An Overview of Reggae Music Essay - 1268 Words

Reggae is a genre of music that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. It is known for the heavy and strong emphasis on the bass within the background beat. Reggae was perceived as a kind of music used to express feelings about the social, political, and economic hardships in Jamaica during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was performed by musicians from black ghettos who used unhurried beats to make a style of music of their own. Reggae became an important part of the lifestyle of many Caribbean islanders; expressing a sense of pride of their Caribbean culture. Reggae was developed from ska and rocky steady. Ska consisted of elements of Caribbean and mento, calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"From the shantytowns of Kingston, Jamaica, to the cobblestones streets of Great Britain, reggae music was a powerful and liberating voice for the poor and oppressed. In the last thirty years, reggae stars Bob Marley, Burning Spear, and Alpha Blondy have sung â€Å"redemption† songs- messages of human rights and universal love in a â€Å"Babylonian† world of civil unrest, political instability, and economic collapse†(Bays, King, and Foster, 2002, p. XI). Bob Marley was the most famous reggae artist to bring popularity upon the music; selling over 20 million records worldwide. His songs such as â€Å"One Love† and â€Å"Redemption Song† were inspired by the effects of oppression upon blacks in Jamaica. Marleys persona for unity and peace among people throughout the world was an inspiration for Jamaicans. Most blacks in Jamaica during the 1960s suffered from economic hardships and racial discrimination. This in turn marked the beginning of a religious movement called Rastafarinism where reggae music was an element that distinguished Rastafarians from the rest of society. According to Chang and Chen, British colonial authorities and the local establishment viewed R astafarians; forthright espousal of black unity and pride, and their unconventional appearance and customs, as threats to the existing social order. (Chang, Chen, 1998. p.26) Reggae music allowed blacks to have pride of their culture and not limited themselves to the demeaning social orders inShow MoreRelatedHow Marleys Music Changed Society1683 Words   |  7 PagesThe paper discusses how Marley’s music changed society by mainstreaming the ideas of black resistance, social justice, racial equality, and anti-colonialism to the baby-boom generation and generations endlessly onward. The paper will outline the historical background of reggae as well as the social cause to which it became attached by the work of Marley. The paper submits that reggae, ultimately, became the chief means of expressing the angst and dislocation felt by many within the African DiasporaRead MoreAnimal Description836 Words   |  4 Pagesdigest worms. Duckeodendraceae Description: A thick stem plant that grows in Brazil. Grobya amherstiae Description: With living on a high elevation, they can usually be found on a Brazilian mountain called the Serra de Mantiqueira Climate Overview The average temperature in Salvador Brazil is 77.5℉. The warmest month is March and the coldest is August. Average temp in March is 79.9℉ and the average temp in August is 74.5℉. Highest recorded temp was 93.7 in March and the lowest temp 61.2 whichRead MoreEssay Outline on Music1308 Words   |  6 Pagesinfluenced by music, as music is scientifically influential to the human brain. Olteteanu, Ion. The formative function of musical interactions within social identity. Geopolitics, History, and International Relations 3.1 (2011): 215+. Academic OneFile. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. We turn to music, we need it, because of its ability to move us, to induce feelings and moods, states of mind. â€Å"Bures notes that the human brain is uniquely configured to process music, and that music processing preparesRead More A Struggling Economy: Jamaica and U.S. Relations Essay4504 Words   |  19 Pagesmy informants’ right to confidentiality, I will not include their names in this essay. Yet, before addressing this topic any further, I will now give a brief overview of Jamaica’s history of colonization, independence and political trends to gain a better understanding of where this country came from and where it is going. Brief Overview of Jamaican: History of Colonization/Independence Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean Sea that is located just south of Cuba. 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