History of Jamaican Music - 1268 Words

Crystal Hislop Research Paper: Final Submission History of Jamaican Music Contemporary History Professor: Sharon Rodriguez 2/19/12 History of Jamaican Music The history of Jamaican music is inextricably intertwined with the history of the Jamaican people. Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean, and was initially populated by the Arawak people. Christopher Columbus discovered the island on his second voyage to the Americas, and it was settled first by Spanish colonists, and later by English colonists. (Megan, R.) Jamaicans possess a musical heritage that comes from their African and European roots. Reggae music is Jamaica’s best sound. These thumping sounds are rich and infectious and encompass expression†¦show more content†¦Rapping is, in fact, a method of creative expression. The thought that young people can participate in this form of creativity seems to have helped the phenomenal growth of this genre of music and expression. Dancehall is an expressive routine that includes songs, poetry, films and fashion. This art form gives young people the outlet of expressing themselves creatively. (Franksterr) This is old time story telling in song and music. It combines African and latin rhythm, with anglo folksongs...and was very popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Today it is used mainly to entertain visitors coming to the island...giving them a taste of what Jamaican music was like in the past. Listen to it and you will most certainly feel the spirit of the old days. The stories it tell are usually simple and funny everyday happenings in Jamaican life.The instruments are also very simple a gourd shaker, a upright bass, rumba box, fiddle, mandolin, ukulele, or a trumpet. My American friends tend to hang around it for a bit and find themselves certainly laughing and moving to the beat. Ska is simply mento music moving to the next stage! Musicians began playing around with the music - adding a little calypso here and there...a little American jazz, some rhythm amp; blues...and before you know it ska popped out! This new rythm took the 1960 s by storm...until The rude boys of the time slow ed the pace a bit, added a steady rock beat...toShow MoreRelatedJamaica: Land of Inspiration 858 Words   |  4 Pagessee. However, Jamaica was not always a happy and carefree place. The Jamaican people have suffered from war, disease, and slavery. Jamaica is a small and beautiful country that thrives with culture and should be studied by everyone around the world. Geography and Climate Jamaica has a wide range of geography. The geography varies from mountains, to forests, to coastal plains, to scattered hills, and also plateaus (â€Å"History†). Although Jamaica is a small country, it is the largest island of theRead MoreReggae Paper1223 Words   |  5 Pagesfor all Jamaican popular music since 1960, is defined as a ‘West Indian style of music with a strongly accented subsidiary beat† (Chang). Reggae music is a great style of music that was popularized by one of the world’s most famous musicians, Bob Marley. Personally, I never listened to it until I made it to college, and it has quickly become one of my favorite genres. For that reason is why I chose to write this paper on Reggae music. This genre is a very calming and relaxing style of music, whichRead MoreCulture Analysis : Jamaica. Jamaica1394 Words   |  6 Pagesis a creole dialect with West African, Spanish, and French elements. The language today reflects the history of the co untry and its interaction with diverse mixture of cultures from many ethnic, and social backgrounds. 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A town filled with deep rooted culture on an island filled with welcoming natives. The pleasant vibes of reggae music and Rastafarian culture flow from the hills to the sandy shores. This island rich with tropical fruits and spices is located in the heart of the Greater Antilles. History tells that the enslaved island once known to its natives as â€Å"Xaymeca†, has come a long way in becoming the independent nation known today as Jamaica. In the Sea ofRead MoreThe Cultural and Human Elements of the Great Bob Marley’s Music1054 Words   |  5 PagesBob Marley’s Music One of the elements of being human in Bob Marley’s life was his religious beliefs in Rastafarianism and the way it influenced his music. Social justice issues, social classes, dialect, the government and economic systems of Jamaica are some of the cultural elements that were a great part of Bob Marley’s music, along with his faith, that helped inspired countless of his musical achievements. 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The word rap actually meant to strike or to hit. After a few centuries a slight variation of this definition appeared which meant to speak or talk. In America around the 1960’s it began to pop up in the black community and was used as a slang word to mean that someone was talking orRead MoreThe Musical Genre Of Reggae900 Words   |  4 Pagesrege-rege – Jamaican for â€Å"rags or ragged clothing† – the genre was used to describe the raggedy music style found in Jamaica at the time. Reggae incorporates the traditional Jamaican music such as mento and ska, rhythm blues, and rocksteady. Ska characteristics such as the walking bass line of the guitar and piano off-beats are used in reggae. However, ska is much faster than reggae, so the use of rocksteady in the genre slows the ska tempo. Reggae songs are heavily backbeated, meaning the music has highlyRead Moreâ€Å"Historic Low Prestige and Seeds of Change: Attitudes Toward Jamaican Creole†1105 Words   |  5 Pagesprestige and seeds of change: Attitudes toward Jamaican Creole† Jamaican Creole (known to its speakers as Patois) is a language of ethnic identification for roughly two and a half million people in the island of Jamaica, and overseas for many thousands of native speakers. The origins of the Jamaican Creole postdate 1660, in the interaction of British colonists and African slaves. Jamaican language and its place in society reflects the brutal history of Jamaica as a British sugar colony until Independence