Explore Reggae on Josplay Music Everything in reggae revolves around rhythm, Reggae has a lot of offbeat beats. These are often staccato beats performed by a guitar or piano (sometimes both) on the measure's offbeats. Most reggae music has a 'jumpy' quality as a result of this, the bass guitar is essential for keeping the rhythm.
Reggae’s origins can be traced back to Ska and Rocksteady, two popular Jamaican music styles before reggae's advent. Emerging in the 1960s, popular Jamaican artists began to switch from rocksteady musicians to Reggae musicians. Early reggae songs touched on romance and women, but by the 70s, the genre began touching on more spiritual and political themes due to its association with the Rastafari movement.
The goduction of reggae was propelled by the 1973 film The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff. The movie’s reggae soundtrack and socio-political themes exposed audiences worldwide to the genre, and its success paved the way for artists like Bob Marley, who soon became reggae’s global icon. Songs by Marley's group, The Wailers—originally a ska band founded with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer—highlighted the genre's transition through ska, rocksteady, and ultimately reggae, securing its international reputation. The first true reggae hits, Nanny Goat by Larry Marshall and No More Heartaches by the Beltones, were also released in 1968, marking reggae’s established presence.
Behind the sceential Jamaican producers such as Lee "Scratch" Perry, King Tubby, Coxsone Dodd, Leslie Kong, Duke Reid, and Joe Gibbs were pivotal in shaping reggae’s sound. Outside Jamaica, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell and Trojan Records helped spread reggae internationally. Blackwell's partnership with Lee Gopthal’s Trojan Records brought reggae to the UK, broadening its appeal until Trojan’s acquisition by Saga Records in 1974.
In Africa, reggae gained popularity largely thanks to Bob Marley's visit to Zimbabwe in 1980, where he performed at the nation’s independence celebration. This marked a major milestone, as reggae had already circulated through Africa in the 1960s and 1970s via Marley's and Jimmy Cliff’s records, inspiring local scenes, particularly in Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Nigeria.
The Jamaican accent is usually heavy in most reggae songs, since it originated from there. Lyrically, most reggae music comes from a deep sense of animosity and the need for survival and to be fighters. The concept of call-and-response can be found in reggae, signifying its African roots.
Most of the chords follow common progressions such as I – V – vi – IV (in the key of C, this would be C – G – A min – F). The majority of reggae bass sections are just riffs (melodic patterns) with frequent octave leaps. Other instruments fill in spaces between the complex polyrhythm. while
Reggae is closely associated with the Rastafari movement, as they both went international around the same time, with Reggae serving as an important medium to spread the Rastafari message. Early reggae songs touched on romance and women, but by the 70s, due to it’s association with the Rastafari movement, the genre began touching on more spiritual and political themes, borrowing also the Nyahbinghi drumming tradition.
The bass provides weight and anchor giving the Reggae genre a Dark, Round feeling.
A decent amount of reggae songs are written using the 4/4 meter with a heavy emphasis on the offbeat. The average tempo of a reggae tune ranges between 80 – 110 BPM, slightly slower than the usual commercial pop song. This can be attributed to how reggae has a strong groove that would only make sense with slower tempos.