music. And while it may be considered controversial by some, there’s no denying that dancehall is one of the most influential musical genres to come out of Jamaica.

The influence of Jamaican music today

Jamaican music has had a profound influence on the world over the past few decades. From the early influence of ska and rocksteady, to the rise of reggae and dub, Jamaican music has constantly been at the forefront of international trends. Today, Jamaican music is more popular than ever, with artists like Bob Marley, Beenie Man, and Sean Paul commanding huge global audiences. The island’s vibrant music scene shows no signs of slowing down, and Jamaican music continues to have a huge impact on the world.