Introduction

The forms of reggae music we know today began in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica, and grew to become one of the most influential musical movements in the world. What started as local street music in the 1960s has blossomed into a global phenomenon with diverse subgenres—each rooted in stories of cultural defiance and musical innovation.

Rooted in pain, pride, and protest, reggae has a story to tell, and it starts long before Bob Marley hit the global stage.
To understand reggae is to understand its journey. It didn’t appear overnight, the evolution of reggae progressed through a series of rhythmic revolutions: mento, ska, rocksteady, roots, dub, dancehall, and beyond.

The Hidden Story Behind Types of Reggae Music: From Jamaican Streets to Global Beats

Throughout its rich history, reggae itself had undergone thrilling evolution, having first passed from the quick ska rhythms to the slow rocksteady, before ultimately producing the typical one-drop beat we know today with classic reggae. This development of Jamaican music goes beyond tempos and fashions switching—this is about religious beliefs, political stands, and social movements. Starting from the spiritually induced roots reggae to the digitally produced dancehall, every step along the timeline of reggae confirms the changing cultural predicament of Jamaica and its diaspora.

Despite beginning as the voice of Jamaica’s marginalized communities, reggae has crossed geographical and cultural boundaries to influence countless other genres including hip-hop, punk, and pop. This comprehensive guide explores the diverse branches of reggae’s family tree, tracing how a localized sound from a small Caribbean island became a worldwide cultural force that continues to resonate across generations

The Evolution of Reggae Music From Mento, Ska, Rocksteady, to Reggae

Reggae has undergone a thrilling musical journey. Starting with Mento’s acoustic Jamaican folk music, then upbeat ska rhythms, it transitioned to the slower and more soulful rocksteady, ultimately arriving at the one-drop rhythm that defines classic reggae today. This evolution wasn’t just about changing sounds—it reflected shifting social, political, and spiritual realities in Jamaica, the wider Caribbean islands, and Africa.

Despite beginning as the voice of Jamaica’s marginalized communities, reggae has crossed geographical and cultural boundaries to influence countless other genres including hip-hop, punk, and pop. This comprehensive guide explores the diverse branches of reggae’s family tree, tracing how a localized sound from a small Caribbean island became a worldwide cultural force that continues to resonate across generations.

Mento and the Roots of Jamaican Music

Long before reggae, the sound of mento echoed through the hills and villages of Jamaica in the early 20th century. A folk genre with African and European roots, mento featured acoustic instruments like the banjo, guitar, hand drums, and the rumba box—a large thumb piano that provided rhythmic bass tones.

Lyrically, mento was often witty, ironic, and humorous. It commented on Jamaican daily life, love, and social issues in a playful way. Though sometimes mistaken for calypso, mento had a unique identity that reflected Jamaica’s distinct culture and laid the rhythmic foundation for the styles to follow.

Ska’s Upbeat Jazz-Influenced Rhythms

Ska was the next evolution of reggae. Energetic and infectious, a sound of optimism in a nation on the brink of independence

Ska developed as a vibrant blend of Caribbean calypso rhythms, Jamaican mento folk music, and American R&B. The genre’s distinctive sound came from its shuffling rhythm that mixed influences from American pianist Rosco Gordon with Caribbean folk music, particularly Cuban mambo and Jamaican mento. Notably, many of the pioneering ska musicians had grown up learning and playing jazz, bringing that improvisational spirit to this new sound.

It featured:

• A strolling bass line with offbeat rhythms
  
• 4/4 time signature emphasizing beats 2 and 4
  
• Horn-driven melodic riffs alternating with vocals
  
• The iconic “skank” guitar and piano offbeats
  

Jazz guitarist Ernest Ranglin is widely credited with developing the skank rhythm. As he explained: “There are the same four beats in a bar, but you can change the accents, giving the music a different feel. As a result, players started emphasizing the second and fourth beat of each bar.”

Sound systems like those operated by Duke Reid and Clement “Coxsone” Dodd amplified ska across the island, while The Skatalites, Prince Buster, and Laurel Aitken turned ska into a cultural revolution.

Legendary groups like The Skatalites, Desmond Dekker, Toots and the Maytals, and Byron Lee and The Dragonaires dominated the scene. The Skatalites, formed in 1963, were particularly influential as they featured many of Jamaica’s leading studio musicians, including trombonist Don Drummond, whose compositions and arrangements were central to ska’s development.

Notable Tracks:
“Simmer Down” – The Wailers

“Guns of Navarone” – The Skatalites

“One Step Beyond” – Prince Buster

Rocksteady: Slower Tempos & Soulful Lyrics

By 1966, ska gave way to rocksteady. This new style slowed the tempo and introduced deeper basslines and vocal harmonies. Its rhythm was cooler, the beat more relaxed, and the bass more prominent.

While the basic offbeat rhythm remained, rocksteady introduced several significant musical changes. Now, the bass was the loudest and most prominent instrument in the mix. The guitarist, Lynn Taitt, pioneered a technique where the lead guitar often doubled the bass line in a muted picking style.

As rocksteady developed, electric organs gradually replaced pianos, and horn sections, so dominant in ska, faded into the background. It also set the stage for vocal harmonies and more soulful arrangements.

With more room for harmony and melody, rocksteady explored themes of romance, heartbreak, and rising social consciousness.

While ska had celebrated Jamaica’s independence with songs like Derrick Morgan’s “Forward March” and The Skatalites’ “Freedom Sound”, rocksteady often explored themes of love and romance.

Although romantic themes dominated the lyrics—thanks to American soul and Motown influences—rocksteady also addressed social tensions and rude boy culture.

As rude boy culture rose in Jamaica, songs like Prince Buster’s “Judge Dread” and The Clarendonians’ “Rude Boy Gone A Jail” reflected societal concerns. Other rocksteady artists like Alton Ellis took an anti-rudie stance with songs urging Jamaicans to “stay tough through hard times”.

Artists like Alton Ellis, The Heptones, and The Paragons helped shape the sound of rocksteady and pointed toward the coming rise of reggae.
Notable Tracks:
“Girl I’ve Got a Date” – Alton Ellis

“On the Beach” – The Paragons

“Book of Rules” – The Heptones

Some attribute this slow tempo shift to a particularly hot summer in 1966, when dancers reportedly found it difficult to keep up with ska’s fast pace.

Though rocksteady’s golden era lasted barely two years, peaking in 1967 before evolving into reggae by 1968, its musical innovations—especially the prominence of bass and simplified drum patterns focusing on the “one drop” rhythm—laid the essential foundation for the reggae sound that would soon conquer the world.

Though short-lived, rocksteady set the musical foundation for reggae’s rise.

The Rise of Early and Classic Reggae

Reggae Emerges: A New Musical Identity

By 1968, Jamaican music underwent another significant transformation as rocksteady evolved into what would be known worldwide as reggae. This period marked a crucial turning point in Jamaican music history, establishing a sound that would soon captivate global audiences through its distinctive rhythms and increasingly conscious lyrics.

The Shift from Rocksteady to Reggae

Several crucial factors contributed to reggae’s emergence in the late 1960s. The emigration of key musical arrangers Jackie Mittoo and Lynn Taitt to Canada created space for new approaches, simultaneously coinciding with significant upgrades to Jamaican studio technology. These technological improvements allowed for more sophisticated recordings and experimentation with sound.

The transition became official when Toots and the Maytals released “Do the Reggay” in 1968, giving the genre its name. That same year, breakthrough tracks like Desmond Dekker’s “Israelites,” Larry Marshall’s “Nanny Goat,” and Lee “Scratch” Perry’s “People Funny Boy” helped establish reggae as Jamaica’s dominant musical form.

Initially maintaining rocksteady’s basic rhythmic structures, reggae incorporated elements from ska’s syncopated snare drum, rocksteady’s swaying guitar-bass interplay, and traditional Nyahbinghi drumming. The tempo slowed from rocksteady, creating space for the distinctive bass-heavy sound that would define the genre.

Musically, bass patterns grew increasingly complex and began dominating arrangements with a deeper focus on bass and offbeat rhythm guitar, creating a syncopated groove that was both laid-back and hypnotic.

The music began to reflect Jamaica’s turbulent political climate, economic challenges, and spiritual awakening through Rastafari.
This was the beginning of reggae as a global voice for the oppressed and a celebration of African heritage.

The rise of the organ shuffle and guitar skank

The piano, so central to earlier Jamaican music styles, gradually yielded to the electric organ, which became essential to reggae’s texture. Two keyboard patterns typically featured in early reggae tracks: the “bang” (played on the “and” of each measure) and the “shuffle” or “bubble” (typically played as sixteenth notes).

Perhaps most recognizable was the development of the guitar “skank” – a short, percussive “scratchy chop” chord played on beats 2 and 4 of the measure. Unlike traditional ska where the upbeat was emphasized, reggae guitar focused more on the downbeat, played much more slowly. This simple yet hypnotic pattern became reggae’s rhythmic signature.

Other instrumental developments included horns fading further into the background, the introduction of more percussive rhythm guitar playing, the addition of African-style hand drumming, and a more intricate drumming style. Carlton Barrett of Bob Marley and the Wailers mastered the signature “one drop” style, which emphasized the downbeat on beats two and four.

Consequently, roots reggae transcended mere entertainment to become a powerful vehicle for spiritual enlightenment and social transformation, fundamentally changing how music could serve as a tool for cultural resistance and liberation.

Skinhead Reggae and UK Subcultures

Undoubtedly, one of the most fascinating chapters in early reggae history was its embrace by the skinhead subculture in late 1960s Britain. Far from the later racist associations, the original skinhead movement emerged from multicultural working-class neighborhoods where Jamaican immigrants lived alongside white British youth.

This cross-cultural connection drove reggae’s popularity in the UK. Record companies like Trojan and Pama recognized the business opportunity, establishing subsidiary labels specifically targeting the skinhead audience. Desmond Dekker’s “Israelites” reached number one on the UK charts in 1969, propelling reggae into the British mainstream.

The music played in youth clubs, fairgrounds, and football grounds across Britain became known as “skinhead reggae”. This variant, sometimes called “early reggae,” emerged around 1968 when Jamaican musicians were influenced by American funk and emphasized the groove with the organ as a key instrument. By the early 1970s, reggae had firmly established itself as a distinct genre with growing international appeal.

The 1972 film The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff, introduced reggae to an even wider audience. Additionally, Bob Marley and the Wailers began their rise to international stardom, taking reggae’s increasingly political and spiritual messages to a global stage

Roots Reggae: Spirituality and Protest

From the musical foundations laid by ska and early reggae emerged a more profound expression in the 1970s—roots reggae, a subgenre deeply intertwined with spirituality and resistance. This evolution represented far more than musical development; it became the voice of a cultural and spiritual awakening.

Rastafarianism & Haile Selassie

Roots reggae reflected deep ties to the Rastafari movement, promoting African identity, spiritual consciousness, and resistance to oppression.

This Abrahamic religion centered around a monotheistic belief in a single God called Jah. Rastafarians viewed Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I (crowned in 1930) as a divine figure—many considered him the Second Coming of Jesus, Jah incarnate, or a human prophet.

The connection between music and faith grew inseparable. Reggae artists channelled Rastafarian teachings through their lyrics, using biblical imagery and references to express their spiritual journey.

The music effectively became sacred for many Rastafarians, with themes drawing heavily from Old Testament stories, particularly the Israelites’ enslavement and exile

Messages of Liberation

At its heart, roots reggae functioned as protest music against imperialism and oppression. Rastafarians viewed Western society as “Babylon”—a corrupt system that had enslaved and exploited the African diaspora. In contrast, they saw Africa (especially Ethiopia) as “Zion”—the Promised Land where they would find liberation.

Icons like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Burning Spear used roots reggae to speak out against injustice, becoming global voices for marginalized people. Their songs weren’t mere entertainment but urgent anthems carrying the hopes of those yearning for freedom. This music spoke truth to power, giving voice to the oppressed through lyrics that confronted discrimination, humiliation, and subordination

Icons like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Burning Spear used roots reggae to speak out against injustice, becoming global voices for the African diaspora.

Lovers Rock and Reggae Romance

While roots and dancehall explored politics and power, a softer style emerged in 1970s London: Lovers Rock. This romantic subgenre of reggae focused on themes of love and emotional expression, often delivered by female vocalists or silky-voiced crooners.

Lovers Rock offered an alternative to militant lyrics, reflecting Black British identity and community life with soul-infused elegance. It remains a beloved style, especially in the UK and among reggae aficionados worldwide.

Indeed, Lovers Rock held special significance for women, who had often felt disconnected from male-dominated reggae. Notable artists included

• Janet Kay, whose “Silly Games” reached #2 on the UK charts in 1979, and
• 14-year-old Louisa Mark, whose “Caught You in a Lie” became a major hit in 1975.
• Carroll Thompson – “Hopelessly in Love”
  

Despite its romantic focus, Lovers Rock carried subtle political dimensions, creating spaces that challenged racism while addressing gendered oppression faced by women in Black communities

Dub and Rockers: Innovation & Emotion

As reggae music matured throughout the 1970s, it branched into diverse subgenres that prioritized either studio experimentation or emotional expression. These innovative offshoots—Dub and Rockers, each pushed reggae in new directions while maintaining connections to the genre’s foundational elements.

Dub Music: The Birth of Remix Culture

By the late 1960s and early 70s, reggae took a radical turn through dub—a style born from instrumental B-sides emerged when Jamaican producers began treating the recording studio itself as an instrument.

King Tubby and Lee “Scratch” Perry pioneered dub by remixing existing tracks using delay, echo, and reverb—laying the groundwork for modern electronic music. Essentially, it involved extensive remixing of existing recordings with particular emphasis on drums and bass, creating what King Tubby described as sounding “jus’ like a volcano in yuh head”.

The dub process typically involved stripping vocals from original tracks, then applying studio effects—primarily echo, reverb, and delay—to create immersive soundscapes. Interestingly, these techniques emerged partly from technological necessity; early multitrack recording allowed engineers to record instrumental “rhythms” on one track and vocals on another, enabling further manipulation.

This revolutionary approach created a wholly new sonic experience where fragments of vocals might suddenly appear mid-word before dissolving into echoes. Markedly, dub’s impact extended far beyond reggae, influencing countless genres including hip-hop, techno, and drum and bass

This insistent rhythmic pattern created driving dance beats that gained significant popularity in the late 1970s.

Dancehall and the Digital Revolution

Rub-a-Dub and the rise of the DJ

The evolution of reggae saw Rub-a-Dub emerge as a transitional phase between roots reggae and full dancehall in the late 1970s. This style featured DJs (known as “toasters”) chatting rhythmically over instrumental versions of popular reggae tracks. Unlike earlier approaches where vocals dominated, rub-a-dub emphasized the DJ’s verbal skills and personality.

Pioneering figures like U-Roy, I-Roy, and Big Youth established the foundation, while artists such as Yellowman and Eek-A-Mouse perfected the art form. Their performances elevated the DJ from background figure to center stage, fundamentally shifting reggae’s focus from singers to “chatters.” This transformation occurred primarily in sound system culture, where selectors played instrumental “versions” of popular songs while DJs improvised new lyrics overtop.

1980s Digital Shift

The release of “Under Mi Sleng Teng” by Wayne Smith marked the rise of digital dancehall, with electronic riddims replacing traditional band recordings.

Artists like Yellowman and Shabba Ranks popularized the DJ-centric style that later influenced pop, reggaeton, and modern Afrobeats.

Dancehall’s digital riddims and patois lyrics

By 1985, producer King Jammy and musician Wayne Smith released “Under Me Sleng Teng,” a track produced entirely with a Casio MT-40 keyboard. This single riddim sparked over 200 versions and officially launched digital dancehall. The new production method eliminated the need for expensive studio musicians, democratizing music creation throughout Jamaica.

Digital dancehall embraced a harsher sound with programmed drums, electronic effects, and sparse arrangements. Lyrically, the music shifted from roots reggae’s spiritual and political themes toward topics of everyday Jamaican life, often delivered in deep patois. The physical dancehall space itself—where DJs performed—became central to the music’s identity, focusing on dancing, fashion, and social competition rather than political messages.

Reggae’s influence on reggaeton and global pop

Throughout the 1990s and beyond, reggae’s digital evolution spread worldwide. In Panama, Jamaica’s reggae en español combined with Latin American sounds to form the foundation of reggaeton. This genre subsequently evolved in Puerto Rico, incorporating hip-hop elements before achieving massive global popularity in the 2000s.

Modern dancehall has significantly influenced contemporary pop music, with artists like Rihanna, Drake, and Justin Bieber frequently incorporating its rhythms and vocal styles. Meanwhile, within Jamaica, dancehall continues evolving through subgenres like bashment and trap dancehall, maintaining reggae’s tradition of constant reinvention while preserving its distinctly Jamaican identity.

Reggae Fusion: Breaking Borders

As reggae’s global influence spread, artists began blending it with other genres—pop, hip-hop, rock, R&B—to create reggae fusion. This allowed reggae to enter clubs, festivals, and radio playlists worldwide.

Examples:

• Maxi Priest – “Wild World”, Just a Little Bit Longer”, “I Just Wanna Be Close To You”, “Some Guys Have All The Luck”
• Shaggy – “Boombastic,” “It Wasn’t Me”
  
• Sean Paul – club-ready dancehall crossover
  
• Damian Marley – reggae meets hip-hop in “Welcome to Jamrock”
  
• Rihanna – Caribbean roots shine in “Man Down” and “Work”
  

Reggae fusion has helped reggae stay commercially viable, though some purists argue it dilutes the message. Still, it brings the riddim to the masses.

Global Reggae: A Worldwide Movement

Today, reggae is played and produced in every corner of the world. Artists have adapted its message and sound to reflect local struggles and cultures.

Africa

• Lucky Dube (South Africa) – blended reggae with apartheid resistance
  
• Alpha Blondy (Ivory Coast) – multi-lingual, pan-African messages
  
• Tiken Jah Fakoly (Mali) – fighting corruption through reggae
  

UK

• Home of lovers rock, Steel Pulse, Aswad, and sound system culture
  
• The Windrush generation played a key role in spreading reggae across Europe
  

Japan

• Deep love for dub and roots; festivals like Yokohama Reggae Sai draw massive crowds
  
• Artists like Rankin Taxi and Mighty Crown bring authenticity and passion
  

Brazil, 🇫🇷 France, 🇳🇿 New Zealand, 🇨🇦 Canada

• Thriving scenes fuse reggae with samba, hip-hop, Maori culture, and more

Reggae Today: Revival, Resistance, and Renaissance

Reggae in the 2020s is experiencing a renaissance. Modern artists are carrying forward the roots ethos while pushing new boundaries.

Conscious Revivalists:

• Chronixx
  
• Protoje
  
• Kabaka Pyramid
  
• Koffee – Grammy-winning young star
  

Producers and Collectives:

• Easy Star All-Stars
  
• Dub FX
  
• SOJA
  
• The Black Seeds
  

Reggae remains a living, breathing movement—evolving with technology, politics, and global consciousness. From dub steppers in Berlin to revival roots in Kingston, the message of reggae is still: one love, one world, one rhythm.

Conclusion: Reggae’s Unstoppable Pulse

From the energetic horns of ska to the meditative spirituality of roots reggae, from dub’s otherworldly echoes to dancehall’s futuristic beats, reggae continues to embody identity, resistance, and rhythm

Reggae music stands as one of the most remarkable cultural exports in modern history. Throughout its evolution from ska’s upbeat tempos to dancehall’s digital innovations, this distinctly Jamaican art form has consistently reflected the social, political, and spiritual climate of its time. Certainly, each subgenre tells a unique story—whether through the jazz-influenced horns of early ska, the meditative basslines of roots reggae, or the experimental studio techniques of dub.

The journey from Kingston’s ghettos to worldwide recognition demonstrates reggae’s extraordinary power to transcend boundaries. Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and countless other pioneers transformed what began as local street music into a universal language of resistance and hope. Additionally, the Rastafarian influence gave reggae its spiritual core, embedding themes of liberation and identity that resonated far beyond Jamaica’s shores.

Technological shifts likewise played a crucial role in reggae’s development. From the analog experimentations of King Tubby to the digital revolution sparked by “Under Me Sleng Teng,” reggae artists consistently embraced new tools while maintaining their cultural authenticity. This balance between innovation and tradition helps explain why reggae continues to thrive decades after its inception.

The evolution of reggae music is, ultimately, a testament that it is more than just entertainment—it embodies a cultural movement that changed how the world perceives marginalized voices. The genre’s DNA now flows through countless modern styles, from hip-hop to reggaeton to contemporary pop.

Despite these far-reaching influences, reggae remains unmistakably Jamaican, a testament to the small island nation that gave the world such a profound musical gift.