Reggae (/ˈrɛɡeɪ/) 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 Reggay" 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 most types of
popular Jamaican dance music, the term reggae more properly denotes a
particular music style that was strongly influenced by traditional
mento as well as American jazz and rhythm and blues, especially the
New Orleans R&B practiced by Fats Domino and Allen Toussaint, and
evolved out of the earlier genres ska and rocksteady. Reggae usually
relates news, social gossip, and political commentary. Reggae spread
into a commercialized jazz field, being known first as "rudie blues",
then "ska", later "blue beat", and "rock steady". It is instantly
recognizable from the counterpoint between the bass and drum downbeat
and the offbeat rhythm section. The immediate origins of reggae were
in ska and rocksteady; from the latter, reggae took over the use of
the bass as a percussion instrument.Reggae is deeply linked to
Rastafari, an Afrocentric religion which developed in Jamaica in the
1930s, aiming at promoting Pan Africanism. Soon after the Rastafarian
movement appeared, the international popularity of reggae music became
associated with and increased the visibility of Rastafarianism
spreading the Rastafari gospel throughout the world. Reggae music is
an important means of transporting vital messages of Rastafarianism.
The musician becomes the messenger, and as Rastafarians see it, "the
soldier and the musician are tools for change."Stylistically, reggae
incorporates some of the musical elements of rhythm and blues, jazz,
mento (a celebratory, rural folk form that served its largely rural
audience as dance music and an alternative to the hymns and adapted
chanteys of local church singing), calypso, and also draws influence
from traditional African folk rhythms. One of the most easily
recognizable elements is offbeat rhythms; staccato chords played by a
guitar or piano (or both) on the offbeats of the measure. The tempo of
reggae is usually slower paced than both ska and rocksteady. The
concept of call and response can be found throughout reggae music. The
genre of reggae music is led by the drum and bass. Some key players in
this sound are Jackie Jackson from Toots and the Maytals, Carlton
Barrett from Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lloyd Brevett from The
Skatalites, Paul Douglas from Toots and the Maytals, Lloyd Knibb from
The Skatalites, Winston Grennan, Sly Dunbar, and Anthony "Benbow"
Creary from The Upsetters. The bass guitar often plays the dominant
role in reggae. The bass sound in reggae is thick and heavy, and
equalized so the upper frequencies are removed and the lower
frequencies emphasized. The guitar in reggae usually plays on the
offbeat of the rhythm. It is common for reggae to be sung in Jamaican
Patois, Jamaican English, and Iyaric dialects. Reggae is noted for its
tradition of social criticism and religion in its lyrics, although
many reggae songs discuss lighter, more personal subjects, such as
love and socializing.Reggae has spread to many countries across the
world, often incorporating local instruments and fusing with other
genres. Reggae en Español spread from the Spanish-speaking Central
American country of Panama to the mainland South American countries of
Venezuela and Guyana then to the rest of South America. Caribbean
music in the United Kingdom, including reggae, has been popular since
the late 1960s, and has evolved into several subgenres and fusions.
Many reggae artists began their careers in the UK, and there have been
a number of European artists and bands drawing their inspiration
directly from Jamaica and the Caribbean community in Europe. Reggae in
Africa was boosted by the visit of Bob Marley to Zimbabwe in 1980. In
Jamaica, authentic reggae is one of the biggest sources of income.
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 Reggay" 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 most types of
popular Jamaican dance music, the term reggae more properly denotes a
particular music style that was strongly influenced by traditional
mento as well as American jazz and rhythm and blues, especially the
New Orleans R&B practiced by Fats Domino and Allen Toussaint, and
evolved out of the earlier genres ska and rocksteady. Reggae usually
relates news, social gossip, and political commentary. Reggae spread
into a commercialized jazz field, being known first as "rudie blues",
then "ska", later "blue beat", and "rock steady". It is instantly
recognizable from the counterpoint between the bass and drum downbeat
and the offbeat rhythm section. The immediate origins of reggae were
in ska and rocksteady; from the latter, reggae took over the use of
the bass as a percussion instrument.Reggae is deeply linked to
Rastafari, an Afrocentric religion which developed in Jamaica in the
1930s, aiming at promoting Pan Africanism. Soon after the Rastafarian
movement appeared, the international popularity of reggae music became
associated with and increased the visibility of Rastafarianism
spreading the Rastafari gospel throughout the world. Reggae music is
an important means of transporting vital messages of Rastafarianism.
The musician becomes the messenger, and as Rastafarians see it, "the
soldier and the musician are tools for change."Stylistically, reggae
incorporates some of the musical elements of rhythm and blues, jazz,
mento (a celebratory, rural folk form that served its largely rural
audience as dance music and an alternative to the hymns and adapted
chanteys of local church singing), calypso, and also draws influence
from traditional African folk rhythms. One of the most easily
recognizable elements is offbeat rhythms; staccato chords played by a
guitar or piano (or both) on the offbeats of the measure. The tempo of
reggae is usually slower paced than both ska and rocksteady. The
concept of call and response can be found throughout reggae music. The
genre of reggae music is led by the drum and bass. Some key players in
this sound are Jackie Jackson from Toots and the Maytals, Carlton
Barrett from Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lloyd Brevett from The
Skatalites, Paul Douglas from Toots and the Maytals, Lloyd Knibb from
The Skatalites, Winston Grennan, Sly Dunbar, and Anthony "Benbow"
Creary from The Upsetters. The bass guitar often plays the dominant
role in reggae. The bass sound in reggae is thick and heavy, and
equalized so the upper frequencies are removed and the lower
frequencies emphasized. The guitar in reggae usually plays on the
offbeat of the rhythm. It is common for reggae to be sung in Jamaican
Patois, Jamaican English, and Iyaric dialects. Reggae is noted for its
tradition of social criticism and religion in its lyrics, although
many reggae songs discuss lighter, more personal subjects, such as
love and socializing.Reggae has spread to many countries across the
world, often incorporating local instruments and fusing with other
genres. Reggae en Español spread from the Spanish-speaking Central
American country of Panama to the mainland South American countries of
Venezuela and Guyana then to the rest of South America. Caribbean
music in the United Kingdom, including reggae, has been popular since
the late 1960s, and has evolved into several subgenres and fusions.
Many reggae artists began their careers in the UK, and there have been
a number of European artists and bands drawing their inspiration
directly from Jamaica and the Caribbean community in Europe. Reggae in
Africa was boosted by the visit of Bob Marley to Zimbabwe in 1980. In
Jamaica, authentic reggae is one of the biggest sources of income.
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