(BLACK PR WIRE/FAMU-TALLAHASSEE) – While there are other styles of music in the Caribbean, including soca and calypso, reggae is the most popular type of Caribbean music. Reggae, which was first performed by Jamaicans in the country’s poorer regions, is now one of the world's most influential music genres. The term “reggae” originated from a song titled “Do the Reggay” by the band Toots and the Maytals.

Gaining popularity with Jamaicans in the early 1960s, reggae can be traced to the emergence of mento in the 1940s and is a hybrid of African folk-music traditions and calypso. The Dictionary of Jamaican English defines reggae as being based on ska, an earlier form of Jamaican music. It employs a heavy four-beat rhythm driven by drums, bass guitar, electric guitar, and the scraper, a corrugated stick that is rubbed by a plain stick.

One of the most popular reggae musicians is Bob Marley. Marley and his group, the Wailers, made reggae well-known among music lovers across the globe. Now popular acts include Vybz Kartel and Movado, who are currently considered to be the Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. of the reggae world. “One love, one heart, let’s get together and feel all right.” This famous line by Bob Marley was not only felt in the Caribbean but has been embraced internationally as an anthem to the human spirit.