Reggae
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 Reggay" was the first popular song to use the word "reggae".
Origins & History
Reggae developed from ska and rocksteady in 1968. Bob Marley and the Wailers brought it to global prominence in the 1970s. The genre is closely tied to Rastafarian culture and social consciousness. Subgenres include dub, dancehall, and reggaeton (which evolved from reggae in Puerto Rico).
Jamaica
1960s
Musical Characteristics
- •Offbeat rhythm (skank) on guitar or keyboard
- •Heavy bass and drum emphasis
- •Syncopated patterns
- •Social and spiritual lyrics
- •Mid-tempo groove
- • Jamaican Patois lyrics often used
Subgenres
Roots reggae
Dub
Dancehall
Rocksteady
Ska
Reggaeton