Jamaica, Island of Reggae
When I say "Jamaican reggae", most people will immediately think about Bob Marley and that is where it stops. Bob Marley is definitely one of the greates reggae artist ever, but there are many other reggae artists who deserve a place in the spotlight too.
Stylistically, reggae contains some of the musical elements of rhythm and blues, jazz, mento,calypso, African music, and some other genres. One of the most easily recognizable elements is its offbeat rhythms; staccato chords played by a guitar or piano (or both) on the offbeats of the measure. Reggae music is usually slower than ska but faster than rocksteady. The concept of "call and response" is often found in reggae music.
It is common for reggae to be sung in Jamaican Patois, Jamaican English, and Iyaric dialects. Reggae is also noted for its tradition of social criticism and religion in its lyrics, although many reggae songs are also about personal subjects, such as love and socializing.
While spending some time in Jamaica, slowly starting to learn some Patois and coming across Jamaican reggae almost everywhere you go, you will start to understand the lyrics of reggae songs better and you will start to appreciate the songs even more.
I would like to give you a taste of some traditional reggae songs, some new reggae songs (both origional ones and covers), introduce you to reggae artist you might have never heard of before and hopefully inspire you to listen closely to the lyrics and make u listen to reggae more often.
Just a few of my favourite Reggae songs are:
Judgement Day - Raging Fyah
Smile Jamaica - Chornixx
Soul Provider - Romain Virgo
Reggae - Etana
Rasta Got Soul - Fantan Mojah
Think Twice - Duane Stephenson
Mama - Christopher Martin
But of course, as you can imagine, I have many more favourites. Let me know, which reggae song is your favourite?