June 16, 2004 @ 4:50 pm

Commentary: Hip-Hop vs. Reggae

by: André Coley

Since its inception approximately 25 years ago, rap has taken over the music world. It's not only the controversial lyrics and mood altering beats that helped hip hop become the music of the peop

Reggae, first produced on the island of Jamaica, is an African-Caribbean styled music inherently linked to Rastafarianism. Not universally accepted among the island's inhabitants due to its loose rhythms and slack lyrics, the genre was stapled as the music of the ghetto and shunned by the elite. Adopting its rhythm from US R&B and jazz, Reggae spoke of the harsh living conditions and the oppressive governmental system. By the mid-1960s Bob Marley aided in bringing Reggae to the world and it became popular music. Like hip hop, reggae is seen as a cultural movement and not simply a musical genre. However, new styles became more popular in Jamaica such as Lovers Rock [R&B], Dancehall [crunk] and Raggamuffin [battle-rap]. These subgenres made reggae more accessible and acceptable, offering listeners a wider variety of music to choose from. Using music as a way to escape the harsh and oppressive realities of life in Jamaica brought many Jamaicans to the shores of America. It was around this time Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc used his knowledge and influence to develop rap music, fueled by his talking over breakbeats booming from a massive sound system while B-Boys and B-Girls danced. Like biblical brothers Cain and Abel, reggae and hip hop come from the same bloodline. Both cultures were born from the voice of the oppressed. And like the story of Cain and Abel, reggae and hip hop share a bit of tension in the likes of jealousy and envy. Like Cain, reggae was misunderstood and overlooked by its audience as being too complex in its lyrics and its "slanguage" making it difficult for listeners to decipher. Along came hip hop, crowned the King because of its world-wide record sales. But reggae is making a full swing comeback aggressively attacking the music industry with its sound. Until recently commercial success of reggae artists was limited to the UK. Sean Paul, Elephant Man, Bounty Killa, and Beenie Man have reached the US audience with their extensive "riddims" and vibrant lyrics while collaborating with the likes of Jay-Z, Beyonce, Lil' Jon, and No Doubt. Yet, there was a reggae swell in the states in the mid 90s when artists like Buju Banton, Shabba Ranks, Shaggy, and Super Cat received airplay on radio stations worldwide. We all know that it was on Super Cat's "Dolly My Baby" that we first heard Biggie Smalls and Puff Daddy. Then along came Shaggy, with his record breaking album entitled Hot Shot. This album broke record sales with an amazing 10 million copies worldwide for the track "It Wasn't Me," while receiving a diamond-certified plaque from the RIAA. Since then, if you turn your dial to any urban format station you're certain to catch a reggae tune, or hip hop track inspired by a dancehall riddim. But it could be reagrded as a passing fad, just like what happened in the 90s when dancehall's popularity grew in city's like New York and Miami (primarily due to the growing number of Jamaican immigrants in those cities). Yet, as more hip hop artist overwhelmingly create collabs with their reggae counterparts it seems likely that a true acceptance is more possible. As we search for a less commercial album and more variety in our music the trend seems to be following that of Reggae culture, which has always maintained its roots as a voice for the oppressed.

Article tags: Commentary, Hip-Hop, Vs, Reggae 

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