There are few unique music genres that have withstood time and stayed popular as music changes. Reggae is one of them. A distinct sunny music, emerging from the poverty of Jamaica’s shanty towns, Reggae has been big in the UK since the 70s. Zak Williamson explains there’s more to Reggae than the late great Bob Marley…
Reggae originated in Jamaica out of the genre Ska and was generally used to describe a style of music emerging in late 1960s Jamaica. Often associated with the Rastafarian religious and philosophical movement - which influenced many prominent Reggae musicians from the 70s to the present day - Reggae is generally seen as a spiritual music, made and used as a tonic for life’s troubles.
It is thought that the word ‘Reggae’ was first used by Ska group Toots and the Maytals, who coined the phrase in the title of their hit ‘Do the Reggay’ in 1968. Other stories claim that the term came from the word "streggae", a slang Jamaican term for a prostitute, or that it originated from the name of a tribe from Central Africa. Wherever it originated, there’s few who aren’t familiar with it, at least through the music of its most famous icon, Bob Marley.
Many artists tried to make it big in England in the earlier days of Reggae but only Bob became a truly international icon. His music and messages sailed the seas to England’s shores where his influence has a permanent home. Desmond Dekker was however actually the first well known Jamaican musician outside of his country, but Bob got the breaks. Dekker had one of the first international Jamaican hits with the Israelites. Sadly he died recently in May 06, and if you haven’t heard of him you will no doubt have heard one of his most well-known hits ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’, written by another great Reggae star, Jimmy Cliff.
Reggae music has various distinct characteristics and these days there are two main sub-genres of Reggae - Roots and Dancehall. Roots tends to have a much slower beat than Dancehall and Ska. The most common characteristic tends to be the ‘one drop’ beat, used in most tunes, where the bass drum is played on every 3rd beat along with a ‘rim shot’ or snare. The rim shot hits the drum stick on the outer edge of the snare drum to create that unforgettable Reggae sound. Another is ‘Skanking’, regular off beat chops on the guitar giving a wahwah effect. Reggae music usually has a repetitive, deep bass line – one of the main components of the Reggae song. On a good sound system the Reggae ‘Dub’ bass vibrates through your whole body, an important part of the Reggae experience!
Dancehall is a more urban form of Reggae that’s grown hugely over the last few years. As gangsta rap is to hip hop, dancehall often has an edge and tempo leaning towards the darker side of life and in Reggae’s case, the darker side of Jamaican culture. Lyrics are more frantic and explicit, messages meaner. A DJ usually raps or ‘toasts’ over danceable ‘riddims’, which are much faster than in Reggae, with drum machines used instead of acoustic instruments and variations these rhymes making it very distinct.
Disappointingly some lyrics can be offensive to some but I guess in that respect it’s like gangsta rap. Jamaican culture has always been associated with homophobia, so that was bound to come up in Dancehall lyrics. On a BBC show, some years ago, Dancehall star, Buju Banton famously said "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." having released the controversial ‘Boom bye bye’- about killing gay people. The latest artist to bring much needed fun into Dancehall is Sean Paul. For me Dancehall is the only form of Reggae I’m not that fond of.
The lyrics of more ‘conscious’ Reggae have always tended to explore the philosophical but as time’s moved on lyrics are soaking up everything from life around them. As well as lyrical adaptability Reggae has become a master of crossing genres, especially with hip hop and pop. Many non Jamaican musicians and singers have taken on a Reggae flavour and pulled it off. The Police, Madness and The Specials to name a few. Gwen Stefani’s No Doubt were a Ska band before they became known for pop and they did a good job of using Reggae flavours in the right ways. Reggae really is that diverse, it works with everything, even pop…with the exception of Paris Hilton of course.
By Zak Williamson |