   #copyright

Reggae

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Musical genres, styles,
eras and events

                                   Reggae
   Stylistic origins:     R&B, Jazz, Mento, Calypso, Ska, Rocksteady
   Cultural origins:      Late 1960s, Jamaica, especially Kingston
   Typical instruments:   Bass - Drums - Guitar - Organ - Brass - Melodica
   Mainstream popularity: Early 1970s onwards, worldwide
   Derivative forms:      Trip hop - Drum and bass - Dancehall
                                 Subgenres
   Roots reggae - Dub - Dub poetry - Toasting - Lovers rock - Dancehall -
   Ragga
                               Fusion genres
                        Reggaeton - Seggae - 2 Tone
                              Regional scenes
                           African - New Zealand
                                Other topics
       Jamaica - Rastafari movement - Haile Selassie - Marcus Garvey

   Reggae is a music genre developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.

   The term reggae is sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most
   types of Jamaican music, including ska, rocksteady and dub. The term is
   more specifically used to indicate a particular style that originated
   after the development of rocksteady. In this sense, reggae includes two
   sub-genres: roots reggae (the original reggae) and dancehall reggae,
   which originated in the late 1970s. Reggae is founded upon a rhythm
   style characterized by regular chops on the back beat, known as the
   skank. This rhythmic style is played by a rhythm guitar and a bass drum
   hitting on the third beat of each measure, known as the one drop. This
   beat is slower than that found 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, reggae songs lyrics also deal with many other subjects,
   including love, sexuality and broad social commentary.

Origins

                              Music of Jamaica

   Kumina - Nyabinghi- Mento - Ska - Rocksteady - Reggae - Sound systems -
   Lovers rock - Dub - Dancehall - Dub poetry - Toasting - Raggamuffin -
   Roots reggae
                         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
                               Sound samples
                           Other Caribbean music
   Aruba and the Dutch Antilles - Cuba - Dominica - Dominican Republic -
   Haiti - Martinique and Guadeloupe - Puerto Rico - St. Lucia - United
   States - United Kingdom

   Reggae's origins can be found in traditional African and Caribbean
   music, as well as Rhythm and blues of the United States. 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 recording studio. Mittoo, with the help of drummer Lloyd Knibbs,
   turned the traditional ska beat into reggae, by slowing down the
   rhythm. Bob Marley, who popularized reggae worldwide, recorded
   rocksteady records early in his career. By the late 1960s, reggae was
   getting radio play in the United Kingdom on John Peel's radio show.

   It is thought that the word reggae was first used by the ska band Toots
   and the Maytals, in the title of their 1968 hit Do the Reggay. Other
   theories say the term came from the word streggae, a Jamaican slang
   term for prostitute, or that it originated from the term Regga, which
   was a Bantu-speaking tribe from Lake Tanganyika.

Roots reggae

   Roots reggae is the name given to explicitly Rastafarian reggae: 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 may have
   been in the late 1970s, with singers such as Burning Spear, Johnny
   Clarke, Horace Andy, Barrington Levy, and Linval Thompson teaming up
   with studio producers including Lee 'Scratch' Perry, King Tubby, and
   Coxsone Dodd. The experimental pioneering of producers within
   often-restrictive technological parameters gave birth to dub music,
   which has been considered one of the earliest contributions to the
   developments of Techno music.

Rockers

   The style of reggae music known as Rockers began in the mid 1970s. It
   was pioneered by the then Studio One house band called The
   Revolutionaries. The so-called "Rockers Rhythms" were essentially
   updated versions of Studio One classics from the rock steady era. Sly
   Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, the bass player and drummer, developed
   Rockers as a more militant style than the One Drop reggae of the early
   to mid 70s. It is also sometimes characterized as having a more
   mechanical sound than earlier reggae, with drum and bass working
   together to drive each song forward with aggressive persistence.
   Rockers soon became the preferred style by reggae musicians and fans
   alike. Sly and Robbie backed such reggae legends as Peter Tosh and
   Black Uhuru. Other Rockers artists include Jacob Miller & Inner Circle,
   Steel Pulse, Aswad, Sound Dimension, Johnny Osbourne, Augustus Pablo,
   and Cornel Campbell.

Newer styles and spin-offs

   In Jamaica, newer styles of reggae have become popular; among them,
   dancehall and ragga (also known as raggamuffin). The toasting style
   first used by artists such as U-Roy and Dillinger had a worldwide
   impact when Jamaican DJ Kool Herc used it to pioneer a new genre that
   became known as hip hop and rap. In Jamaica, the term Dee Jay or DJ is
   equivalent to the rapper or MC in American hip hop culture. Mixing
   techniques employed in dub music (an instrumental sub-genre of reggae)
   have influenced hip hop and the musical style known as drum and bass.
   Another new style is new reggae, made popular by the ska band Sublime.

Lyrical themes

Social and religious issues

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

   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")

   Lyrics often discuss repression of many kinds, including that linked
   with the prohibition of ganja ( cannabis), which is considered a
   sacrament by Rastafarians.

Controversy

   Some of the lyrical themes in reggae music have been viewed as
   controversial. The most controversial of these themes have been
   cannabis and homophobia. Other topics that have been seen as
   controversial include: black/African militancy, anti-racism, misogyny,
   anti- colonialism, anti-capitalism, criticism of political systems, and
   criticism of the colonial education system. Some of these themes — like
   marijuana use — have been prevalent in reggae music throughout the
   history of the music, whilst others — such as homophobia — are a more
   recent phenomenon. Dancehall music has also included themes of
   violence, sexism, and misogyny.

Cannabis

   The promotion of cannabis use (through lyrics, images and lifestyle)
   has been a staple of reggae since its inception. The prominence of
   marijuana in reggae music primarily stems from the Rastafarian
   religion, which considers marijuana use a sacrament. Jamaica,
   incidentally, has some of the harshest anti-marijuana laws in the
   world. Bob Marley's Catch a Fire album cover, showing him smoking a
   spliff, was controversial at the time the album was first issued. Peter
   Tosh often performed with a spliff in hand, and lobbied for the
   decriminalization of marijuana. His most famous song is titled
   "Legalize It", and he was imprisoned multiple times in Jamaica for
   marijuana possession.

Homophobia

   Dancehall music has come under increased criticism from Jamaican and
   international organizations for homophobic lyrics. Dancehall music has
   incited instances of gay bashing. Anti-homosexual 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 of Jamaicans in general. Homosexual activity is
   illegal in Jamaica, as in most former British colonies in the Caribbean
   (see LGBT rights in Jamaica). J-FLAG, a Jamaican gay rights
   organization, has described homophobic lyrics as a "widespread cultural
   bias against homosexuals and bisexuals." The dancehall artists in
   question believe that legal or commercial sanctions are essentially an
   attack against freedom of speech.

   The increased criticism of dancehall music by international
   organisations is often attributed to the increased international
   exposure of the music, especially with regards to international media
   and the Internet. Dancehall has always included themes of not only
   homophobia, but of violence, sexism, and misogyny as well, which have
   come under their share of criticism: "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." (Elena Oumano, "Fire Down Below:Capleton's Still Blazin in The
   Village Voice )

Reggae music festivals

     * Reggae Sunsplash, Ocho Rios, Jamaica,
     * Reggae Sumfest, Montego Bay, Jamaica
     * Soča Reggae Riversplash, Tolmin, Slovenia,
     * Notting Hill Carnival, London, UK
     * Uppsala Reggae Festival, Sweden
     * One Love, Wellington, New Zealand

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggae"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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