In Rastafarianism, the ideal is universal brotherhood, which must be achieved in a spiritual, not revolutionary way. The herb of wisdom, better known as marijuana, has become a way of gaining spiritual enlightenment for most Rastas, it is believed that it first grew on the wisest of kings - Solomon.
Rastafarians can be easily identified by their preferred colors (a combination of yellow, green and red) and dreadlocks, which serve as antennas in spiritual world, the way with their .
The forerunner of the musical style of reggae is ska, a new direction borrowed a characteristic rhythm and a set of instruments from it. However, the ska turned out to be too fast for the relaxed Rastafarians, so they significantly slowed down the pace, made the rhythm more whimsical and inconsistent. The right rhythm is reggae music, because it is he who should broadcast a positive vibration to the world.
Fundamentals of musical style
Reggae is very versatile. Within its framework, an unsophisticated, deliberately simplified folk variety and an extremely complex, smooth pop variety coexist. The classic and king of reggae was and still is Bob Marley, who made his music the quintessence of all the hopes of rastafarians. His melodies were peaceful, danceable, unusual, but at the same time they carried a powerful political and social charge, calling on humanity to return to its roots.Despite the fact that Bob Marley died in the early eighties of the last century, his recordings continue to be released, and many of them have never been released before. Rastafans consider Marley a prophet, without belittling his musical and poetic talents, they endow him with almost divine properties.
One of modern trends development of reggae - dub poetry. Its inventor was Linton Kwezi, he was the first to come up with the monotonous recitation of complex poetic
reggae(English) reggae) - Musical direction, which arose and formed in Jamaica in the late 60s of the twentieth century. This style of music has so merged with the rest of the culture of the island that it has become a real national treasure. Despite the fact that the roots of reggae are firmly intertwined with genres such as calypso (Eng. calypso), mento (English) mento), jazz jazz) and rhythm and blues (eng. rhythm'n'blues), the closest areas of music to it are still ska (eng. ska) and rocksteady (eng. rocksteady). Actually, reggae was born from their depths as a separate style of music. If rocksteady was closer in rhythm to rock and roll, i.e. rhythmic and danceable enough, then in the reggae that emerged from it, the performers began to use the average tempo of the compositions and, which became a special feature, accentuating the weak beat of the rhythm.
For the first time, the term "reggae" appeared in 1968 in the title of the song "Do the Reggae", belonging to one of the founders of this direction - the Maytals group. This simple song said that reggae is new dance who can move you, you can love with all your heart in it and you just have to dance. Later in other Maytals songs they talked about how reggae has a soul, reggae has a rhythm that puts your feet in the dance, reggae makes you feel good, grandparents can do reggae, reggae makes you do crazy things... But endowing this term With so many epithets and metaphors, the band's musicians never confessed to anyone where they got it from. Since then, various critics have not been able to reach a consensus regarding its etymology.
But having announced reggae to the world, Maytals did not become either its recognized ideologists or world-famous idols. This fate befell other performers. Bob Marley ( ), Peter Tosh ( Peter Tosh) and Bunny Wyler ( Bunny Wailer) have acquired the status of "three pillars" on which reggae rests, both as a musical direction and as an ideology. It was they who made reggae famous all over the world.
Particular attention should be paid to the texts of reggae songs, which turned from rather sentimental to sharply social by the end of the 60s. Reggae artists, inspired by the struggle of the black population for their rights, began to sing about the problems that they faced, first of all, in their native Jamaica. To all this, it is worth adding the theme of Rastafarianism - Jamaican religious movement, without which reggae is also impossible to imagine.
Already in the first half of the 70s, when reggae became a world heritage, the Rastafari religion was perceived as an integral part of the new Jamaican music. Almost without exception, reggae performers of this period were followers of Rastafarianism, actively smoking marijuana, singing about Jah, Haile Selassie, Babylon and the exodus to Ethiopia.
Reggae won the hearts of listeners all over the world by the mid-70s. Bob Marley has become a "star" on a universal scale for admirers of the direction. This music went beyond native Jamaica and began to be performed in all countries and continents. However, young performers no longer cared about the religious component in the same way as the luminaries of style. As a result of this, the old, religious Rastas, who stood at the origins of the style, began to be referred to as "roots reggae".
Later, such a musical trend as dub was born from reggae. dub), and a little later, reggae influenced the emergence of hip-hop (Eng. hip hop ), trip-hop (eng. trip hop) and drum and bass (eng. drum and bass ). To date, reggae is still one of the most popular styles of music around the world.
What do you know about reggae music? What do these songs carry? How can I download them and can I listen to my favorite mp3 hits online? We are ready to answer all these questions right now. Jamaica is considered to be the birthplace of reggae. Despite the fact that the direction originated a long time ago, and its promotion to the masses was carried out completely different people(both simple and historical figures), most bright character, whose contribution to the development of reggae music is difficult to overestimate, is Bob Marley.
Development of the Reggae direction
Music, which today can be downloaded for free, finally formed as a separate direction by the end of the 60s of the last century. A huge contribution to its development was made by Rastafarianism. This is a religious and philosophical doctrine, the principles of which were guided by many Jamaicans and musicians, each of whom sought to bring his own "zest".
Reggae songs have characteristics, allowing to distinguish them from many other compositions available to our users without registration. First, it is a slow pace. Music creates a special atmosphere conducive to relaxation. Here the emphasis is on the weak beats, wind instruments, guitar chords. Reggae music necessarily carries positive "vibrations". Here one can clearly see the desire for harmony, the spirit of peace. main idea- the complete absence of negativity, the desire for reconciliation with oneself and others, complete relaxation and tranquility.
We invite you to listen to at least one free hit created in this musical style. It is likely that you will not stop there!
Summer, scorching sun, hot sand and the sound of coastal waves… What could be better? Only sunny, which at all times of the year takes its listener to the hot beaches of Jamaica. The reggae style, or as it is also called, reggae, appeared in the mid-1960s in sunny Jamaica. At that time, the spirit of colonization was still felt in Jamaica, and the black population shunned the whites. However, Jamaican musical culture is a rather unique phenomenon. Here, all varieties of the national music of the Caribbean countries enjoyed equal honor and respect. They bizarrely intertwined with each other, creating new directions. Remarkably, black music was also enjoyed by the white population of Jamaica. The descendants of the former colonialists willingly lit up discos to the groovy rhythms of Jamaican music. By the end of the 1960s, reggae stood out clearly from the abundance of black music. It was formed thanks to the intricacies of ska, rock-steady, calypso, zouk, soul and jazz. All this was combed under a measured, pumping rhythm and an underlined bass line.
Reggae was primarily the music of black Jamaican workers. However, Europeans also fell in love with this music, and soon gained popularity throughout the United States. Special meaning reggae found against the backdrop of the struggle of African Americans for equal rights with the white population of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The first compositions in the style reggae considered "Nanny Goat" by Larry Marshall and "No More Heartaches" by The Beltones. Song American artist Johnny Nash's "Hold Me Tight", which was released in 1968, immediately conquered the radio charts and for a long time occupied the first position. Among other pioneers of reggae, who contributed to the formation and development of the genre, it is worth noting Prince Buster and Desmond Dekker. Then, in the early 1960s, the first labels appeared to record and promote reggae music. One such label was Island Records, founded by producer Chris Blackwell in 1960 in Jamaica. Two years later, the label moved to the UK, where it continued to promote Jamaican music to the masses.
However, the most famous performer whose name is directly associated with reggae, of course, is Bob Marley. Nesta Robert Marley founded The Wailers in 1963. The band played ska, rocksteady and directly reggae. His songs about freedom, love, grass and brotherhood were known to the whole world and understood by every listener. It was thanks to Bob Marley that reggae became mainstream music, which was played on all the radio stations of the decaying capitalist West.
By the way, in the early-mid-1970s, reggae somehow influenced the emerging British punk scene - some young punk bands experimented with reggae rhythms and melodies. Among other things, in the UK in the mid-1980s, reggae experienced a second wave - a lot of new groups appeared, which again forced listeners to move to the rhythm of reggae. Modern reggae in Western countries is represented by numerous groups and performers who imitate the former "style icons". Many hip-hop and soul artists are happy to use reggae elements in their work.
Regia is a broad and diverse concept. This style has spawned many sub-styles and directions, of which there are about 15. Among them, the most notable are dub, dance hall, raga and, probably, the most famous direction roots reggae. As it were, musical varieties Reggae is meant to be danced, as this music is rooted in distant Africa, where song and dance are inseparable.
Reggae music is very closely associated with the Rastafarian movement and the Rastafarian subculture. You can read about rastamans in the corresponding section of our website dedicated to subcultures. What about the musical component? this style, then it is worth dwelling here in more detail. Reggae is recognizable, first of all, thanks to its rhythm, which is difficult to confuse with something else. The rhythm is emphasized by the bass line, the rhythmic pattern is also observed by the guitar. There are no guitar solos usual for fans of rock music - the guitar is just an auxiliary instrument. But important role drums and percussion play (all sorts of noise and percussion instruments), which are typical for exotic countries caribbean bay. Vocals in reggae are also recognizable, all vocalists have a special style of performance. However, for us it is special, but for the black population of southern countries it is quite familiar. The theme of the songs is often acutely social. In their songs, reggae artists sing about injustice, the “system”, which is symbolized by the biblical Babylon. Also in these songs, the performer calls on the black brothers to “rise from their knees” and go to the Promised Land, which the Rastafarians consider Ethiopia. But there is another side of reggae, less topical, where the songs are dedicated to the sun, grass, love and Jah. It is worth noting that these topics are more typical for white reggae artists, since the topic of returning to Ethiopia is not very close to them.
In the USSR, reggae was in the deep underground. Some "dinosaurs" of the domestic rock and roll scene turned to this topic and used certain elements of reggae in their compositions. Chaif, Yanka Diaghileva, Resurrection, Zhanna Aguzarova and Aquarium "dabbled" with such experiments. The latter, by the way, recently released a collection of their songs, one way or another related to reggae. The theme of reggae is not forgotten in the CIS countries today. Some groups are very successful in reggae styling, singing the sun, the sea and the ganja. Among these young dreamers – Alai Oli, Jah Division, 5'nizza and partially SunSay, Green Tea, Island, Jah Republic and others.
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In the mid-80s, the French-Caribbean group Kassav, the first in the Caribbean using MIDI technology, brought Caribbean music to new level, in the new digital format. King Jammy's hit "(Under Me) Sleng Teng" performed by Wayne Smith in full... more
The transformations of genres in music are very exciting periods. Genres change and are difficult to describe. It happened to reggae music in the late 70s, early 80s. “Rub-A-Dub” or “Rub-A-Dub Style” is an intermediate genre between reggae and dancehall... more
Singjaying is a Jamaican reggae vocal style that combines rapping and singing into one fusion. A performer of this style is called a singjay, a combination of a singer and a DJ.
The fusion of singing and DJing occurred in reggae music on early stage.... moreRaggamuffin, abbreviated as ragga, is a sub-genre of dancehall or reggae in which instrumentals are made up of samples, much like hip-hop.
In the mid-80s, Kassav, from the French Antilles, was the first in the Caribbean to use MIDI technology. Thanks... more
If you try to give a simple definition of the term "dancehall", the only suitable phrase is "way of life!".
Dancehall is truly a way of life. This is a phenomenon that attracts people who are geographically separated from each other. Despite... more
Dub is a genre of music that grew out of reggae in the late 60s and is considered by many as a sub-genre, although the style has long gone beyond reggae music. The music in this genre mostly consists of instrumental remixes of songs, usually with the whole or... more
Dub poetry is a form of performance of Caribbean poetry that originated in Jamaica in the 70s from dub music consisting of spoken words over reggae rhythms. Dub poetry was pre-prepared for performance, unlike... more
Roots reggae is a sub-genre of reggae music that focuses on the Rastafarian religion, praise of the god Jah, social issues, poverty, resistance to government and racial oppression, and repatriation to Africa.
Visit of Ethiopian Emperor Haile... more
Lovers rock is a style of reggae music characterized by its romantic content and sound. Although love songs have been an important part of reggae since the late 60s, the style took its name in the mid 70s in South London.
The lovers rock style has taken root in the last... more
Basically, Early Reggae refers to the period before the Rastafari movement became mainstream in Jamaica from about 1968 to 1970. It is distinguished from rocksteady by faster beats, heavy organ lines, bass is lowered down, technical... more
Nyabinghi is a style of Rastafarian music. Also spelled nyabhingi and nyabingi. Nyabinghi is played in religious ceremonies called "grounations" which include drumming, singing and dancing, prayers and ritual marijuana smoking.... more
Rocksteady used musical elements rhythm and blues (R&B), jazz, ska, African and Latin American drums and other genres. The most recognizable elements, as in ska, are rhythm on a weak beat.
