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.
Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that predates and has greatly influenced ska and reggae music. It is a fusion of African rhythmic elements and European elements, which reached peak popularity in the 1940s and 1950s. Mento typically features acoustic instruments, such as acoustic guitar, banjo, hand drums, and the rhumba box — a large mbira in the shape of a box that can be sat on while played. The rhumba box carries the bass part of the music.
Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, a subgenre of reggae. Bob Marley cited Brown as his favourite singer, dubbing him "The Crown Prince of Reggae", and Brown would prove influential on future generations of reggae singers.
Millicent Dolly May Small CD was a Jamaican singer who is best known for her international hit "My Boy Lollipop" (1964). The song reached number two in both the UK and US charts and sold over seven million copies worldwide. It was also the first major hit for Island Records and helped to achieve the label its mainstream success. She was the Caribbean's first international recording star and its most successful female performer.
Richell Bonner, better known as Richie Spice, is a Jamaican reggae artist. He is a member of the Rastafari movement. Some of his most famous songs include, "Brown Skin", "Youth Dem Cold Rel Bad", "Grooving' My Girl", "Earth a Run Red", "Marijuana" ,"The Plane Land" and "King and Queen". Three of his brothers are also reggae artists – Pliers, Spanner Banner and Snatcha Lion.
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires are a Jamaican ska, calypso and soca band. The band played a crucial pioneering role in bringing Caribbean music to the world. Byron Lee died on 4 November 2008, after suffering from cancer for a sustained period.
VP Records is an independent Caribbean-owned record label in Queens, New York. The label is known for releasing music by notable artists in reggae, dancehall and soca. VP Records has offices in New York City, Miami, London, Kingston, Tokyo, Johannesburg and Rio de Janeiro. Additionally, the label has established a presence in Toronto, Australia and New Zealand.
Alison Amanda Hinds is a British-born Bajan soca singer based in Barbados. Alison is often referred to as the "Queen of Soca" due to her significant impact on the genre.
Vivienne Tanya Stephenson, known by her stage name Tanya Stephens, is a Jamaican reggae singer and deejay who emerged in the late 1990s. She is most known for her hits "Yuh Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet" — later featured on the Reggae Gold 1997 compilation album — and "It's a Pity", for which Stephens achieved international recognition. She and business partner Andrew Henton have together co-founded Tarantula Records.
Clifford Smith, better known as Mr. Vegas, is a Jamaican dancehall singjay.
Highland Ralph Dobson OD was a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer, nicknamed "The Loving Pauper" after one of his best known songs.
Orville Richard Burrell, known professionally as Shaggy, is a Jamaican-American reggae musician who scored hits with the songs "It Wasn't Me", "Boombastic", "In the Summertime", "Oh Carolina", and "Angel". He has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards, winning twice for Best Reggae Album with Boombastic in 1996 and 44/876 with Sting in 2019, and has won the Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist in 2002.
Fitz Albert Cotterell, better known as Prezident Brown, is a Jamaican reggae/dancehall vocalist
Reggae Report was a U.S.-based music and culture magazine first published in 1983. The publication offered an abundance of news and information regarding reggae, Caribbean, and world music artists and entertainers, including soca, African, and hip hop. Reggae Report was founded by publisher M. Peggy Quattro and Michael "Zappow" Williams. With combined industry connections and experience that bridged the gap from reggae's beginnings to the artists making the most popular music of the day, Quattro and Williams began Reggae Report to spread the word, educate the fans about its rich history, and bring up-close-and-personal interviews and photographs to a targeted international fan base.
Jeneile Osborne, better known as Queen Omega, is a reggae singer born in Trinidad.
Everton Hardweare, better known by his stage name Singing Melody, is a reggae artist from Kingston, Jamaica. He is known for his abilities as a vocalist, his production work and for combining aspects of reggae and R&B in his own releases.
Mark Duffus, also known as Blak Prophetz, is a British rapper and producer from the West Midlands in England where he formed the group Blak Prophetz in the early 1980s.
Digital Jukebox Records began as a British hip hop record label under the name of FJ/Fatt Jointz Recordings in the early 1990s which has been an underground source for the success of some recording artists ever since. Label head Mark Duffus had very close musical links with many prominent East Coast / New York record producers and musicians.
The Funk Division, also known as The Soul Garden earlier from 1994, is a soul jazz and funk group formed in 2005 by Mark Duffus in Walsall near Birmingham, United Kingdom.
