Reggae

REGGAE
Reggae is a music genre developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.
The term reggae is sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, although the word specifically indicates a particular music style that originated after the development of ska and rocksteady. Reggae is based on a rhythm style characterized by regular chops on the off-beat, known as the skank. The tempo is generally slower than that found in ska and rocksteady. Reggae is often associated with the Rastafari movement, which influenced many prominent reggae musicians in the 1970s and 1980s. Reggae song lyrics deal with many subjects, including faith, love, relationships, poverty, injustice and other broad social issues.
HISTORY
Reggae's origins are in traditional African and Caribbean music; American rhythm and blues; and in Jamaican ska and rocksteady. In 1963, Coxsone Dodd of Studio One asked Jackie Mittoo (pianist of The Skatalites) to run recording sessions and compose original music. Mittoo, with the help of drummer Lloyd Knibbs, turned the traditional ska beat into reggae by slowing down the tempo. Bob Marley, who played an important role in popularizing reggae worldwide, recorded ska, rocksteady, and nyabinghi-drumming records early in his career. The word reggae may have been first used by the ska band Toots and the Maytals, in the title of their 1968 hit Do the Reggay. The Oxford English Dictionary says the origin of the word is unknown, but may be derived from the Jamaican-English word rege-rege, meaning quarrel. Other theories are that the term came from the word streggae (a Jamaican slang term for prostitute) or that it originated from the term Regga, which was a Bantu-speaking tribe from Lake Tanganyika.
By the late 1960s, reggae was getting radio play in the United Kingdom on John Peel's radio show, and Peel continued to play much reggae during his career. Reggae has always had a fairly large following in the United Kingdom, especially during the 1970s and 1980s. In the second half of the 1970s, the UK punk rock scene was starting to take off, and some punk DJs played reggae records during their DJ sets. Certain punk bands, such as The Clash, The Slits and The Ruts incorporated reggae influences into their music. Reggae includes several subgenres, such as roots reggae, dub, lovers rock and dancehall.
Musical characteristics
Reggae is always played in 4/4 time or swing time because the symmetrical rhythm pattern does not lend itself to other time signatures such as 3/4 time. Harmonically, the music is often very simple, and sometimes a whole song will have no more than one or two chords. The Bob Marley and the Wailers song "Exodus" is almost entirely comprised of A-minor chords. These simple repetitious chord structures add to the hypnotic effect that reggae sometimes has. However, Marley also wrote more complex chord structures, and the band Steel Pulse have often used very complex chord structures.
Lyrical themes
Reggae is noted for its tradition of social criticism, although many reggae songs discuss lighter, more personal subjects such as love, sex and socializing. Some of the music attempts to raise the political consciousness of the audience, criticizing materialism and unconsciousness. Some reggae artists have spoken up against what they perceived as the oppression of orthodox religious dogma. Many reggae songs discuss liberation, including that linked with the prohibition of (cannabis) or ganja, which is considered a sacrament by Rastafarians. The promotion of cannabis use (through lyrics, images and lifestyle) has been a staple of reggae since almost its inception. Bob Marley's Catch a Fire album cover, showing him smoking a spliff, was controversial at the time the album was first issued. Peter Tosh often performed with a spliff in hand, and lobbied for the decriminalization of marijuana. His most famous song is titled "Legalize It". Other topics of social activism include: black nationalism, anti-racism, misogyny, anti-colonialism, anti-capitalism, criticism of political systems, and criticism of the colonial education system.
Some of these themes, such as cannabis use, have been prevalent in reggae music throughout much of the history of the music, but others, such as homophobia, are a more recent phenomenon. Dancehall music has also included themes of violence and sexism.
Homophobia in dancehall music
Dancehall music has come under increased criticism from Jamaican and international organizations for homophobic lyrics. Such lyrics have been described by J-FLAG, a Jamaican gay rights organization, as one aspect of "widespread Jamaican cultural bias against homosexuals and bisexuals". A Human Rights Watch report has also outlined the widespread existence of homophobia in Jamaica. Homosexual activity is still illegal in Jamaica, as it is in most former British colonies in the Caribbean (see LGBT rights in Jamaica).
In some cases, dancehall artists whose music features homophobic lyrics have had their concerts cancelled. Various singers have had international travel restrictions placed on them, and have been investigated by international law enforcement agencies such as Scotland Yard on the grounds that the lyrics incite the audience to assault homosexuals. In 2003, the British LGBT rights group OutRage! called for the arrest of Elephant Man for inciting the killing of gay men in his song lyrics. However, he was not arrested. Many of the affected singers believe that such legal or commercial sanctions are essentially an attack against freedom of speech.


Reggae music festivals
Reggae Sunsplash, Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Reggae Sumfest, Montego Bay, Jamaica
Caribana, Toronto, Canada
Notting Hill Carnival, London, UK
Uppsala Reggae Festival, Sweden
Reggae Meeting, Prague, Czech Republic
Soa Reggae Riversplash, Tolmin, Slovenia
Reggae On The River, California, USA
Summerjam, Cologne, Germany
Chiemsee Reggae Summer, Chiemsee, Germany
Couleur Caf, Brussels, Belgium
Reggae Geel, Geel, Belgium
The People's Festival, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
MarleyFest, Austin, Texas, USA

Artist Features
Alpha Blondy
Burning Spear
Bunny Wailer
Jimmy Cliff
Lee "Scratch" Perry
Peter Tosh
Ziggy Marley
Lucky Dube
Steel Pulse
Kashief Lindo
King Tubby
Morgan Heritage
Desmond Dekker
Glen Washington
Rita Marley
Sinead O'Connor
UB40