Reggae jammin' on for a new generation

By Michael Senft

The Arizona Republic

Walk through any mall, and you'll see stores filled with racks of clothes in the red, green and gold of Jamaica. Stroll through any college campus, and you may hear the sounds of Bob Marley's "Legend" drifting from the dorms. Even Southern California diva Gwen Stefani is modeling the logo of her L.A.M.B. clothing line after the Lion of Judah, a symbol of Rastafarianism.
Reggae "resonates at the core of the human soul. The message, the sound, the beat of reggae, it vibrates the spirit," says Marley's son Ziggy, who has a new album out, "Love Is My Religion," and who is currently on tour.
Reggae never really went away. But 25 years after Marley's death, it's cool again in America, thanks to a new generation of performers who are using Marley's rasta rhythms and "one love" philosophy as a springboard for fresh sounds.
"I realized reggae was hot again when I started noticing [reggae label] Studio One recordings from the '60s being used in commercials," says Chris Wilson, vice president of A&R for Heartbeat Records, a reggae-reissue label.
No reggae musician has matched Marley's influence, but Ziggy has picked up his father's musical mantle, recording such roots-reggae tunes as "Tomorrow People" and "Conscious Party" with his siblings' band the Melody Makers. His second solo album, "Love Is My Religion," blends reggae with acoustic and world-beat touches.
Also riding the crest of the U.S. reggae resurgence is Matisyahu, a self-styled "Hasidic reggae superstar" whose smash albums "Live at Stubb's" and "Youth," which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 album chart in March, have led to a nonstop tour schedule, videos in regular rotation on MTV and performances on "The Late Show With David Letterman" and other mainstream shows.
"It always seems like there was some reggae singer who was scoring hits, UB40 or Shaggy or someone," says Matisyahu.
He uses the dancehall sound, a hip-hop-reggae hybrid, for the basis of Hebrew rhymes, rapping over a faster, bass-heavy reggae beat, called toasting.
Since Marley's death, reggae hits have generally been from dancehall stars, rather than roots-reggae singers like Marley.
"I used to listen to [dancehall star] Sizzla when I was younger," Matisyahu says. "He was singing about Rastafarianism, black supremacy, Emperor Selassie being God — these are things that I have absolutely no connection with. But still I found a connection with the music, it still spoke to me and inspired my sound."
Shabba Ranks was the first dancehall star to cross over in the United States, scoring numerous hits in the early '90s, including "Mr. Loverman." Since then Shaggy and Sean Paul have topped the charts with their dancehall beats.
"The kids listening to this music don't always realize that it's reggae," says Wilson of Heartbeat Records. "My neighbors were talking about this great rapper named Sean Paul, but his sound is clearly reggae."
Bob Marley's son Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, who is currently on tour with Ben Harper, has enjoyed crossover success as well. His hit "Welcome to Jamrock" earned Grammys in both the reggae and R&B categories.
"[Damian] is at the forefront of reggae today," Wilson says. "That hit, it's really just a reworking of "Welcome to Jamtown," just him rapping over the original song.
"There's an incredible cross-pollination between Jamaican musicians and American rappers now. If you look at many straight-ahead rap guys, they have dreadlocks and they're rapping like Jamaican dancehall stars."
Although dancehall and its Latin cousin, reggaeton, are popular nationally, new bands are inspired by traditional reggae.
"There is a desire for authenticity in new groups," Wilson says. "I just worked with a band from L.A. called the Aggrolites, who are playing music like some of the earliest reggae sounds.
"They aren't ska and they aren't roots reggae like Marley, but they are playing that music that was popular from about 1968 to '69 in Jamaica."

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company