Popularity of Reggae in Jamaica, England and the United states
Music is one way of relaying the required information in any given society. For instance, reggae music is widely played not only in Jamaica but also in most parts of the world. ‘In Jamaica, it was played to pass the messages of the poor oppressed people against the oppressors’ (Chang & Chen, pp103). Social and political injustices are widely addressed through reggae.
Poverty, unemployment, poor government policies and racism are some of the themes preached against the poor black people and other vices in the society which resulted from bad governance and segregation. Rastafarianism used it to fight for equality, unity, love and peace for political stability.
Reggae gained popularity in other parts of the world. This arose from relocation and migration of most reggae musicians to foreign countries. Some countries embraced Rastafarianism and their culture unlike others. It was still used as an important tool against oppression and discrimination of all forms to mankind. It is the message in the music but not the Rastafarian that led to its popularity. It was used for entertainment and led to development of other styles of music like hip-hop and soul.
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However, reasons for its popularity differed depending on the place or country. Some messages preached could not be accepted nor tolerated in some countries. For example, reggae music was not easily accepted in England because it was thought to be anti-gay a practice that was acceptable in England.’ In the United States, reggae is played but in different forms such as hip-hop and dance hall’ (Campbell, pp265). Therefore the reasons for popularity of reggae in both England and the United States were totally different depending on the issues being addressed in society.