Reggae fusion | |
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Stylistic origins | |
Cultural origins | Late 1970s – early 1980s, North America (especially Jamaica) |
Typical instruments | |
Subgenres | |
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Fusion genres | |
Euro reggae | |
Other topics | |
Reggae fusion is a fusion genre of reggae that mixes reggae and/or dancehall with other genres, such as pop, rock, hip-hop/rap, R&B, jazz, funk, soul, disco, electronic, and Latin music, amongst others. [1] [6] [7]
Artists have been mixing reggae with other genres from as early as the early 1970s, but initially they were described using terms that joined the various genres they performed (e.g. "reggae funk", "reggae pop", "reggae-disco"). It was not until the late 1990s that the term "reggae fusion" was coined. [8]
The subgenre predominantly evolved from late 1980s and early 1990s dancehall music which instrumentals or "riddims" contained elements from the R&B and hip hop genres. Due to this, some consider dancehall artists such as Mad Cobra, Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, Buju Banton and Tony Rebel as pioneers of reggae fusion. [9] For some of these artists, among them Buju Banton, reggae fusion became a staple throughout their careers. However, reggae fusion can be traced back to before the success of these artists, as far back as the late 1970s and early 1980s, with such songs as "Pass the Dutchie", and the band Third World blazed the trail, finding international success with songs such as "Now That We Found Love" and "Try Jah Love". [10] Therefore, Third World can be seen as arguably the original pioneers of reggae fusion leading the way for groups such as UB40 and Steel Pulse.
Although there were a few recognized reggae fusion artists in the late 1980s to mid-1990s, including the aforementioned acts in addition to others such as Sublime, Maxi Priest, Shinehead, 311, First Light, the Police and Inner Circle, their style of fusing genres was subtly done. [11] [12] Artists such as Diana King, Patra, Buju Banton, Ini Kamoze, Snow and Shabba Ranks followed in their footsteps, however, creating a less subtle fusion by further blending heavier Jamaican dialect as well as more hardcore and sexual lyrics in their songs. [13] This led to a lot of crossover success for these artists with songs such as "Informer" and "Here Comes the Hotstepper" reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as topping charts all around the world. As the subgenre began to take shape, the mid- to late 1990s saw artists becoming more innovative as many began to mix genres that were not similar nor typically associated with reggae, such as techno and house, leading to the subgenre gaining a more distinctive following and really beginning to grow. [9] Ironically, however, a major contributing factor to the subgenre garnering further international prominence was due to the lack of marketability of dancehall, especially in its rawest form, in the United States.
By the late 1990s, dancehall had lost its footing in the American market. While it was initially an appreciated novelty, it had gotten too hardcore lyrically. Further, vocalists started using even heavier Jamaican dialect and less standard English; this made it harder for a wider audience to understand what was being said. It had also come under heavy criticism from the international markets due to the homophobic lyrical content which sought to bash, condemn and instigate violence against the act as well as those who supported or participated in the lifestyle. [14] This led dancehall artists who were trying to break into the U.S. market, to fuse the dancehall style of toasting or deejaying over softer and predominantly pop and hip hop instrumentals as well as to diversify the content of their songs while moving away from homophobic lyrics. Traditional dancehall acts, such as Shaggy and Beenie Man experienced commercial success in the American markets with the release of their albums in 2000. [7] [15] [16] Shaggy had previously experienced multiple chart successes in the '90s but it was his album, Hot Shot , that especially helped further propel the subgenre internationally, as his album spawned two number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel". [7] [16] No Doubt's 2002 massive hit album Rock Steady , with worldwide reggae fusion hits such as "Underneath it All" featuring Lady Saw and "Hey Baby" featuring Bounty Killer, further propelled the subgenre's popularity to new heights. This was especially because it marked one of the first times a pop/ska punk act had made a complete reggae fusion album since the mid-'90s and opened up the genre to a new fan base as reggae fusion was, at that point, mainly utilized by reggae artists trying to break into the mainstream market and not by already established acts, such as No Doubt. [17] The early 2000s also saw Sean Paul achieve tremendous success internationally with singles such as "Baby Boy", "Breathe", "Like Glue" and "Make It Clap", among many others. [18] His albums Dutty Rock and The Trinity altogether spawned five top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits between 2002 and 2006, including the number-one hits "Get Busy" and "Temperature".
In the early 1990s, the evolution of reggae fusion reached another musical style in Europe with the worldwide number-one hits "All That She Wants", "The Sign", "Happy Nation" and "Don't Turn Around" by Ace of Base. Eurodance artists such as Dr. Alban, Dreamhouse, E-Rotic and the Vengaboys also regularly fused their style with reggae. The sound was often called Euro reggae and became a trend of Eurodance music, including such songs as Mr. President's "Coco Jamboo", Tatjana's "Sweet Sweet Smile", E-Rotic's "Help Me Dr. Dick", Rollergirl's "Ole Ole Singin' Ole Ola", Garcia's "Bamboleo", Maribel Gonzalez (M:G)'s "If You Think", DJ BoBo's "It's My Life", T-Spoon's "Sex on the Beach" and Vengaboys' "We're Going to Ibiza" and "Uncle John from Jamaica". [19]
The first reggae fusion-influenced riddim was produced in 2005 by Cordell "Skatta" Burrell, which featured deejays on a techno-based instrumental. [20] [21] Reggae fusion is now a regular staple on Jamaican radio stations, especially Zip 103 FM, in the form of singles, mixes and remixes. This has led to more reggae fusion hits being produced as well as making strong waves on the dancehall charts in Jamaica. One such single, "Ramping Shop" (using the same instrumental of Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent") by Vybz Kartel and Spice, was one of the biggest reggae fusion hits in 2008, not to mention one of the top singles in Jamaica of that year, peaking at number one.
Its continued exposure to Jamaicans became very evident in 2009, as the summer saw an explosion of Jamaican-produced reggae fusion riddims such as "Mood Swing" (which yielded the massive breakout number-one hit "Life" by G-Whizz) [22] and hit tracks such as "Holiday" by Ding Dong and "(From Mawning) Never Change" by Chino. Both of these songs reached the top five on the Jamaican charts, with the former track peaking at number one in December 2009 [23] and both (along with "Life") being nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 2010 EME Music Awards (Jamaican equivalent to the Grammy Awards), which was won by "Holiday". [24] This marked the first time a reggae fusion song had won the prestigious award since the award show's conception in 2008 as well as the first time three reggae fusion songs were nominated for the award. "Holiday" was also nominated and won for the "Best Collaboration". [25] Since 2010, reggae fusion has become a regular component of dancehall music and is as popular as it has ever been, being incorporated in such riddims as the popular "One Day" riddim produced by Seanizzle.
In 2011, Shaggy established a reggae fusion record label called Ranch Entertainment. It was intended to be launched in the summer of 2012. [26]
Its growth locally, however, has not come without its criticisms as some feel that the subgenre only serves to dilute the raw sound of reggae and their musical culture. [13] This controversy was further heightened in 2012, during the Jamaica 50th anniversary campaign to celebrate the country's 50th year of independence, as two vastly different songs were recognized as 'Jamaica 50' campaign songs, one which was a reggae fusion song entitled "On a Mission" produced by Shaggy and the other a roots reggae song entitled "Find a Flag" written by Mikey Bennett. [27] While "On a Mission" was recognized as the official anniversary song and was applauded by some, it received its fair share of negative feedback due to many questioning its inauthentic Jamaican sound. Popular dancehall artist Mr. Vegas spoke out against the use of the song being quoted as saying: "It doesn't represent Jamaica 50, it doesn't reflect our culture or where our music is coming from." [13] [28] In 2014, following the growth of dance music in Jamaica, legendary reggae musician Richie Stephens sought to capitalize on this by launching a new riddim called 'Skatech' which was an amalgamation of Jamaican ska and electronic dance music. Stephens believed that due to ska not being at the forefront of Jamaican music for many years, combining it with something fresh could bring it back into the spotlight. [3] [29] This provided a different and positive counterargument to the criticism of reggae fusion in Jamaican music, as it was here being used to bring the original forms of reggae back into the limelight, not to drown it out or dilute it as critics would posit.
Drake was heavily criticized in 2016 from fans when it was realized that Popcaan's verse from "Controlla" was removed from the album version on Views , causing many to accuse him of cultural appropriation. Prior to the album's release, two tracks were leaked online, one of which was "Controlla" featuring Popcaan. When the album was released and it no longer featured Popcaan, many fans became irate. [30] [31] [32] [33] Popcaan, however, said he was happy for the exposure and understood that it was a business decision. [33]
Through other Caribbean-born artists such as Sean Paul, Damian Marley, Sean Kingston, Nicki Minaj and Rihanna who emerged during the mid-2000s, the popularity of the subgenre has continued to grow. [13] International reggae fusion hits, such as "Calabria 2007" by Enur feat. Natasja Saad, "Need U Bad" by Jazmine Sullivan, "Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti & Spearhead featuring Cherine Anderson and "Billionaire" by Travis McCoy, show that the subgenre has matured and is as popular as it has ever been, with more artists experimenting with it. [7] Jamaican singer Tessanne Chin is one of the latest reggae fusion artists reaching international fame following her winning Season 5 of NBC's reality TV singing competition The Voice as part of Adam Levine's team. [34] Later in 2014, Canadian reggae fusion band, Magic!, scored a worldwide number-one hit with their single "Rude". [35] It was the beginning of a major resurgence of the genre as this was followed later in 2015 by another number-one reggae fusion song when Jamaican artist OMI claimed the top spot with the Felix Jaehn remix to his song "Cheerleader". [2] "Sorry" by Justin Bieber, "Work" by Rihanna, "One Dance" by Drake, "Cheap Thrills" by Sia, "Locked Away" by R. City, "All in My Head (Flex)" by Fifth Harmony, and in 2017 starting with "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran also became international hits between late 2015 and early 2017 with all except "Locked Away" and "All in My Head" topping the Billboard Hot 100. R. City are known primarily for their songwriting and production many of which include reggae fusion tracks such as "Take You There" and "Replay", which they helped co-write. Other producers have also gained recognition for consistently incorporating reggae fusion into songs they produce, such as Major Lazer and J. R. Rotem, who has produced reggae fusion hits such as "Beautiful Girls", "Me Love", "Take You There", "Replay" and "Solo". [36] [37]
A new generation of musicians are largely to thank for the prominence of reggae fusion in the last few years. Dancehall music saw a decline on the international stage over the last decade but the genre is now seeing a resurgence back into the mainstream of music leading to many dancehall-inspired tracks. [30] In 2016, a decade after Sean Paul's last triumph on the Billboard Hot 100, it was abundantly clear that larger audiences finally seemed receptive to this sound again. [38] [39] [40] Coincidentally, Sean Paul himself, seemed to reemerge as a popular featured act as he was called up for guest appearances with pop artists such as Little Mix, Jay Sean, Enrique Iglesias and Sia, with his collaborations with the latter two, "Bailando" and "Cheap Thrills" respectively, becoming major international hits and "Cheap Thrills" becoming #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Artists such as Meghan Trainor, Alicia Keys, Nico & Vinz, Calvin Harris, Ariana Grande, Twenty One Pilots, Clean Bandit and Britney Spears also made forays into the genre with songs "Better", "In Common", "Imagine", "My Way", "Side to Side", sleeper hit "Ride", "Rockabye" and "Slumber Party", respectively. [38] [41] Drake, however, has been an unlikely talisman of the genre beginning as early from his 2010 single, "Find Your Love" and culminating in his latest works, particularly his fourth mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late and his fourth studio album, Views , both of which feature heavy dancehall influences and popular dancehall acts such as Popcaan and reggae fusion singles "One Dance", "Controlla" and "Too Good". [38] [40] [42] Fellow Canadian act Tory Lanez, whose parents are both from Caribbean islands, also had a major breakout in 2016 with "Luv", which sampled the late '90s dancehall classic "Everyone Falls in Love" by Tanto Metro and Devonte. [42]
With the use of the dancehall's signature tempo on the albums of major music players such as Drake, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Kanye West and more, the genre has become so popular that Apple Music started their own dancehall inspired playlist. [43] [44] This level of popularity has not been seen since Sean Paul followed in the path of Shaggy's crossover success and opened the flood gates for some of the Caribbean's brightest talents to find their way onto mainstream radio in the early 2000s. [39]
Other major pop artistes continued to venture into the dancehall-pop genre in 2017 with Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, and Calvin Harris, having hits with "Shape of You", "Chained to the Rhythm" and "Feels" respectively. [45] [46] [47] [48] [49]
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. Reggae is rooted out from traditional Jamaican Kumina, Pukkumina, Revival Zion, Nyabinghi, and burru drumming. Jamaican reggae music evolved out of the earlier genres mento, 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.
In Jamaican dancehall music, a riddim is the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the term consist of the riddim plus the voicing sung by the deejay. A given riddim, if popular, may be used in dozens—or even hundreds—of songs, not only in recordings but also in live performances.
The music of Jamaica includes Jamaican folk music and many popular genres, such as mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub music, dancehall, reggae fusion and related styles.
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably, with digital dancehall becoming increasingly characterized by faster rhythms. Key elements of dancehall music include its extensive use of Jamaican Patois rather than Jamaican standard English and a focus on the track instrumentals.
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques is a Jamaican dancehall deejay, singer, and rapper. Paul's first album, Stage One, was released in 2000. He gained international fame with his second album, Dutty Rock, in 2002. Its single "Get Busy" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, as did "Temperature", off his third album, The Trinity (2005).
Reggaeton, is a modern style of popular and electronic music that originated in Panamá during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puerto Rican musicians. It has evolved from dancehall, with elements of hip hop, Latin American, and Caribbean music. Vocals include toasting/rapping and singing, typically in Spanish.
There are several subgenres of reggae music including various predecessors to the form.
Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon OD, better known by his stage name Shabba Ranks, is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throughout his prominence in his home country as a dancehall artist, he gained popularity in North America with his studio album Just Reality in 1990. He released other studio albums, including As Raw as Ever and X-tra Naked, which both won a Grammy Award as Best Reggae Album in 1992 and 1993, respectively. He is notoriously popular for "Mr. Loverman" and "Ting-A-Ling", which were globally acclaimed and deemed his signature songs.
Clifford Smith, better known as Mr. Vegas, is a Jamaican dancehall singjay.
Collin Demar Edwards, better known by his stage name Demarco, is a Jamaican dancehall and reggae recording artist.
Andrae Hugh Sutherland, known professionally as Popcaan, is a Jamaican deejay.
Stephen McGregor, known professionally as Di Genius, is a Jamaican record producer, singer, and songwriter. Di Genius comes from a musical family—his father is legendary veteran reggae artist Freddie McGregor and his siblings, Daniel "Chino" McGregor and Yeshemabeth "Shema" McGregor, are also singers. While Di Genius was primarily known for producing riddims out of his "Big Ship" recording studio, he has gone on to produce and write songs for international artists such as Sean Paul, Drake, Nelly Furtado, Lianne La Havas, Shakira, John Legend among others. The New York Times named him a "Reggae Veteran At The Age of 18."
Mixpak Records is a Brooklyn-based independent record label, founded in 2009 by record producer Dre Skull. The label operates across a range of genres, from dancehall to underground club music, experimental electronic, rap and leftfield pop. Mixpak has released music by Vybz Kartel, Popcaan, Palmistry, Murlo, and Jubilee, among others.
Winston Foster, better known by the stage name Yellowman and also known as King Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established his reputation.
Leighton Paul Walsh, better known by his stage name Walshy Fire, is an American DJ, MC and record producer. He is part of the dancehall reggae-influenced group Major Lazer alongside fellow DJs Diplo and Ape Drums. Walshy Fire toured with the Black Chiney sound system beginning in 2004. Black Chiney is cited as a significant influence on the evolution of Major Lazer with its mashups that blend hip hop or R&B rhythms with reggae & R&B artist vocal tracks and its representation of the Jamaican sound system. The subsequent mix tapes that the Black Chiney collective of DJs, engineers and MCs would develop were the training ground for Walshy to become a remix producer.
Grace Latoya Hamilton, known professionally as Spice, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay, singer, and songwriter. Known as the "Queen of Dancehall", Spice is recognised as one of the most prominent dancehall artists in the world. She is known for her aggressive flow, musical versatility and outspoken lyrics. Spice first gained recognition after performing at the annual dancehall festival Sting in 2000. She released her first single "Complain" for record producer Dave Kelly's Madhouse Records in 2003. She continued to release the singles "Right There" and "Hype", even being featured on songs with Jimmy Cliff and Beenie Man in 2004 and 2006, respectively.
"Controlla" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake, recorded for his fourth studio album Views. The song was released as the fourth single from the album in the US on June 7, 2016. The dancehall song was written by Drake, Matthew Samuels, Dwayne Chin-Quee, Stephen McGregor, Moses Davis, Donald Dennis, Gary Jackson, Patrick Roberts, Andrew Thomas, and produced by Boi-1da, Supa Dups, Di Genius, TheFinal1, Allen Ritter and Charles "Jamandass da Terminator" Omondi.
"Murder She Wrote" is a song by Jamaican reggae duo Chaka Demus & Pliers, from their 1993 album Tease Me. It was first released as a single in 1992 and again in late 1993, reaching number 27 on the UK Singles Chart in early 1994, and number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100, spending 17 weeks there. The song was certified gold in the UK in 2022. The music to the song is based on the Maytals' 1966 song "Bam Bam", while the lyrics discuss abortion.
Riddim is a subgenre of dubstep known for its heavy use of repetitive and minimalist sub-bass and triplet percussion arrangements. It shares the same name as the Jamaican genre that influenced both it and dubstep, which originally derived from dub, reggae, and dancehall. Originating in the United Kingdom, specifically Croydon, in the early 2010s as a resurgence of the style used by early dubstep works, riddim started to gain mainstream presence in the electronic music scene around 2015.
Dancehall pop is a sub-genre of the Jamaican genre dancehall that originated in the early 2000s. Developing from the sounds of reggae, dancehall pop is characteristically different in its fusion with western pop music and digital music production. Dancehall pop is also different from dancehall in that most songs use lesser Jamaican Patois in lyrics––allowing it to be globally understood and consumed. It also incorporates the key pop music elements of having melodies, hooks, and the verse-chorus format. Additionally, the genre moves away from the reggae and roots reggae music origins in social and political protest, now lyrically centering on partying, dancing, and sexuality.
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