Reggae as a Musical Style - Essay Example

Reggae Reggae is a musical style which traces its roots to the small island nation of Jamaica. It is synonymous with the former British colonial territory, the recreational use of “ganja”, the rise of Rastafarianism around the world and a man commonly known as “the first Third World superstar” (Pawka). When Reggae first emerged from the Caribbean in the early 1960’s, the United States and United Kingdom’s musical scenes were enthralled with the latest craze of rock n’ roll and R&B. But during this era of musical explosion in the slums of Kingston, “pan-Africanism merged with American R&B and Caribbean music in (the) back alleys to forever change global music” (John). And as the Jamaican record and radio industries began to gain more independence, more music began to flood out from the region. First, new musical genres emerged from the Jamaican R&B flooding the island, which shaped the sound of reggae music. “…around 1960, Jamaican drummers began hitting the second and fourth beats in unison with the piano and guitar, while the bass played walking quarter-notes. That was ska.” (John). The style was vastly different from the established music heard for years on mainstream radio from the mainland, with larger groups creating an overwhelming wall of sound. “Ska’s large brass ensembles gave way to smaller groups and the debt to American Soul music became greater as ska morphed into rocksteady” (John). And by 1968, rocksteady had been absorbed into the next musical genre, reggae. But unlike ska and rocksteady, reggae was not indebted to American music, but instead was the defining sound of an entire country just south of the equator, which was set against a backdrop of social angst. As ska and rocksteady lacked the cultural significance of reggae, the genres also lacked an intimate connection with philosophical and religious beliefs of their intended audiences. “Rocksteady, like Soul music, had the commercial discipline of white pop music, but Reggae rejected that discipline, and its retrieval of the Africanness in Afro-Caribbean music went hand-in-hand with the rise of the Rastafari” (John). The religion and music quickly became one and the same, as the ritualistic practices and fundamental beliefs of the Rastafarian religion absorbed itself into the songs. “One of the outgrowths of Rastafarianism is its heavy influence in reggae music” (Robinson). As reggae music refused to let itself become the sound of the industrial western world, Rastafarianism rejected the world commonly referred to as “Babylon”. The last emperor of Ethiopia, Hailie Selassie, was believed to have been the rebirth of the Messiah in the Rastafarian faith. He was incredibly influential with his opinions concerning the persistent problems plaguing the peoples of Africa. In a speech he delivered before the United Nations, Selassie expressed his hopes for the future of the non-white and lower class inhabitants of a free world. “That until the philosophy which holds no race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; that until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of any nation; that until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; that until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; that until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued, but never attained” (Selassie). (Time Magazine, November 3, 1930, featuring Ethiopian Emperor Hailie Selaasie, the magazine’s “Man of the Year” in 1930) Selassie’s words pleading for international peace were so influential on African and Jamaican culture, that the world’s most recognizable Rastafarian included these words as the verses of one of his most infamous songs. Bob Marley, the single soul and defining musician of a millennium, who elevated reggae to a global musical style, adapted Selassie’s words into his song “War”, from the Wailers’ 1976 album Rastaman Vibration. The bass notes for the verses proceed as follows; G ||---------------------------------------------------|| D ||---------------------------------------------------|| A ||-1-1-1-1---------1---------1-1-1-1-----------6--4--|| E ||----------1-4-1-----4-1--------------1-4-1---------|| G ||-------------------------------------|| D ||-------------------------------------|| A ||-1-1-1-1-----------1-1-1-1-----------|| E ||---------4--4-4-------------4--4-4---|| G ||---------------------|| D ||---------------------|| A ||-1-1-1-1---------3-3-|| E ||-----------4-4-------|| The pusling A and E chords of the bass during the verses, melding with the vibrant percussion and horn sections, creates a sense of urgency, coinciding with the desperate content of the need of peace for Africans. The use of the A and E chords paint a dark picture for the listener, as if they too are personally experiencing the feeling of injustice bestowed upon others, simply based on race.  The religious foundation of Sellasie and Marley’s plea for peace is Rastafarianism, and “is at the very core of the Wailers’ music” (Pawka). Marley formed the Wailers in the early 1960’s as an R&B trio with his childhood friends Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston, in one of the world’s most notorious ghettos, Trench Town, Jamaica. Growing up in such a harsh environment, the band soon absorbed many of the social and political beliefs put forth by Rastafarianism, as well as the emerging reggae sound which came to dominate the popular music scene. (Country Profile’s Map of Jamaica, 2001) However, reggae did not achieve commercial acclaim from Marley and the Wailers themselves, but only until rock ‘n roll legend Eric Clapton covered the band’s song “I Shot the Sheriff”, did the music reach an international stage. The music of the Wailers utilized a pulsing bass, thumping percussion, elements of both the ska and rocksteady guitar (which achieved a sound similar to “chik-chik”) and layers of back-up vocals blending with Marley’s sweet and sorrowful timbre (in the Wailers, they were known as the “Three Little Birds”, which included Marley’s wife, Rita). Soon, Marley was an international superstar, and the official symbol of reggae, Rastafarianism and the nation of Jamaica. However, he succumbed to cancer on May 11, 1981, when he was only 36 years old (Pawka). The other original members of the Wailers, Tosh and Livingston, went on to successful solo careers. Before Marley became the face of reggae, Peter Tosh collaborated with the Rolling Stones on several songs, and was the first Jamaican reggae musician to sign a major label contract in the United States. With the artistic creations and social contributions of Marley, Tosh and Livingston, among numerous others artists who hail from Jamaica, reggae transformed from a Jamaican incarnation to the global sound of opposition to oppression and the love necessary for a “one world”. However, artists of all races outside of the Caribbean never fully embraced reggae, and it has yet to achieve the peak it has obtained in the islands. But, the soul of reggae music continues to pulse as the heartbeat of an entire culture. Works Cited Country Profile. “Jamaica Map”. 2001. 14 May 2009. John, Ras. “The Story of Reggae Music”. Reggae.com, 2004. 14 May, 2009. Pawka, Mike. “Bob Marley Biography”. Jammin Reggae Archives. 14 May 2009. Robinson, Walter. “What is Rastafarianism?” Last Chance Ministries, 2000. 14 May 2009. Sellasie, Hailie. Address. United Nations General Assembly. 6 Oct. 1963. Time Magazine. “Hailie Selassie – Man of the Year, 1930”. Volume XVI, Number 18. 3 Nov. 1930. 14 May 2009. Read More