Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the word "reggae", effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. While sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most types of popular Jamaican dance music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that was strongly influenced by traditional mento as well as American jazz and rhythm and blues, and evolved out of the earlier genres ska and rocksteady. Reggae usually relates news, social gossip, and political commentary. It is instantly recognizable from the counterpoint between the bass and drum downbeat and the offbeat rhythm section. The immediate origins of reggae were in ska and rocksteady; from the latter, reggae took over the use of the bass as a percussion instrument.
Pillar is an American Christian rock band from Tulsa, consisting of members Rob Beckley, Noah Henson, Michael "Kalel" Wittig, and Lester Estelle II. The band has released nine studio albums, three EPs, and 24 singles since its formation in 1998.
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish reggae, including harmony groups such as The Techniques, The Paragons, The Heptones and The Gaylads; soulful singers such as Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, Bob Andy, Ken Boothe and Phyllis Dillon; musicians such as Jackie Mittoo, Lynn Taitt and Tommy McCook. The term rocksteady comes from a popular (slower) dance style mentioned in the Alton Ellis song 'Rocksteady' that matched the new sound. Some rocksteady songs became hits outside Jamaica, as with ska, helping to secure the international base reggae music has today.
Alton Nehemiah Ellis was a Jamaican singer-songwriter. One of the innovators of rocksteady who was given the informal title "Godfather of Rocksteady". In 2006, he was inducted into the International Reggae And World Music Awards Hall Of Fame.
The Slackers are an American ska band, formed in Manhattan, New York in 1991. The band's sound is a mix of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, soul, garage rock, and jazz. The Slackers' notability is credited to their prolific career, tours of North America, Europe, and elsewhere, and signing to notable punk label Hellcat Records.
Redlight is an album by The Slackers, released on September 23, 1997 on Hellcat Records. It solidified the Slackers' sound, with ska, reggae, and dub remaining prevalent. The track "Watch This" received airplay on college radio stations. Jeremy Mushlin made his vocal debut on the track, "She Wants to Be Alone".
Big Head Todd and The Monsters are a rock band formed in 1984 in Colorado, with Todd Mohr on guitar and vocals, Brian Nevin on drums and Brad Christerson on bass. The trio toured Europe in 1985, where their first demo track and music videos were produced in London. The band has released a number of albums since 1989 with their 1993 album Sister Sweetly going platinum in the United States. The band has developed a sizable live following especially in the Mountain States of the United States.
Ky-Mani Marley is a Jamaican reggae and hip-hop artist. His name is of East African origin, and means "Adventurous Traveler". He is the only child of Bob Marley with Anita Belnavis, a Jamaican table tennis champion. In 2001, he received a Grammy Award nomination for his album, Many More Roads.
Rocksteady is a musical genre, a predecessor of reggae, that was most popular in Jamaica in the 1960s.
Victor "Vic" Ruggiero, is a musician, songwriter and producer from New York City who has played in reggae, blues, ska and rocksteady bands since the early 1990s, including The Slackers, Stubborn All-Stars, SKAndalous All Stars, Crazy Baldhead and The Silencers. He has also performed with punk rock band Rancid, both live and in the studio. He has released four solo acoustic albums and continues to tour and record worldwide. Ruggiero is known primarily as a singer and organist, although he also plays piano, bass, banjo, cigar box guitar, guitar, harmonica and percussion.
"Disco" Dave Hillyard is a tenor saxophonist originating from San Diego, California. He has performed in groups such as The Slackers, The Rocksteady Seven, The Donkey Show, Hepcat, Stubborn All-Stars, and has guested with the likes of Rancid, Victor Rice, Skinnerbox NYC and Alexandra Lawerentz. He is a skilled improviser and composer/arranger with more than thirty album credits to his name.
Carlton Errington Grant, better known as Spragga Benz, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay.
Thierry Moutoussamy, better known as Lord Kossity, is a French musician. His family is originally from Martinique but he was born in Paris, France and moved back to the French Antilles with his family when he was 11 years old. He began his career in the 1990s with the group Contrast, with his cousin, Dr G-Kill. He started incorporating ragga music with the zouk style later in the 1990s, and has since recorded a number of albums and collaborated with Suprême N.T.M., Vybz Kartel, Shaggy, Bounty Killer, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and Elephant Man.
David Constantine Brooks, better known by his stage name Mavado, is a Jamaican dancehall singer, who is signed to We the Best Music Group and formerly to Cash Money Records.
The Rocksteady 7 or "David Hillyard & the Rocksteady Seven", is an American Ska and Jazz band from New York, New York that formed in 1992. Since the early 1990s the group has consisted of tenor saxophonist and band leader Dave Hillyard as well as percussionist Larry McDonald. In live performances, they are supported by a rotating cast of musicians, including drummer Eddie Ocampo and Dave Wake on keys among others.
Rocksteady Studios Limited is a British video game developer based in London, England. Founded on 13 December 2004, the studio is best known for its work in the Batman: Arkham series. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Our Heart's Hero is an American Christian pop rock band founded in 2004. The group's touring players include Nick Joyce, Jacob Lawrence, Caleb Conroy, and Tyler Wellman.
Top Shotta is the debut studio album by American rapper NLE Choppa. It was released on August 7, 2020 via NLE Choppa Entertainment under exclusive license to Warner Records. It was initially set for release in early 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests. The production of the album was handled by several record producers, including CashMoneyAP, Javar Rockamore and TNTXD. It features guest appearances from Mulatto, Roddy Ricch, Chief Keef, and Lil Baby. The album debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200.
Bryson Lashun Potts, known professionally as NLE Choppa, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He rose to fame with his January 2019 single "Shotta Flow", which was certified platinum by the RIAA and peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was featured on his debut EP Cottonwood.
"Shotta Flow" is the debut single by American rapper NLE Choppa, released as on January 17, 2019. A remix, featuring fellow American rapper Blueface was later released, for which a Cole Bennett-directed music video was made. The remix was released on June 20, 2019. Produced by Midas800, The song reached number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Three additional sequels to the song were released throughout 2019, with the fifth, "Shotta Flow 5", released in June 2020. The original and the remix were later included on NLE Choppa's debut EP Cottonwood. "Shotta Flow 4", featuring Chief Keef, was released on NLE Choppa's debut album Top Shotta, on August 7, 2020.
