If it is just another fad, it is the coolest fad since Hypercolor T-shirts. Shaggy reintroduced it, Sean Paul brought it to the public’s attentions, Damian Marley made it cool and Matisyahu is making it trendy. I am referring, of course, to the reemergence of reggae music as a sort-of mélange genre of rock, roots reggae, hip-hop and dancehall music. Although this reggae hybrid has been a toddler in the American music scene since 2000 (Shaggy’s Hot Shot), the genre is finally coming into adolescence now with the release of Matisyahu’s sophomore album, Youth.
This is not the first time the genre has made a move into the music mainstream, however. In some form or another, reggae has continually pushed its own borders beyond the shores of Jamaica to incorporate elements of popular music. No Doubt incorporated the one-drop rhythm of reggae in the group’s early manifestation as a ska band, and possibly better known to college-aged people was the third wave ska revival band Sublime. Hip-hop even dabbled with the reggae sound through the one-hit wonder Snow (“Informer,” 1993).
The latter of the pop-infused reggae is the root of the genre’s reemergence. Shaggy’s 2000 album Hot Shot ushered this new movement that has become more representative of “world music” than any previous genre could before — including the short-coming of Latin music via Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias. By pushing the beats to make reggae more groove-oriented and following a hook-verse-hook structure, Shaggy ignited a new interest in reggae as a dancehall movement.
While his single “It Wasn’t Me” propelled him to near-instant stardom, his fame quickly sizzled and the music landscape was once again vacant of the rich reggae grooves — that is, until Sean Paul’s 2002 album Dutty Rock.
Once again, reggae became accustomed to dancehall as Paul’s “Gimme the Light” climbed the charts. Then again, in 2003, Paul found his music on mainstream radio stations through his collaboration with Beyonce Knowles, “Baby Boy.”
But it has not been Shaggy or Sean Paul who have truly given roots reggae its rebirth in the States. Rather, an offspring of legend Bob Marley and a self-proclaimed “Hasidic reggae superstar” have brought the genre’s island roots to the mainstream.
Damian “Junior Gong” Marley broke big on the scene during summer 2005 with “Welcome to Jamrock” from his album of the same name. The track blurs the lines between reggae and hip-hop, and disregards the dancehall feel of its pop predecessors for a more slowed-down, groove-oriented feel that is more reminiscent of the roots reggae his father made popular. The hip-hop element on the song carries through the album, which in turn loosens the roots ties, but the revolutionary messages bring Damian back under Bob’s wing — Junior Gong even samples “Exodus” in the song “Move!”
It seemed Damian Marley had single-handedly brought Bob’s legacy back to life with Welcome to Jamrock, but unbeknownst to many, Matisyahu was helping to manifest the resurgence. Burning just under pop-culture’s nose was a rapper who utilized the same methods of blurring hip-hop and reggae lines as Damian, but Matisyahu used the medium to sing of Judaism rather than revolution.
Lead by the single “King Without a Crown,” Matisyahu released his sophomore album Youth under critical acclaim and is earned attention from the new MTV generation as the network’s Web site featured the album in its “The Leak” section. Although he is not actually from Jamaica (Brooklyn, NY, actually), Matisyahu’s vocals and musical delivery are 100 percent rooted in reggae tradition.
Reggae is a genre that is forever evolving; on the same token, so is rock, hip-hop, the Blues and any other style of music manifesting in popular culture. But unlike the others, reggae is a genre that fades and shines consistently through generations. Years may pass with hardly a peep; then for about nine months, it is all that is buzzed about. It is a puzzling trend, but its comings and goings are fads that are always more than welcomed and more than needed.
