Reggae fusion

Reggae fusion, or reggaefusion, is a term that is used to describe the style of mixing reggae or dancehall with different influential elements of other genres whether it be hip hop, r&b, pop, techno or house, rock, alternative, jazz, drum and bass etc.^[1]

Origin and characteristics

Origin of the term

Though artists have been mixing reggae music with other genres from as early as the early 70s - notably Toots and the Maytals' "Reggae Got Soul" (Reggae mixed with the Atlantic/Stax sound) and Funky Kingston (Funk guitar with the Reggae offbeat played, unusually, on piano), no official term had been used to describe this practice. Therefore, artists such as UB40 were described by using terms which conjoined the various genres they performed (eg. "reggae funk", "reggae pop" etc.). It was not until the late 90s when the term was officially coined and all artists who fused reggae with other genres were simply described as "reggae fusion" acts, virtually replacing the multitude of conjoined terms which had existed. The term itself is self-explanatory. "Reggae" is used as it is the general term used to describe reggae music and all variations of it (including dancehall) and "fusion" due to the fact the it incorporates fusing of genres. To avoid confusion, the term is sometimes spelt as one word, "reggaefusion".

Characteristics of reggae fusion

It is recognized as a fusion genre and, in some cases, a subgenre of reggae music and came about as a result of influences from various derivative forms of reggae such as lovers rock and dancehall (specifically late 80s to early 90s). In addition to characterizing fusions of reggae music with other genres, it is used to describe artists who frequently switch between reggae music and other genres, mainly hip hop, such as Kardinal Offishall, Sean Kingston and Heavy D as well as artists who are known to deejay over instrumentals which are neither reggae nor dancehall in origin such as Elephant Man, Shaggy, Beenie Man and the late Natasja Saad. One of the more popular forms of reggae fusion is mixing drum and bass instrumentals with dancehall or reggae lyrics. This is sometimes referred to as ragga jungle.

Roots of reggae fusion

The sub genre predominantly evolved from late 80s and early 90s dancehall music which instrumentals or "riddims" contained elements from the r&b and hip-hop genres. Due to this some see artistes such as Mad Cobra, Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, Buju Banton and other dancehall artistes from this era as somewhat pioneers of reggae fusion. Some of these very same artists, such as Buju Banton, eventually ventured into reggae fusion later on in their careers. Though there were a few recognized reggae fusion artists in the early to mid 90s such as Sublime, Maxi Priest and UB40, their style of fusing genres was subtly done as many could not immediately identify the fusion. It was not until the mid to late 90s, when artists started to mix genres which were not similar (eg. "Sun is Shining" remix by "Bob Marley vs. Funkstar De Luxe", which fused reggae with techno) that the sub genre gained a more distinctive sound and style and really began to grow. A major reason it gained international prominence, however, was due to the lack of marketability of dancehall, in its rawest form, in the U.S. in the late 90s. From the late 80s to mid 90s dancehall was a popular staple in the American market and could hold its own against hip hop and r&b. However, by the late 90s, dancehall had lost its footing in the American market as it had gotten more hardcore lyrically and due to heavier use of Jamaican dialect and less use of standard English, had become harder for persons to understand. This led dancehall artists who were trying to break into the U.S. market to fuse the dancehall lyrics and style of deejaying over softer and predominantly pop and hip hop instrumentals. The results were extremely positive as traditional dancehall acts, such as Shaggy and Beenie Man, found major commercial success in the American markets with the release of their albums in 2000. Shaggy's album (Hot Shot), especially, helped to further propel the sub-genre internationally as his album spawned two number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, namely, "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel". Many music critics believed that this assimilation of hip hop with dancehall heightened the international marketability of reggae music on a whole.

Growth and Prominence

Reggae fusion has gained a strong following due to its worldwide appeal and more artists experimenting with and creating albums concentrated on the sub-genre.^[2] Though, initially, not being as popular in Jamaica as it was internationally, the sub-genre started to gain popularity by the mid-2000s due to its promotion by musical pundits who had recognized the massive marketability of the sub-genre^[3] and the fact that many artists had started remixing popular hip-hop tracks by deejaying verses on the same instrumental. Its popularity became blatantly apparent with the first reggaefusion influenced riddim in 2005 called the "Inevitable" riddim which featured deejays on a techno-based instrumental. Reggae fusion is now a regular staple on Jamaican radio stations, especially Zip 103 FM, in the form of singles, mixes and remixes.

2008 & beyond

Three of the most recent international reggae fusion hits are "Calabria" by Enur and Natasja, "Dangerous" by Kardinal Offishall and Akon and "Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti & Spearhead featuring Cherine Anderson. A Jamaican number-one single, "Ramping Shop" (using the same instrumental of Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent") by Vybz Kartel and Spice, was also one of the biggest reggae fusion hits in 2008. Some notable reggae fusion artists on the rise are Ava Leigh, Tessanne Chin, Ms. Triniti, Brick & Lace, Tami Chynn, Ricky Blaze and Terro 3000. The summer of 2009 saw an explosion of Jamaican-produced reggae fusion riddims such as "Mood Swing" and hit tracks such as "Holiday" by Ding Dong and "From Mawning" by Chino, both reaching the top ten on the Jamaican charts, to name a few. Other artists such as Konshens, Voicemail, Busy Signal, Vybz Kartel, Bugle and Black Ryno, also had hit reggae fusion tracks in this period. Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor is one of Jamaica's most prominent producers associated with reggae fusion.

References

See also

• List of reggae fusion artists
• Ragga
• Ragga jungle
• Fusion

External links

• ReggaeFusion: The Online Encyclopedia of Jamaica's Music Industry
• Reggae Reviews: Reggae Fusion
• Cleveland - Stories tagged with "frat=reggae fusion"
• International reggae fusion single "Calabria 2008"
• Reggae fusion mix "Girlz"
• Jamaican reggae fusion single "Hideaway"

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