Reggae: Dubbed into the influences of modern music

Reggae, an often overlooked influence on modern music, took root in Jamaica in the late 1960’s.Developing during a time when social and political issues rigidly shaped everyday life and events, reggae often dealt with those issues; it was also heavily influenced by the Rastafarian movement, which embraced the ideas of peace, equality and a common homeland for blacks—one far removed from the slums they were placed in by prejudice and racism.

Just as reggae borrowed influences from American jazz and the surrounding Caribbean and Cuban music, the reggae influenced the music of its surrounding areas, and eventually of the world. Beginning as a street-exclusive act, reggae began as ska and rocksteady, which were performed on the streets of Kingston, Jamaica when DJ’s rhymed, or “dubbed,” as we know it today, over the B sides of records. This principle of “dubbing” was reflected into modern genres, notably rap and hip-hop; these genres began primarily in New York City, but are now known internationally. It was also later blended with Latin American genres to form reggaeton, which has become popular among Latino youths.

Reggae did have its early struggles, however, in the United States because of its extremely modest beginnings. Reggae was developed on the streets of impoverished Jamaica, in the basements of meager shacks, in the small independent studios—all unknown outside of Jamaica. Chris Blackwell, who began Island Studios in Jamaica, relocated to England; here he continued to promote Jamaican music. Eventually, with the success of The Wailers, Eric Clapton’s cover of Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff,” and later the incorporation of reggae into the blossoming 70’s UK punk scene, reggae became gradually exposed to the world, and the world to it.

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