Reggae music has evolved into so much more than simply an audio genre; with a history rich with activism and Jamaican pride, reggae has become an emblem for an entire nation.
Early reggae was, like its predecessors ska and rocksteady, heavily focused on the suffering of poor Jamaicans. Influential artists within this genre often addressed religion, social issues, poverty and more within their lyrics.
Rastafari
Rastafarian Movement or “Way of Life,” as it is more commonly known, is an eclectic religious and philosophical belief system combining Protestant Christianity with Afrocentric values and beliefs. However, unlike traditional religions it’s considered more of a philosophy and cultural lifestyle rather than religious belief system; founded upon Marcus Garvey and with roots in African diaspora communities worldwide.
Rastafarianism began as an outgrowth of Africans forced out of their homelands due to the Atlantic slave trade. They brought with them many of their traditions, particularly those related to spirituality and herbal remedies for health and well-being, that eventually formed the basis of Rastafarianism.
Rastafarians believe the world is moving toward another coming of Christ (Zion), an age when all people can live as brothers and sisters. To prepare themselves for this apocalyptic event, Rastafarian followers lead lives of spiritual and physical purity. Rastafarians believe that those living according to these standards will find special places in God’s Kingdom while those who fail will face punishment in hell.
Rastafarians strive to avoid alcohol and drugs while accepting nature’s gifts in their lives, such as long, natural hair. Furthermore, they practice an I-tal diet (natural vegetarian food), participate in prayer services with long chanting services as well as smoking marijuana ganja to achieve spiritual enlightenment through deeper connections to Jah.
Reggae music‘s immense success in America and Europe propelled Rastafarianism onto the global cultural stage, drawing increased recognition of Jamaica and its people while at the same time increasing pressure for Rastafarian values and practices to become part of mainstream Jamaican society.
Rastafarianism remains alive today despite all of its challenges; an estimated one million Rastafarians worldwide continue to practice their beliefs across countries like the U.S., England and Africa. Over time this movement has transformed itself and challenged conventional notions of religion by including elements from its social environment into its religious practices, and by merging its philosophy with that of other world religions.
The Jamaican Experience
Jamaica has gained worldwide attention for more than just its infectious rhythms; the music itself reflects both culture and history of its birth.
Reggae emerged from Jamaica during the late 1950s-early 1960s through ska, rocksteady and other genres that emerged there in its wake. Ska, with its fast tempo, walking bass line and jazz-influenced brass sections provided early music for an independent Jamaica in those years; rocksteady served as an intermediary genre between ska and reggae, tightening down and slowing down its groove to provide continuity from one genre to the other.
By the 1970s, reggae had become an international phenomenon thanks to artists such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and their influencers such as Rastafari movement members. Reggae’s stirring sounds, spiritually-oriented lyrics and political commentary about oppression captured people worldwide.
Reggae music was often associated with issues affecting Jamaicans such as poverty and injustice; at its inception, reggae addressed these themes while also touching upon romance themes. Later, when Jamaica accepted its identity as an African frontline country during the 1970s, reggae music served as the virtual soundtrack of Michael Manley’s Democratic Socialism program and expressed support for armed liberation movements across Africa.
Reggae music has had an enormous influence on many other styles of music in America. Artists representing genres as diverse as blues, soul and funk have all been influenced by reggae’s sound. Reggae also helped establish an identity shared by both diaspora Africans as well as continental Africans that was strengthened through Marley’s song, “Africa Unite.”
Reggae was more than just music during the 1980s; it became a cultural icon. Dancehalls across Jamaica and elsewhere served as hubs where young people learned rhythm and rhyme through dancehall performances. Reggae has given rise to various subgenres of music like dub, which features a rhythm made by scraping an end of a corrugated stick across wooden crates; over this rhythm track is spoken Rastafarian messages by toaster (usually an MC).
Bob Marley
Reggae music has long been used as a catalyst for social movements ranging from anti-apartheid activism to global unity. Reggae remains an effective medium for criticism, catharsis and praise of God; thus acting as a voice for all. Reggae’s themes of resistance, justice and love serve as the cornerstone for global movements that cross borders and generations.
Reggae music began its development on the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica. The music evolved through an amalgam of traditional Jamaican folklore and African American musical forms with an emphasis on rhythm, harmony and tempo. Guitar offbeats, bass lines that emphasize root notes rather than fifth notes for chords (rather than playing harmonics on fifth notes), syncopated rhythms and distinctively thick sound characteristics all serve to distinguish reggae from other musical genres.
Jamaican artist Lee “Scratch” Perry is widely recognized for pushing reggae beyond its initial confines of ska and rocksteady; pioneer organist Bunny Lee also created an influential subgenre known as dub that heavily drew upon African American hip-hop music for inspiration.
Reggae music in Jamaica during the 1960s became imbued with Rastafarian spirituality and social activism, reflecting black people’s struggle against poverty, racism and an oppressive capitalist system. Artists such as Peter Tosh and Bob Marley used their music to expose these injustices in Jamaican society through Reggae music.
Marley and the Wailers were widely seen as agents of change in Jamaica. Their political support for the radical People’s National Party coincided with lyrics promoting racial equality and universal love for all humankind, and Rastafari ideology (a creed which venerates late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I as a prophet foretold through popular quasi-biblical prophecies).
Marley was the perfect vehicle for this movement as a vocalist with a stunning tenor and spiritual beliefs incorporated into his music to bring hope and liberation. His songs became public manifestations of his personal truths crafted with an uncanny combination of early ska, rock steady and reggae forms all his own.
Toots and the Maytals
Toots Hibbert and his band, the Maytals, introduced reggae music to an international audience during the 1960s. His music addressed directly many issues facing Jamaicans at that time – such as poverty, social justice, human rights violations as well as romantic subjects – similar to its predecessor ska and rocksteady did before it. Reggae became synonymous with resistance that refuses to be subdued; its main characteristic being its emphasis on defiant human spirits who refuse to be suppressed.
Early reggae artists added a strong Rastafari element to their music. For instance, Desmond Dekker’s 1968 hit song, “Israelites”, depicted black people as true Israelites living enslaved in modern-day Babylon and longing to return home – this Rastafari framework later served as an influential inspiration in much reggae music.
Reggae emerged through the combination of traditional rhythm and blues, jazz, mento (a celebratory rural folk form that served as an alternative to hymns or adapted chanteys in church singing), calypso and African folk music – each genre providing different elements: bass lines from rhythm and blues, melodic riffing from jazz, beats from calypso as well as its harmonic structure – into one unique sound that became reggae music.
Slower than ska or rocksteady, boogaloo music used offbeat rhythms – chords played by guitar or piano on offbeats of each measure – with bass drums often being highlighted, as vocalists sang or spoke over instrumentalists for call-and-response purposes.
Toots and the Maytals became famous during the 1970s with hits like “I Don’t Know Why”, “Jamaica Girl”, and “Babylon.” Toots was often invited to perform alongside nonreggae acts like Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones; toots also established a new lineup of Toots and the Maytals which continued touring right through to 2010.
Reggae music has long been revered as an international treasure that transcends borders and generations, spreading a powerful message of love, peace, and unity around the globe. Music’s healing powers are evident through reggae; its roots lie deep within Jamaican tradition while simultaneously combatting injustice effectively.