Can't Stop, Won't Stop: Chapter 2

Sipple Out Deh: Jamaica's Roots Generation and the Cultural Turn

by Josh and Michael

The chapter begins with an explanation of Jamaican culture and its influence on music – especially the interaction of Rastafarianism and Reggae music. Rastafarianism generated a relatively new social and political movement that pitted two parties against each other. These political parties battled in more underground ways that straight campaigns and elections. Jamaican gangs were actually formed surrounding political views and music was an integral medium of change. Musicians were forerunners for political views and often experienced physical, violent persecution for supporting certain movements. Dance parties were rallies as certain songs summoned followers of certain campaigns together. The DUB was accidentally invented when someone forgot to dub the vocals to a track, creating a new movement of music. Dubs themselves became political expressions as ‘side B’ versions of politically charged songs. These rallies and concerts became centers of political violence. Even the CIA is rumored to have been involved through supplying arms to the gangs of the conservative party. However, opposite party members, while in jail, began conversing and a movement to end the peace began. Bob Marley became a forerunner for this movement and hosted a concert tour, ‘One Love Peace’ in order to promote this. Eventually the violence subsided, but from all of this ‘rebellion’ and ‘revolution’ a new genre a movement of music was inspired, reggae, that swam across the ocean and engendered its own touch into the soon-to-be-born Hip-Hop movement.