The Jamaican Roots Reggae Artists You Need to Hear Now
As it goes with fashion, music—more specifically, popular music—lives in cycles. And as with fashion now, what was prevalent in the seventies is again celebrated in music. Is more formulaic dancehall music out and communal band-based roots reggae in? All signs point to yes. If you don’t know why Snoop Dogg changed his name to Snoop Lion in 2014, albeit briefly, it’s because he recorded a reggae album in Jamaica, aptly titled Reincarnated. (He changed it back after a falling out with former Bob Marley bandmate Bunny Wailer.) OMI’s upbeat ditty “Cheerleader” is reggae-pop at its fluffiest, but it still qualifies, and it’s officially one of the biggest songs of last year.
But these arguably surface-level examples aren’t necessarily indicators of what’s exploding from the Jamaican music scene, bubbling at the surface for a solid three or so years now. The signifiers are the true, genuine, born-and-raised-on-reggae musicians themselves, many of whom are the direct offspring of the genre’s original spear-headers. From an outsider’s perspective, this is undoubtedly an enlivened revival, but to these artists, there’s no such thing. To be clear, reggae music never disappeared; it never went anywhere. People have been making it all along, since its inception. But it is experiencing a reawakening and garnering the due attention that comes with it. Check out the leaders of reggae’s millennial generation below.
Who: Chronixx
Age: 23
Hometown: St. Catherine
Why: Nicknamed “Little Chronicle” as a kid, after his musician dad, Chronixx is one of the youngest of the bunch, but he’s also the unofficial leader (not that he would approve of that term; roots reggae is all about the group dynamic). His The Dread & Terrible Project, released in April 2014, topped the Billboard and iTunes reggae charts. He’s also been featured on a Major Lazer mix, Mick Jagger flew to New York to hear him live in Central Park, and when he performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he infused parts of Jesse Royal’s and Jah9’s songs into his act to send a message of camaraderie.
Song: “Here Comes Trouble”
Who: Jesse Royal
Age: 26
Hometown: Maroon Town, Kingston
Why: Jesse Royal got into music after bonding with Daniel “Bambaata” Marley, son of Ziggy, in elementary school. With militantly minded lyrics, it’s been said he captures the “pain and hunger of a ‘downtrodden’ people.” After catching the attention of reggae producer Philip ‘Fatis’ Burrell, who was taken by his “old soul,” he began recording. Next came Diplo’s Major Lazer’s Walshy Fire collaboration.
Song: “Modern Day Judas”
Who: Jah9
Age: 31
Hometown: Falmouth, Trelawny
Why: “Jamaica’s best-kept secret,” according to Grafton Studios’ Mikey Bennett, Janine Cuningham, a.k.a. Jah9, grew up singing in church, embraced Jamaica’s underground poetry scene and released the RoryStoneLove-produced New Name in February 2013. United Reggae’s Angus Taylor says Jah9 has “a jazz soloist’s fluidity, a singer’s voice and a poet’s flow.”
Song: “The Marijuana” (which you can preorder on iTunes now)
Who: Protoje
Age: 33
Hometown: St. Elizabeth
Why: Originally discovered for his 2005 mixtape Lyrical Overdose Volume 1, Protoje’s hip-hop background initially set him apart. On the day of its release in November 2012, his “Kingston Be Wise” video is one of the most viewed YouTube links in Jamaica; the song was then featured in Grand Theft Auto V. His third album, Ancient Future, which features a collaborative track with Chronixx, topped the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart in March 2015.
Song: “Criminal”
Who: Kelissa
Age: 23
Hometown: St. Andrew
Why: With a Rastafari upbringing, a music education from Whittier College in Los Angeles and a semester at the University of Ghana, Kelissa has a chill, optimistic sound that speaks of her eclectic travels, but it’s her album Rebel in Disguise that brought her back to her roots. She’s currently touring Jamaica, promoting her new track “Best Kept Secret.”
Song: “Keep My Head Up”
Who: Addis Pablo
Age: 25
Hometown: Kingston
Why: Addis, the son of Augustus Pablo, began performing and producing in 2007 inspired by his reggae-trailblazer father. He released My Father’s House in 2014. “It’s a resurgence as far as a younger generation of people, like college-age students, who might hear a band play his music and find out about him,” he’s said. Now with his band Suns of Dub, he’s receiving regard on his own merit.
Song: “Road to Addis”
Who: Kabaka Pyramid
Age: 30
Hometown: Kingston
Why: Kabaka has spent most of the last year performing: four shows at SXSW; the 24-date “Young Lions” U.S. tour, with his band The Bebble Rockers; and a spot at Reggae Sumfest, Jamaica’s biggest reggae festival, to name a few. The video, featuring cameos from friends Kelissa and Chronixx, for his fiercely political song “Well Done” dropped in August and made people stand up and take notice, particularly for calling out the Jamaican government for “selling out the country with their business plan.”
Song: “Well Done”
Protoje image by Che Kothari @chekothari.Originally published on PRØHBTD.