Reggae music - Definition

Reggae
Stylistic origins:	R&B, Jazz, Mento, Calypso, Nyabinghi drumming, Ska, Rocksteady
Cultural origins:	1960s onwards, Jamaica, especially Kingston
Typical instruments:	Bass - Drums - Guitar - Organ - Brass - Melodica
Mainstream popularity:	1970s onwards, worldwide
Derivative forms:	Trip hop - Drum and bass
Subgenres
Roots rock reggae - Dub - Dub poetry - Dee jaying - Dancehall - Ragga - Raggamuffin - Rockers reggae
Fusion genres
Reggaeton - Jamoo - Seggae- Trip hop - Drum and bass
Regional scenes
African - UK - Japanese - Dutch - Fijian - New Zealand - Slovenia - Spain
Other topics
Jamaica - Rastafarianism - Haile Selassie - Marcus Mosiah Garvey

Reggae is an African Caribbean style of music developed on the island of Jamaica and is closely linked to the religion Rastafarianism, though not universally popular among its members. Reggae is founded upon its rhythm style, which is characterized by regular chops on the backbeat, played by the rhythm guitarist. The origins of reggae can be found in traditional African Caribbean music as well as US R&B. Ska and rocksteady are 1960s precursors of reggae. In 1963 a young Jamaican boy named Jackie Mittoo was asked by a man named Coxsone Dodd to run sessions and compose original music at a studio on Brentford Rd. called Studio One. It was here at Studio One that Jackie Mittoo took the traditional ska beat and turned it into what we know know as reggae. Bob Marley, who later popularized the style on a world-wide basis, also recorded rocksteady records early in his career. The style of reggae he made famous is called roots reggae or roots rock reggae, and was and is still used by many artists such as Black Uhuru, Burning Spear, Culture, Prince Lincoln Thompson, Israel Vibration, Delroy Wilson, UB40, The Skatalites, and Toots & the Maytals.

In Jamaica however, new styles are nowadays becoming more popular, among them, dancehall and ragga (or raggamuffin reggae). Dub is an instrumental sub-style of reggae. Mixing techniques employed in dub probably influenced Hip hop, drum and bass and other styles. In any case, the toasting or dee jaying of raggamuffin reggae—first used by artists such as Dillinger or U-Roy—had a world-wide impact because Jamaican DJ Kool Herc used them as he came up with a new style later called hip hop or rap music. In the Jamaican sense of the word, a DJ is an MC or rapper, whereas the DJ is called (music) selector in Jamaica. Therefore what is called dee jaying or chatting in Jamaica is called rapping in most other parts of the world.