Why Kingston?

[ACEtone]

Is that you speaking from beyond the grave, dear Marcus?
Give us a sign!

[AnorakTrev]

@ ACEtone


WhooooaaaahhhhhhhHHHHHH , DUB IT !!!

[king g]

can't believe no-one mentioned the collie yet... played a major part in the transition from Ska to Roots. Most notably the speed.

G

[aabey]

Because they imitated R&B in a 'wrong' way and that sounded great?

[ACEtone]

hemp, hemp, hemp...

[DonBanyan]

The other link was just to show that Indians have had an impact on the history of Jamaica. The following link is one man's take on ganja in Jamaica. In it he just barely mentions how it was brought by the Indians.

http://www.cedro-uva.org/lib/boekhout.ganja.en.html

This is veering off topic, and might be better in a cannabis specific thread, but check out the Jata on the Hindu Sadhus smoking ganja in the picture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_ ... #Hindu_use

edit: could dreadlocks for religious ascetics be of an Indian influence, as well?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreadlocks#Hinduism

DB

[AnorakTrev]

Should that question be " Without ganja , would there be ROOTS reggae ? " , leggo ?

I am certain that earlier reggae was made without the use of ganja .

[suzifan]

Cmon now, everyone knows the Englisth invented reggae music. The army was in Jamaica and it saw what was available over there and created reggae.
Oh sorry, that's not true. But that's what they say about curry innit? Ask any right-wing white Inglander why they love chicken tikka masala and they say "Ah, but did u know the English created curry?" How they get that idea only jah jah know. But its bullsh1t.
Reggae come from Jamaica because Jah Make Her.

[Dave K]

**How certain? I thought it had been there all along, even in the early Ska days. maybe that's just my misconception.**

Hi Leggo

A lot has been written about how many of the great ska musicians were rastas, and smoked herb. People have been smoking long before rastafarian themed lyrics became popular in Jamaican music, or even before rastafarian momvement started for that matter.

As for the English inventing reggae music - we can blame them for trying to smother it with syrupy string arrangements, but fortunately the lion broke free!

[Dave K]

Yes, ganja's been on the island hundreds of years since it was first imported from India (at least that's the commonly held belief of how it arrived in JA), and musicians have been partaking in it since day one.
Some of these musicians were rastas, and some not.

Of course a lot of rasta musicians back in those days couldn't grow locks because of the stigma attached, and needed paying club gigs, but they were rastas in their hearts. Locks used to be dangerous to wear, and while it still represents a display of faith for many, it's also become a "fashion statement" without people really understanding the tribulation people had to go through to show their beliefs publicly.

The book "Jah Music" (Sabastien Clarke, 1979) talks a lot about how the Skatalites would spend a lot of time at the camps in Wareika Hills, and while a lot of their music is lyricless, it's still rasta-themed. I'll bet that there is an interview with Rico Rodriguez somewhere that discusses this in great detail. He would know, because he was there.