History Reggae Music Relaxing on the beach feels less if reggae music is not playing. Reggae songs are fun to accompany singing. Actually, how did the development of this musical genre first appear? Origin of reggae music comes from Jamaica,
an island country in the Caribbean Sea. This musical genre has its roots in the social upheaval in post-war Jamaica. Jamaica was coloniz and enslav by the Spanish and British. Mento is the foundation of reggae music.
Mento is the name of the traditional Jamaican music that emerged in the 1940s to 1950s. These songs were compos of enslaved people, with guitar, rumba box, bongo, and banjo instruments. The lyrics are satirical to everyday life, verses, messages of unity and hope.
Figure
Bob Marley is consider a pioneer of reggae music. Robert Nesta Marley OM, full name, is a Jamaican musician born in Nine Mile on February 6, 1945. With his band, Bob Marley and The Wailers, he sang songs about the past of slavery oppression and the future hope of unity.
In Indonesia, there is a legendary band that is consistent with reggae, namely Coconut Treez (formerly Steven & Coconut Treez). Mbah Surip is also one of the hit reggae singers whose song “Tak Gendong” shocked Indonesia in 2009. The colors red, yellow and green are the special identities of reggae music. Like the colorful hat that Bob Marley often wears.
Development
Mento’s music faded in the 1960s, displaced by the influence of R&B music from the United States. The ska music genre, a fast-paced music genre was form. Ska music adopted the American R&B style but added elements of mento. The tempo is 4/4 with guitar or piano increasing the off-beat emphasis as well as brass and bass instruments.
The next genre that was born was rocksteady, similar to ska but the tempo was slower and relaxed and easy to use for dancing background songs. The emphasis of the bass sound is also more. The late 1960s saw civil war in Jamaica. Reggae music emerged and reflected the new Jamaica.
The composition of reggae music is fill with bass and drums. The lyrics become more lively, filled with protests and revolutionary nuances. Reggae’s presence can still felt today, influencing genres such as punk, hip hop and rock through artists such as Eric Clapton, Sean Paul, Rihanna, Protoje and Chronixx.