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reggae

reggae

30 3.0
Popular music from Jamaica with a strong bouncy rhythm and repeating bass lines
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛɡeɪ/
translation icon : reggae
  • In Bocas del Toro, two different types of reggae are common: roots reggae and reggae in Spanish.
  • Jamaican reggae
  • reggae music
  • roots reggae

Also a a majority white reggae group won the best reggae Grammy.

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Examples

  • The documentary explored the rich history and cultural significance of reggae in Jamaica.

  • Spectacular beaches with the soft sounds of reggae playing cannot be missed when in Belize.

    Blog text (1)
  • And the newspaper says reggae festival coming to Jamaica.

  • The music that we listen to in Panama and call reggae is an unknown genre.

    Academic text (2006)
  • My favorite song right now is I've been listening to a lot of reggae songs lately.

  • Jamaica's radios are on, echoing either Christian music or reggae, both kinds addressed to the spirit.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • At the festival, we danced to the lively reggae music that filled the air.

  • Many of my friends enjoy listening to reggae because of its catchy rhythms.

How Energetic

dance music
16 1.4
dancehall
1 3.5
reggae
30 3.0
ambient
38 6.1

Surface Forms

reggae singular
reggaes plural

Etymology

Reggae comes from Jamaica and was first called that in the 1968 song 'Do the Reggay'; one popular idea is it comes from a local word like raggay meaning 'ragged' or from a sound word rege-rege that copies a loose beat. A helpful way to remember reggae is to think of a loose, 'ragged' pulse, which fits the music's strong, offbeat rhythm.