Enter’Jamaica

‘When music transcends the boundaries of art and becomes a lifestyle then to call it great would be an utter disrespect. The unapologetic ingenuity and absolute class of Reggae Music certainly makes it worthy of being termed Magical.’ Stanley Thompson

In one of Robert Browning’s poems, a musician desired to create music so beautiful, that even the gods would be entertained. Unfortunately for him, Reggae came later.

While reggae may not be the only music form that can be considered a lifestyle, it certainly would require a prolonged and deep search to find another contemporary genre of music with the dynamics, relevance and mystique of reggae. A part of the music’s appeal is its humble and genuine beginnings.

Reggae started as music to deliver a message, entertain the people and be a modern muse to the oppressed peoples of society. However, unlike most other music, it never lost its appeal to these very people and as such maintained its flavor despite the pressure of commercialization. From producers such as Edward Seaga (who would go on to become Prime Minister of Jamaica), who in 1958 he found the West Indian Records Limited WIRL and Chris Blackwell, to the giant companies such Virgin Atlantic Records and Sony, the music maintains its connection with its roots.

It is a genre that transcends every conceivable boundary with relative ease. Robert ‘Bob’ Marley surpassed geographical, religious, cultural and social boundaries with his messages and rhythms. This aspect of the music, puts it in a class by itself and is further symbol of the appeal of the genre.

The allure of reggae is also spurred by the defiance of artists who refuse to conform to emerging social values that contradict those on which the music is grounded. In the 1990’s Jamaican artist came under increase scrutiny for their stance against ‘overt sexual perversion’. Their reluctance to conform and yield to such pressure, resulted in artists such as Mark ‘Buju Banton’ Myrie and Miguel ‘Sizzla ‘ Collin losing millions of dollars in revenue from cancellations. But the richness of the music made it still irresistible to fans across the world.

Reggae will never get socially irrelevant or boring. Producers such as Stephen Gibbs, Christopher Birch and the god-father, Don Corleon, creates rhythms that are absolutely orgasmic. These producers, collaborating with young talents such as Tami Chin, Omar Tarrus Riley and the celestial Alaine Laughton are consistently delivering quality and entertaining materials.

Finally, the fact that reggae appeals to audiences of all ages shows the music’s longevity. There are but few other forms of music than can boast to be able to attract audiences of as wide a demography and in the unbelievable volumes that reggae does. This is a testament to the quality and class of the music.

Beres Hammond, in one of his plethora of hits, sings that music is life. Well if you subscribe to this opinion, then you must conclude that REGGAE IS THE MAGICAL fairytale