As a pop-culture-consuming whole, Americans have a strange relationship with Jamaican dancehall. Although it’s one of the most important and prolific music scenes in the world, we routinely ignore it ...

At its core, Jamaican music culture is a project of self-determination. Reggae emerged in the ‘60s and ‘70s out of political protest, disenfranchisement, and social change in Jamaica. As the Jamaican ...

KINGSTON, Jamaica — In 2016, the cover of the Yellow Pages brought Jamaica to a standstill. For the Kingston and St. Andrews editions of the directory, three artists were commissioned to create ...

In the cultural spaces from which dancehall music gets its name, women are usually the center of attention. The Jamaican genre’s digital rhythms are calibrated to inspire female bodies to wine, as the ...

Whatever mood you're in, contemporary reggae has a tune for you. That's because Jamaican music is a study in contrasts: Songs veer from sacred to profane, sexy to spiritual, blisteringly aggressive to ...

Music studios here, low on frills and high on voltage, are the nerve centers of Jamaica. Anywhere on the island — even in Kingston, a car-loving city that scoffs at public domain — music blares. From ...

The percussive rhythms of reggae and dancehall music can make anyone start moving toward the dance floor. Los Angeles has a small, yet passionate community of music lovers who cannot resist a night ...

Reading the Jamaica Gleaner this week, I fell upon an article announcing the fact that six of the 10 records in the Billboard Reggae chart are by non-Jamaicans. Nothing against Matisyahu, but given ...

Tune the radio in Jamaica to any reggae station these days and don’t be surprised if you rarely, if ever, hear a Marley song. The roots and culture style reggae, infused with references to ska and ...

In this essay, writer AJ Morris explores the cultural history of Jamaican music, from reggae to dancehall, and examines how the medium works in tandem with Jamaican film as acts of protest and ...