Ragga
Ragga | |
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Stylistic origins | |
Cultural origins | 1980s, Jamaica |
Typical instruments | |
Fusion genres | |
Raggamuffin music, usually abbreviated as ragga, is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music, in which the instrumentation primarily consists of electronic music. Similar to hip hop, sampling often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music.
In the mid-1980s, French Antilles Kassav, the first in the Caribbean to use MIDI technology, took Caribbean music to another level by recording in a digital format. Wayne Smith's "Under Mi Sleng Teng" was produced by King Jammy in 1985 on a Casio MT-40 synthesizer and is generally recognized as the seminal ragga song. "Sleng Teng" boosted Jammy's popularity immensely, and other producers quickly released their own versions of the riddim, accompanied by dozens of different vocalists.
Ragga is now mainly used as a synonym for dancehall reggae or for describing dancehall with a deejay chatting rather than singjaying or singing on top of the riddim.
Origins
Ragga originated in Jamaica during the 1980s, at the same time that electronic dance music's popularity was increasing globally. One of the reasons for ragga's swift propagation is that it is generally easier and less expensive to produce than reggae performed on traditional musical instruments. Ragga evolved first in Jamaica, and later in Europe, North America, and Africa, eventually spreading to Japan, India, and the rest of the world. Ragga heavily influenced early jungle music, and also spawned the syncretistic bhangragga style when fused with bhangra. In the 1990s, ragga and breakcore music fused, creating a style known as raggacore.
The term "raggamuffin" is an intentional misspelling of "ragamuffin", a word that entered the Jamaican Patois lexicon after the British Empire colonized Jamaica in the 17th century. Despite the British colonialists' pejorative application of the term, Jamaican youth appropriated it as an ingroup designation. The term "raggamuffin music" describes the music of Jamaica's "ghetto dwellers".
Ragga and hip hop music
In the late 1980s, influential Jamaican rapper Daddy Freddy's pioneering efforts in fusing ragga with hip hop music earned him international acclaim while helping to publicize and popularize ragga. In 1987, Daddy Freddy and Asher D's "Ragamuffin Hip-Hop" became the first multinational single to feature the word "ragga" in its title. In 1992, Canadian hip hop group Rascalz released their debut album under the name Ragga Muffin Rascals. As ragga matured, an increasing number of dancehall artists began to appropriate stylistic elements of hip hop music, while ragga music, in turn, influenced more and more hip hop artists, most notably KRS-One, the Boot Camp Clik, Das EFX, Busta Rhymes, as well as some artists with ragga-influenced styles, like early Common, Main Source, Ill Al Scratch, Fu-Schnickens, and Redman. Artists like Mad Lion grew in popularity during this early 90's trend, exemplified by his crossing from reggae to hip-hop culture.
Some ragga artists believe that the assimilation of hip hop sensibilities is crucial to the international marketability of dancehall music. Indeed, the appeal to the contemporary rhythm and blues and hip hop music audiences in the English-speaking world contributed substantially to the multinational commercial success of such dancehall artists as:
- Admiral T
- Admiral Tibet
- Admiral Bailey
- Aidonia
- Al Beeno
- Alborosie
- Alan Price
- Anthony B
- Apache Indian
- Baby Cham
- Barrington Levy
- Bascom X
- Beenie Man
- Bounty Killer
- Bramma
- Bugle
- Buju Banton
- Burro Banton
- Busy Signal
- Byron Lee
- Capleton
- Carl Meeks
- Ce'Cile
- Chino
- Cocoa Tea
- Collie Buddz
- Courtney Melody
- Cutty Ranks
- DJ Collage
- Daddy Freddy
- Damian Marley
- Delly Ranks
- Don Yute
- Dub Incorporation
- Dub War
- Eek A Mouse
- Elephant Man
- Erijef Massiv
- Fantan Mojah
- Fidel Nadal
- General Degree
- General Levy
- Gentleman
- Gyptian
- Ini Kamoze
- Irie
- Jah Mason
- Jahdan Blakkamoore
- Junior Kelly
- Junior Reid
- Ky-Mani Marley
- La Tchoucrav'
- Lady G
- Lady Ragga
- Lady Saw
- Lexxus
- Lieutenant Stitchie
- Macka Diamond
- Mad Cobra
- Mad Lion
- Marika
- Massilia Sound System
- Mavado
- MC Kinky
- Million Stylez
- Morodo
- Mr. Vegas
- Natty congo
- Natural Black
- Natural Dread Killaz
- Ninjaman
- Nitty Gritty
- Notch
- O Rappa
- Papa Dee
- Papa San
- Pato Banton
- Patra
- Planet Hemp
- Popcaan
- Ragga Muffianismo
- Ragga Oktay
- Ragga Saw
- Raggademente
- Richie Spice
- Rick Dub
- Rihanna
- Rupee
- Scopie
- Sean Kingston
- Sean Paul
- Shabba Ranks
- Shaggy
- Shinehead
- Sight Mc
- Sister Nancy
- Sizzla
- Skindred
- Snow
- Soraia Drummond
- Spice
- Spragga Benz
- Stein
- Stephen Marley
- Steppa Style
- Super Cat
- T.O.K.
- Tanya Stephens
- Tenor Saw
- Terry Ganzie
- Tippa Irie
- Tony Matterhorn
- Tony Rebel
- Turbulence
- U-Roy
- Vavamuffin
- Voicemail
- Vybz Kartel
- Wayne Marshall
- Wayne Smith
- Wayne Wonder
- Yellowman
- Zeroscape
See also
- Reggae fusion
- Ragga-soca
- Ragga jungle
- Bouyon-muffin
- Bhangragga
- Jamaican Patois, the language of the distinctive vocals found in ragga
References
- The world of DJs and the turntable culture By Todd Souvignier
- Stascha (Staša) Bader: Worte wie Feuer: Dancehall Reggae und Raggamuffin. Words Like Fire. Dancehall Reggae and Raggamuffin. Dissertation Thesis at the Zurich University, 1986. Buchverlag Michael Schwinn, Neustadt, Deutschland, 1. Aufl. 1988, 2. Aufl. 1992
- René Wynands: Do The Reggae. Reggae von Pocomania bis Ragga und der Mythos Bob Marley. Pieper Verlag und Schott. 1995 ISBN 3-492-18409-X (Pieper), ISBN 3-7957-8409-3 (Schott) Online-Version
- Norman C. Stolzoff: Wake the Town and Tell the People. Dancehall Culture in Jamaica. Durham; London: Duke University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-8223-2478-4