Jamaicansmusic.com is dedicated to cataloguing and recording the history of Jamaican music and the artists who have made this music popular. From mento artist to dancehall artists; our aim is to try as best to create an encompassing database of Jamaican music and Jamaican music artists.
Features of this site include a brief history of the different Jamaican music forms, sample audio tracks, tons videos, artists' bios and our very special Jamaican music store.
Anywhere in the world today popular Jamaican music can be heard playing in clubs, bars, and cars, or even from the voices of the people walking on the street. The music of the tiny island nation of Jamaica has captivated the world, with its soft melodies and harmonic beats while sustaining an apparent edge reflecting the characteristics and culture of its creators.
There is no doubt that if you asked anyone in world today what they knew about Jamaica, the overwhelming response would be reggae, followed by Bob Marley.
Today, reggae is the named used to refer to all Jamaican music. To many Jamaicans, reggae is life and tells the story of the nation's people. Jamaica is a tiny Caribbean island with just over 2.6 million people. No major world event has ever taken place there, and it does not produce any significant wealth to speak of. The reality is that, Jamaica, should by all counts, be relatively unknown to the world. How is it then that this island's people and its music have gained such worldwide recognition?
The influence of Jamaican music on the world is unmistakable. At the 1980 independence of Zimbabwe, Bob Marley was the only foreign artist invited to perform, because his songs had given inspiration to freedom fighters in the bush. In the Nicaraguan civil war, both the Contras and the Sandanistas saw themselves as fighting oppression and used Bob Marley's music as motivation in their struggle.
Since then, Jamaican music has found its way in hearts and homes of many worldwide. Many contemporary music forms such as hip hop and reggaeton trace there roots back to reggae and several non Jamaican artists such as Gentleman from Germany, Alpha Blondy from The Ivory Coast, Harry Belafonte just to name a few have had enormous success singing Jamaican music.
Since Jamaica's independence in 1962, reggae has been used to express the social, economic and political lives of Jamaicans. Reggae is uniquely Jamaican and more loved and accepted now than it has ever been.
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