The evolution of Reggae
The coming of an indigenous Jamaican music for the masses was inevitable.this celebratory combination of nationalism and commercialism had another powerful element. Africa. Religion, in the form of Pocomania, and the drum music traditions of Burru and Kumina survived transportation to be embraced in Jamaica where Africanism was clung to fiercely and slave revolts were far more commonplace than on any other Caribbean island. Much later, Rastafari’s sophisticated drum ensembles would provide a living example of these ancient traditions, while the burgeoning music industry was never slow to absorb those influences.Along a generation of classically-trained musicians, who had embraced bebop jazz’s sense of adventures, and crowds who just want to dance and it’s little wonder that this tiny island has become such a force in global music. Music is not Jamaica’s only gift to the world, but it is how so many Jamaicans chose to define themselves. People will talk about how music and singing lifted the spirits through slavery and colonialism as well as being a weapon against political corruption and civil disorder. It gave the poor people a voice and something to call their own, celebrated the joys of life on the tropical island and spread One Love throughout the world. For fifty years, the natural medium for this music has been the sound system dancesl for as long as there’s been Jamaican music it’s remained inseparable to the people and the environment responsible for it. Reggae remains one of the world’s last genuine folk musics.In the song “I just wanna be loved” by Buju Banton uses his song to express he longing for genuine love, through the use of the metronomic beat along with the use of call and response between the layer and the various shifts in timbres helps convey the song as a message of resistance about forcing fake love upon.
