Blog Post 5: “Roots, Reggae, and Rebellion”

Jamaica is the birth place of reggae music. Reggae music not only provides entertainment but it helped unite the people of Jamaica during a time of crisis. Reggae is most commonly found among the ghettos of Jamaica.  It became a voice of the Jamaican peasantry. The reason behind it is because the ghettos were considered the poorest part of Jamaica and the people used reggae music to express the wrong doings the Jamaican government was casting on the poor people. Reggae is the bedrock of expression of freedom for the Jamaican people. Most of Jamaican music is a reflection of its environment and how it has helped keep everyone’s sanity in times of crisis. In Britain, reggae was considered a cultural lifeline to a generation of black people. The black people in Britain were still facing harshness due to the color of their skin and reggae helped provide a way for them to keep their sanity and voice/express their right to freedom and equality.  They felt a great connection to the people in Jamaica partly because both were facing such harshness and reggae was providing a scapegoat. Reggae created a diasporic community in Britain because the black people felt a strong connection to Jamaica. It may not have been their true homeland, but to them, it was. They practiced and established the Jamaican culture in their British roots through music. Reggae music has in a way hybridized though time into what we call reggae music now today. Scar music was the base of reggae. It is very similar to American R and B but the beat is what we call off key. This was popular in the 1960’s and it evolved again in the late 1960’s to rock steady. Rock steady is much slower pace of music still with the offbeat rhythm. This style of music changed once again to reggae when the 60’s finally closed. Reggae in a way has helped change the identity of Jamaica. Hybridization of music is about taking two styles of music and messing them together to create a new and improved type of music. In a way that has happened with Reggae. Before it was called Scar and rock steady but due to the harsh environment and constant political turmoil it transformed into reggae which has a rock steady component and a new aspect of music for expression. Jamaican music is truly inspiring to many different races, classes, and cultures around the world. It has provided a voice for many people when they could not speak because it was against the law and it has helped others see a light in dark times from the constant positivity that everything is going to be alright. Which is a famous key phrase by the great Bob Marley. It is hard to find people around the world that is not familiar with the term Reggae and Bob Marley. That just shows how impactful music can be on people.  Shaggy and Bob Marley are two of the most well-known Jamaican singers today and their music can still be herd on the radio.