I had a couple of my young rugby mates over for a few drinks last weekend. I found myself being the only old, white English imperialist at our gathering of me, a Tongan, Cook Islander and Maori. As the night went on, Ra and Tyrone (Matt was long gone by then) were playing reggae songs from their playlists, the inevitable Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff etcetera.
This was the music of my youth. When I said I preferred ska, they didn’t know what I was talking about. Here is a little introduction to ska and reggae and their vocabularies, if you are the same.
Origins of reggae
Reggae was a Jamaican musical movement from the 1970s. “Reggae” was first used in 1968 in the song title “Do the Reggay” by Toots & the Maytals. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is related to rege-rege meaning a quarrel or a protest; literally it meant “ragged clothes”, from “raga-raga” from English “rag”.
I saw Toots and the Maytals at the Coogee Bay Hotel in February 1983—a privilege I didn’t quite understand at the time.
Rastafarian and roots reggae
Reggae connected with the Rastafarian movement which advocated equal rights, justice and endorsed the “sacramental” use of GANJA (aka marijuana). The Wailers—Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, and Bob Marley—were early Rastafarians, as well as Black Uhuru and Burning Spear.
Rastafarians worshipped the Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie I. Selassie’s pre-coronation name Ras (meaning Prince) Tafari. They referred to God as “JAH” (Jehovah). This music was also known as “ROOTS REGGAE” which dealt with themes of spirituality, religion, poverty, black pride, racial oppression, social issues, and the corrupt establishment or government (i.e. BABYLON).
In my 20s I had been a big fan of reggae. My housemate when I was a student would bring pirated reggae cassettes back from overseas and we would dance around the apartment like very pale Jamaicans. He introduced me to the work of Linton Kwesi Johnson (a punk-reggae poet from London). I still have my fake NATTY DREADLOCKS that I would wear to parties.
English ska
But I found that the music I really gravitated towards was coming out of England: the Specials, Madness, Elvis Costello, UB40 and The Police. To me it was a hybrid between English pop and Jamaican reggae. However, this I got wrong. The Specials and also Madness were part of 2-TONE, known as the second-wave ska revival. Many English New Wave bands of the time used reggae and ska beats.
Origins of ska
Ska originally evolved from early New Orleans rhythm and blues in the late 1950s Jamaica. It used an off-the-beat guitar ska-chop, giving SKA its signature rhythm and its name. It is accepted that guitarist, Ernie Ranglin, invented the ska chop.
Jamaica’s independence from British rule in 1962 created a celebratory mood and ska music reflected that optimism. Singers Derrick Morgan, Prince Buster, Toots Hibbert (form Toots and the Maytals) were the early stars. Don Drummond was one of the more influential ska musicians of the time and fronted The Skatalites.
Rocksteady
Rocksteady is a Jamaican music genre between ska and reggae from around 1966 that lasted about two years. “Rocksteady” was first mentioned in the Alton Ellis song “Rocksteady”. Rocksteady has been described as slow ska.
2-Tone ska
The 2 tone movement in England promoted racial unity at a time when racial tensions were high—it brought white working class youth and West Indian immigrants together. Many bands were multi-racial and the black and white uniforms were deliberate. The Specials song “Ghost Town” was a huge hit and their “Free Nelson Mandela” in 1984 was another.
There was a second and third wave of ska revival in the US in the 1980s and 1990s. This I missed out on. Bands like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones took ska into the mainstream of US pop music and the Skatalites were given a new audience.
Rude Boy
The rude boy was a subculture from the poorer sections of Kingston, Jamaica, associated with violent, discontented youths. Rude boys wore sharp suits, thin ties, and pork pie or Trilby hats. This became the uniform of ska music. A popular song rejecting rude boy behaviour was “Rudy a Message to You” by Dandy Livingstone (1967)—a ska staple (Rudy being short for rude boy).
Yardie
Nowadays, in the US and UK, Jamaican organised crime gangs are now known as “yardies” (in Jamaica a gang is known as a “posse”). They are typically involved in drug-related and gun crime.
Another term used in an innocuous sense for Jamaicans is “YARDIE” as yard can mean “home” in Jamaican patois. Jamaicans who moved abroad would refer to themselves and other Jamaicans as “yardies”.
Skanking to ska
When you dance to ska you are SKANKING. Originally, skanking was a “running man” motion of the legs while alternating bent-elbow fist-punches. Skanking also describes punk and reggae dancing styles.
Make sure you skank to a bit of ska music after you finish work—it is a guarantee you will end the week joyful.