Jamaican music

From Jamaica Wiki

Jamaica is the home of many music styles. The most popular Jamaican music styles are reggae and ska.

The earliest form of true Jamaican music genre was Junkanoo. It was formed in the early 20th century and featured folk music and work music. Later on it evolved into the Mento style.

Mento was recorded in the 1960s due to the efforts of Stanley Motta. It never gained the popularity of Calypso however it is still played today. Some of the most popular Mento performers were Count Lasher, Lord Composer and George Moxey, Jolly Boys.

In the beginning of 1960s a new music genre appeared – ska. The ska music was fast and danceable. The best-known ska performers were The Skatalites.

With the spread of Rastafarianism and the lyrics of the ska songs began to focus on Rastafarian themes. The beats became slower. The traditional ska mixed with the religious Rastafari music and this is how rock steady genre was formed.

Rock steady music put an emphasis on bass line and the rhythm guitar began playing on the up-beat. The most famous musicians during that period were Desmond Dekker, Supersonics, Soul Vendors, Jets and Jackie Mittoo.

During the 1970s, rock steady evolved into reggae music. The new genre combined elements from American soul music with the traditional Jamaican mento. Reggae quickly became popular around the world. Its success is mainly because of the great popularity of Bob Marley & the Wailers, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.

Bob Markey was a major figure in the reggae music. His song's lyrics were close to Rastafari movement and that is why he was seen as a Rastafarians messianic figure by some fans.

Dancehall and ragga became the most popular Jamaican music genres during the 1980s. Dancehall music was characterized by speech over music. The texts concentrated over less serious issues. Ragga is characterized by the use of computerized beats and sequenced melodic tracks.

Dancehall continued to be one of the most popular music genres in Jamaica during the 1990s and 2000s. The lyrics changed again. Many artists became popular outside Jamaica - Buju Banton (Till Shiloh), Beenie Man, Bounty Killer. The ragga musicians also changed their lyrics. Some of the most famous ragga musicians of that period are Beenie Man, Shabba Ranks and Capleton.

Dancehall is now seemingly reverting to the one drop sound of the 70's. [[Image:Image:Example.jpgImage:Example.jpg]]