Socio-historical contextualization of reggae

 Reggae first developed in Jamaica in the 1960s and 70s but it developed slowly. It first started when Jamaica gained it's independence from England in 1962. But following this independence was mass poverty throughout the country because Jamaica's economy was largely based on former colonial arrangements. There were not many opportunities to make money and thus Jamaica became dependent on aid from other countries like the US. When the Cold War started, the tensions between the US and Russia and Cuba caused the US to withdraw it's support for Jamaica. In 1971, the US sent 23 million dollars whereas in 1975 they only sent 4 million. The massive debt forced Jamaica to accept emergency funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but they imposed strict restrictions that wreaked the economy entirely, causing Jamaica to raise taxes and ultimately force people to leave or close their businesses. With the economic situation affecting everybody, people turned to music to voice their anger.

The early Carribean music were classified as Mento and Calypso. With the influence of American Jazz and R&B, they combined to create ska. Ska became the expression for the “Rude Boy” culture in the 1950s. Early innovators include Tommy McCook, Ronald Alphonso, and Don Drummond also known as the Skatalites. Ska soon developed into rock steady and then into reggae. Reggae was amongst the earliest forms of music that did not involve a live band. All that was required was records, mixer, and a powerful sound system. The most famous studio in Jamaica was called the Black Ark. Lee “Scratch” Perry was the owner and he recorded singers, bands and DJs so that he could mix and edit the sounds to make new sounds. Only needing a selector and records allowed artists to transform any yard into an entertainment location where people could escape the harsh realities of the economy. These yards soon turned into DJ competitions and battles over who had the most unique sound. From a accident where Redwood forgot to add the vocals to the music, dub was created and this with reggae took Jamaica by storm.

With reggae and dub becoming mainstream, politicians saw the effects it had on the people. The two political groups were the conservative Jamaican Labour Party and the leftist People's National Party. By using the popular songs for their campaigns, they could gain the support of the local populations. They also started recruiting the gangs to help them gain certain areas votes. In return the gangs were given jobs and other benefits. But this led to bloodshed as gangs fought over territories and politics. In the middle of this fighting, artists like Bob Marley called for peace and the end of bloodshed. But the wars took their toll as leaders and artists were assassinated.

Reggae became the voice of the people. From it's development from ska and rock steady, it became a mainstream form of entertainment that attracted the local people and those in power. Artists like Bob Marley used reggae to protest bring awareness about the harsh realities in Jamaica. With that, they brought reggae to the rest of the world. From reggae came hip hop in the Bronx and the hip hop culture we have today.  

Aaron C.