The history of the genre
• Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.
• the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the
development of Ska and Rocksteady.
• Reggae is based on a rhythmic style characterized by regular beats on the off-beat, known as
the skank. Reggae is normally slower than ska, and usually has accents on the first and third
beat in each bar.
• Reggae song lyrics deal with many subjects, including religion, love, sexuality, peace, relationships,
poverty, injustice and other social and political issues.
• The word reggae as a musical term first appeared in print with the 1968 rocksteady hit "Do
the Reggay" by The Maytals, but it was already being used in Kingston
Key artists in the development of the
genre
The Wailers, a band started by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer in 1963, is perhaps the
most recognized band that made the transition through all three stages of early Jamaican
popular music: Ska, Rocksteady and reggae. Other significant reggae pioneers include Prince
Buster, Desmond Decker and Ken Boothe.
At the moment, the 64-year-old reggae singer takes home the Grammy Award for Best Reggae
Album for his 2012 album, ‘Rebirth.’ Jimmy Cliff was up against the Original Wailers, Sean Paul,
Sly Robbie & the Jam Masters and Toots and the Maytals.
Audience
You Don't Have to Be a Rasta to Listen to Reggae!
Those who listen to reggae music are generally considered to be Rastafarians or
Jamaicans.
The target audience for reggae was poor, working class Jamaicans, however the genre
ended up being listened to in all countries by people of all ages and race and it was
adopted by the skinhead culture of 1980’s Brita in and the Mods-also in Britain.
The target audience has a broad number of admirers, for example: white
middle class, Asians etc.
Public perception of the genre
• Many people view reggae as music which brings peace
to people, however there are many stereotypes such as:
• People who make or listen to the reggae smoke weed.
• They have dreadlocks
• They are Rastafarians
Conventions of the genre
• Tracks consist of mainly percussion and strong baselines, with a typical tempo of with
singing and guitar. ‘Dub’ tracks are usually without singing and focus on the instruments
and can be re-worked versions.
• In the music videos the artist usually seen performing cuts to the artist with people
• The videos are very simple and not overcomplicated which sits the genre perfectly- chilled
and relaxed.
Sub-genres
There are several sub-genres for reggae:
• Early reggae
• Roots reggae
• Dub
• Rockers
• Lovers rock
Newer styles and spin offs:
• Hip hop and rap
• Dancehall
• Raggamuffin
• Reggaeton
• Reggae fusion
Record labels
There are many record labels in
the Reggae industry:
• Blood and fire
• Circulation music
• East star records
• Falasha recordings
• I grade records
• Jah works
• Magnet records
• Tanty records
• Trojan records
• Universal Egg
Reggae Magazines
Name of
Magazine
No of magazines
sold in a year
How often do
they come out?
What features do
they contain?
United Reggae
733,365
Every Month
Old reggae music,
Interviews
Irie Up
N/A
Every 2 months
History, new
releases,
interviews
ReggaeVille
N/A
Once a year
Concert, tributes
Backayard
N/A
Every month
Interviews
Analysis of United Reggae
Magazine
Issue date
Masthead
Main
image
Main Cover
lines
Cover
lines
Banner
The colour scheme
matches the theme of
the magazine reggae,
green, yellow, red. The
masthead is big and
stands out its in capitals.
Next to the word
‘united’ there is a
reggae flag with stars in
the middle, represents
the reggae culture. It is
east to identify, the
main image also has a
black man with the
colours of the reggae
flag on his jumper.
Cross Media
Radio Stations
There are many different types of radio stations
that are a part of Reggae:
Official Radio Stations-
Pirate Radio Stations-
Bob Marley
Artist: Bob Marley and The Wailers
Genre: Reggae
Nesta Marley “Bob” Marley (6th
February 1945-11 May 1981) he was a
Jamaican singer song writer and
musician. He was the rhythm guitarist
and lead singer for the Ska, Rock
steady and reggae bands.
The Wailers (1963-1974) and Bob
Marley & The Wailers (1974-1981).
Marley remains the most widely
known and revered performer of
reggae music, and is credited with
helping spread both Jamaican music
and the Rastafarian movement to a
worldwide audience.
Bob Marley
Marley’s music was heavily
influenced by the social issues of
his homeland, and he is
considered to have given voice to
the specific political and cultural
nexus of Jamaica.
His best-knows hits include “I shot
the sheriff”, “No women, no cry”,
“Could you be loved”.
Reggae Future
Reggae music has developed widely in the
music industry through many different
media, such as magazines, radio, TV and
websites. This reaches a wide variety of
people. This shows that it is a popular
music genre and is appreciated.