Ragga  

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-'''Raggamuffin music''', usually abbreviated as '''ragga''' is a sub-genre of '''dancehall''' music or [[reggae]], in which the instrumentation primarily consists of [[electronic music]]; [[Sampling (music)|sampling]] often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music as well. 
-[[Wayne Smith (musician)|Wayne Smith]]'s "Under Me [[Sleng Teng]]" was produced by [[King Jammy]] in 1985 on a [[Casio CZ synthesizers|Casio CZ-series synthesizer]] and is generally recognized as the seminal ragga [[song]]. "Sleng Teng" boosted Jammy's popularity immensely, and other producers quickly released their own versions of the [[riddim]], accompanied by dozens of different vocalists.+'''Raggamuffin music''', usually abbreviated as '''ragga''', is a subgenre of '''[[dancehall]]''' and [[reggae]] music, in which the instrumentation primarily consists of [[electronic music]]. Similar to hip hop, [[Sampling (music)|sampling]] often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music.
-Ragga is often used as a synonym for dancehall reggae, but more typically, it is used for dancehall with a deejay chatting rather than singing on top of the "riddim". The term ragga is not used in Jamaica according to some sources. In Europe and the US, it is however more popular than dancehall. +In the mid-1980s, French Antilles [[Kassav]], the first in the Caribbean to use [[MIDI]] technology, took [[Caribbean music]] to another level by recording in a digital format. [[Wayne Smith (musician)|Wayne Smith]]'s "[[Sleng Teng|Under Mi Sleng Teng]]" was produced by [[King Jammy]] in 1985 on a [[Casio MT-40]] synthesizer and is generally recognized as the seminal ragga song. "Sleng Teng" boosted Jammy's popularity immensely, and other producers quickly released their own versions of the [[riddim]], accompanied by dozens of different vocalists.
 + 
 +Ragga is now mainly used as a synonym for dancehall reggae or for describing dancehall with a [[Deejay (Jamaican)|deejay]] chatting rather than [[singjay]]ing or singing on top of the [[riddim]].
 + 
 +==Origins==
 +Ragga originated in [[Jamaica]] during the 1980s, at the same time that [[electronic dance music]]'s popularity was increasing globally. One of the reasons for ragga's swift propagation is that it is generally easier and less expensive to produce than [[reggae]] performed on traditional musical instruments. Ragga evolved first in Jamaica, and later in Europe, North America, and Africa, eventually spreading to Japan, India, and the rest of the world. Ragga heavily influenced [[oldschool jungle|early jungle music]], and also spawned the [[wikt:syncretistic|syncretistic]] [[bhangragga]] style when fused with [[Bhangra (music)|bhangra]]. In the 1990s, ragga and [[breakcore]] music fused, creating a style known as [[raggacore]].
 + 
 +The term "raggamuffin" is an intentional misspelling of "[[wikt:ragamuffin|ragamuffin]]", a word that entered the [[Jamaican Patois]] lexicon after the [[British Empire]] [[Colonialism|colonized]] Jamaica in the 17th century. Despite the British colonialists' pejorative application of the term, Jamaican youth [[Cultural appropriation|appropriated]] it as an [[ingroup]] designation. The term "raggamuffin music" describes the [[music of Jamaica]]'s "ghetto dwellers".
 + 
 +==Ragga and hip hop music==
 +In the late 1980s, influential Jamaican rapper [[Daddy Freddy]]'s pioneering efforts in fusing ragga with [[hip hop music]] earned him international acclaim while helping to publicize and popularize ragga. In 1987, Daddy Freddy and [[Asher D (rapper)|Asher D]]'s "[[Ragamuffin Hip-Hop]]" became the first multinational [[Single (music)|single]] to feature the word "ragga" in its title. In 1992, Canadian hip hop group [[Rascalz]] released their debut album under the name Ragga Muffin Rascals. As ragga matured, an increasing number of dancehall artists began to appropriate stylistic elements of hip hop music, while ragga music, in turn, influenced more and more hip hop artists, most notably [[KRS-One]], the [[Boot Camp Clik]], [[Das EFX]], [[Busta Rhymes]], as well as some artists with ragga-influenced styles, like early [[Common (rapper)|Common]], [[Main Source]], [[Ill Al Scratch]], [[Fu-Schnickens]], and [[Redman (rapper)|Redman]]. Artists like [[Mad Lion]] grew in popularity during this early 90's trend, exemplified by his crossing from [[reggae]] to [[Hip hop|hip-hop culture]].
 + 
 +Some ragga artists believe that the assimilation of hip hop sensibilities is crucial to the international marketability of dancehall music. Indeed, the appeal to the [[Contemporary R&B|contemporary rhythm and blues]] and hip hop music audiences in the English-speaking world contributed substantially to the multinational commercial success of such dancehall artists as:
 + 
 +*[[Admiral T]]
 +*[[Admiral Tibet]]
 +*[[Admiral Bailey]]
 +*[[Aidonia]]
 +*[[Al Beeno]]
 +*[[Alborosie]]
 +*[[Alan Price]]
 +*[[Anthony B]]
 +*[[Apache Indian]]
 +*[[Baby Cham]]
 +*[[Barrington Levy]]
 +*[[Bascom X]]
 +*[[Beenie Man]]
 +*[[Bounty Killer]]
 +*[[Bramma]]
 +*[[Bugle]]
 +*[[Buju Banton]]
 +*[[Burro Banton]]
 +*[[Busy Signal]]
 +*[[Byron Lee]]
 +*[[Capleton]]
 +*[[Carl Meeks]]
 +*[[Ce'Cile]]
 +*[[Chino (musician)|Chino]]
 +*[[Cocoa Tea]]
 +*[[Collie Buddz]]
 +*[[Courtney Melody]]
 +*[[Cutty Ranks]]
 +*[[DJ Collage]]
 +*[[Daddy Freddy]]
 +*[[Damian Marley]]
 +*[[Delly Ranks]]
 +*[[Don Yute]]
 +*[[Dub Incorporation]]
 +*[[Dub War]]
 +*[[Eek A Mouse]]
 +*[[Elephant Man (musician)|Elephant Man]]
 +*[[Erijef Massiv]]
 +*[[Fantan Mojah]]
 +*[[Fidel Nadal]]
 +*[[General Degree]]
 +*[[General Levy]]
 +*[[Gentleman (musician)|Gentleman]]
 +*[[Gyptian]]
 +*[[Ini Kamoze]]
 +*[[Irie Time|Irie]]
 +*[[Jah Mason]]
 +*[[Jahdan Blakkamoore]]
 +*[[Junior Kelly]]
 +*[[Junior Reid]]
 +*[[Ky-Mani Marley]]
 +*[[La Tchoucrav']]
 +*[[Lady G]]
 +*[[Lady Ragga]]
 +*[[Lady Saw]]
 +*[[Lippy Lou]]
 +*[[Mr. Lexx|Lexxus]]
 +*[[Lieutenant Stitchie]]
 +*[[Macka Diamond]]
 +*[[Mad Cobra]]
 +*[[Mad Lion]]
 +*[[Marika]]
 +*[[Massilia Sound System]]
 +*[[Mavado (singer)|Mavado]]
 +*[[MC Kinky]]
 +*[[Million Stylez]]
 +*[[Morodo]]
 +*[[Mr. Vegas]]
 +*[[Natty congo]]
 +*[[Natural Black]]
 +*[[Natural Dread Killaz]]
 +*[[Ninjaman]]
 +*[[Nitty Gritty]]
 +*[[Notch (musician)|Notch]]
 +*[[O Rappa]]
 +*[[Papa Dee]]
 +*[[Papa San]]
 +*[[Pato Banton]]
 +*[[Patra (singer)|Patra]]
 +*[[Planet Hemp]]
 +*[[Popcaan]]
 +*[[Ragga Muffianismo]]
 +*[[Ragga Oktay]]
 +*[[Ragga Saw]]
 +*[[Raggademente]]
 +*[[Richie Spice]]
 +*[[Rick Dub]]
 +*[[Rihanna]]
 +*[[Rupee (musician)|Rupee]]
 +*[[Scopie]]
 +*[[Sean Kingston]]
 +*[[Sean Paul]]
 +*[[Shabba Ranks]]
 +*[[Shaggy (artist)|Shaggy]]
 +*[[Shinehead]]
 +*[[Sight Mc]]
 +*[[Sister Nancy]]
 +*[[Sizzla]]
 +*[[Skindred]]
 +*[[Snow (musician)|Snow]]
 +*[[Soraia Drummond]]
 +*[[Spice (singer)|Spice]]
 +*[[Spragga Benz]]
 +*[[Stein]]
 +*[[Stephen Marley (musician)|Stephen Marley]]
 +*[[Steppa Style]]
 +*[[Super Cat]]
 +*[[T.O.K.]]
 +*[[Tanya Stephens]]
 +*[[Tenor Saw]]
 +*[[Terry Ganzie]]
 +*[[Tippa Irie]]
 +*[[Tony Matterhorn]]
 +*[[Tony Rebel]]
 +*[[Turbulence (musician)|Turbulence]]
 +*[[U-Roy]]
 +*[[Vavamuffin]]
 +*[[Voice Mail (band)|Voicemail]]
 +*[[Vybz Kartel]]
 +*[[Wayne Marshall (deejay)|Wayne Marshall]]
 +*[[Wayne Smith (musician)|Wayne Smith]]
 +*[[Wayne Wonder]]
 +*[[Yellowman]]
 +*[[Zeroscape]]
 + 
 +==See also==
 +*[[Reggae fusion]]
 +*[[Soca music|Ragga-soca]]
 +*[[Ragga jungle]]
 +*[[Bouyon music#Bouyon-muffin|Bouyon-muffin]]
 +*[[Bhangragga]]
 +*[[Jamaican Patois]], the language of the distinctive vocals found in ragga
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Raggamuffin music, usually abbreviated as ragga, is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music, in which the instrumentation primarily consists of electronic music. Similar to hip hop, sampling often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music.

In the mid-1980s, French Antilles Kassav, the first in the Caribbean to use MIDI technology, took Caribbean music to another level by recording in a digital format. Wayne Smith's "Under Mi Sleng Teng" was produced by King Jammy in 1985 on a Casio MT-40 synthesizer and is generally recognized as the seminal ragga song. "Sleng Teng" boosted Jammy's popularity immensely, and other producers quickly released their own versions of the riddim, accompanied by dozens of different vocalists.

Ragga is now mainly used as a synonym for dancehall reggae or for describing dancehall with a deejay chatting rather than singjaying or singing on top of the riddim.

Origins

Ragga originated in Jamaica during the 1980s, at the same time that electronic dance music's popularity was increasing globally. One of the reasons for ragga's swift propagation is that it is generally easier and less expensive to produce than reggae performed on traditional musical instruments. Ragga evolved first in Jamaica, and later in Europe, North America, and Africa, eventually spreading to Japan, India, and the rest of the world. Ragga heavily influenced early jungle music, and also spawned the syncretistic bhangragga style when fused with bhangra. In the 1990s, ragga and breakcore music fused, creating a style known as raggacore.

The term "raggamuffin" is an intentional misspelling of "ragamuffin", a word that entered the Jamaican Patois lexicon after the British Empire colonized Jamaica in the 17th century. Despite the British colonialists' pejorative application of the term, Jamaican youth appropriated it as an ingroup designation. The term "raggamuffin music" describes the music of Jamaica's "ghetto dwellers".

Ragga and hip hop music

In the late 1980s, influential Jamaican rapper Daddy Freddy's pioneering efforts in fusing ragga with hip hop music earned him international acclaim while helping to publicize and popularize ragga. In 1987, Daddy Freddy and Asher D's "Ragamuffin Hip-Hop" became the first multinational single to feature the word "ragga" in its title. In 1992, Canadian hip hop group Rascalz released their debut album under the name Ragga Muffin Rascals. As ragga matured, an increasing number of dancehall artists began to appropriate stylistic elements of hip hop music, while ragga music, in turn, influenced more and more hip hop artists, most notably KRS-One, the Boot Camp Clik, Das EFX, Busta Rhymes, as well as some artists with ragga-influenced styles, like early Common, Main Source, Ill Al Scratch, Fu-Schnickens, and Redman. Artists like Mad Lion grew in popularity during this early 90's trend, exemplified by his crossing from reggae to hip-hop culture.

Some ragga artists believe that the assimilation of hip hop sensibilities is crucial to the international marketability of dancehall music. Indeed, the appeal to the contemporary rhythm and blues and hip hop music audiences in the English-speaking world contributed substantially to the multinational commercial success of such dancehall artists as:

See also




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Ragga" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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