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The Birth

Most people on planet Earth have heard the sound of Reggae music in one beat or another. The early pioneers, Bob Marley, Coxsone Dodd, Peter Tosh, Jackie Mittoo, Toots and the Maytals and other notable mentions, set the stage for what has now become a mainstream genre. In the past 10 years, the popularity of Sean Paul, Shaggy, Buju Banton, has raised the status of reggae almost on the same level of Pop or R&B. But what is the true meaning of Reggae?

There are no wrong or right answers to this question. A throw back 40 years ago to the heart of Trench Town may provide some “real” answers to this question. According to music historians this was where Reggae was born, shaped by the sounds of Ska, Mento and Rocksteady. The unsophisticated instruments fashioned by talented artists, created a mixture of catchy rhythms. In other parts of the country, other lesser known musicians were crafting a brew of “one drop” beat that would in later years marry the sounds of Trench Town.

Little did the early pioneers know that their “blend of rhythm and beat” would extend far beyond the zinc fence and shanty towns and would reach the steps of “Buckingham Palace”. If the 60’s was a period of struggle, the 70’s was a rebirth of “Black Power”. Reggae soon became an important medium to express the fight against oppression, freedom of expression and the voice of Rastafarianism.

The Personal Touch

The often less spoken or written legacy of Reggae is its emotional power. For lovers or simply listeners of this music, the emotions created by Reggae are (like a draw of weed)… Feelings conveyed in religious proportion. It taste like “food”, it reminds one of a “person” or it simply conveys a “place”. It certainly is personal. Somehow the sound translates into “Stew Peas and Rice” or reminds one of “Hellshire Beach” or maybe that “Old Flame”. There are no same answers to the question of ..What does Reggae personally means to you?

There are no simple words to express the power and the connection that this great sound provides to the human spirit. Certainly this sound called Reggae has set the stage for creating an inspiration for the world.