Raggamuffin - Definition and Overview

Raggamuffin (or ragga) is a kind of reggae that includes digitized backing instrumentation. It is a form of dancehall, and has been popular since the middle of the 1980s; "Under Me Sleng Teng" (Wayne Smith; 1985) is usually recognized as the first ragga song. The instrumentation is usually behind dub singing, which is similar to rap music in its focus on rhythmic, assonating and rhyming words.

Important ragga artists include: Beenie Man, Pato Banton, Tony Rebel, Buju Banton, Anthony B, Cocoa Tea, Charlie Chaplin, Mad Cobra, Ini Kamoze, Bounty Killer, Tippa Irie, and Cutty Ranks.