Popularity of Jamaican music styles

As Jamaican music continues to be one of the most underrated music genres in the world, the music of Jamaica is still quite very popular today. For years artists like Bob Marley have been able to bring light to Jamaican music and draw curiosity from all over the world. Though most people love Bob Marley's music and know a lot of his songs, he is obviously is not the only Jamaican musical artist and his genre, Reggae, is also not the only style of Jamaican music. The popularity of Jamaican music styles will continue to grow and their fan base is definitely growing as well.

Reggae

As definitely the most popular form of Jamaican music, Reggae made its way onto the international stage around the 1970's. This was due to the extreme popularity of Reggae artists like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. Marley was definitely the most famous and his fan base grew all over the world. He was an advocate for love, redemption and the overall beauty of life. His impact on music was not only felt in the Jamaican culture but all throughout the world.

Mento

This style of music was never really internationally famous but definitely has similiraties to folk and Trinidanian calypso, which were actually very popular internationally during the time Mento was being recorded in Jamaica during the 1950's. There were several Mento bands that would tour around Jamaica and they are very well respected in the Jamaican music community. Mento is still performed and recorded internationally by artists like the Jolly Boys.

Jazz

As on one of the most popular styles of music in Jamaica, Jazz was definitely a big part of Jamaican music. Jamaica was able to produce notable Jazz musicians and there were plenty of schools that supported Jazz and the training that it needed to become very good at it. Jamaica was also able to produce some of the best instrumentalists in the industry like Dizzy Reece, Leslie Hutchinson and many more.

Ska

Ska is very popular and actually originated in Jamaice in the 1950's. Ska was the stepping stone to other styles like reggae and rocksteady. Ska is a mixture of Mento and Calypso with a hint of Jazz and R&B. The first recording of ska was created by Count Ossie from the Rasta community. It is unique with a bass line and an upbeat feel. Ska became very popular in the 1960's and eventually became the main music genre in Jamaica. The style then became popular with skinheads and the British mods.

Jamaican music definitely has made its impact on the world of music and will continue to make an impact. The popularity of Jamaican music styles will certainly be known as a mixture of different styles but they all seem to be happy and uplifting styles of music. If you have never been a fan of Jamaican music, learn how to expand your musical interests and check out the greats of Jamaican music and explore a world of music that you have never heard of before.