In honour of International Reggae Day that took place on the 1st July 2011, one small seed met with local and international reggae artists to understand the roots of reggae culture, the message behind reggae music and to highlight the misconceptions surrounding reggae music and Rastafari culture. 

To find out more about what Reggae is all about, we caught up with local talent from the likes of Yves Adler of 7ft Soundsystem, Levi Slewdada Josephs and THE little KINGS band, as well as international DJ Michael Martin aka Indidginus. Check it out below.

When one thinks of reggae, the mind conjures up images of island vibes, red, gold and green and gently swaying stoners on their fifth beer. With International Reggae Day upon us, a deeper look into this fascinating and vibrant form of music and culture is needed. Reggae has too long been the subject of wariness due to the marijuana connotation of Rastafari always attached to it.

Reggae is in fact more than just stoner music. When one looks back to the beginning of reggae, who knew such a small island had so much heart? Reggae music, in all its forms, was and is about the deeper social message. The greats like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Culture may have smoked the herb but the actual message of unity through suffering and eternal optimism in bringing people together through music remains. Although, these days, roots reggae has been left behind in favour of bass and dubstep. Sponsors and record labels are keen to exploit the cash cow that is “doof doof” music but reggae in its pure form is often ignored. This has been seen in the likes of reggae greats such as Teba the Original Social Weka and EJ Von Lyrik, basically ignored by South Africa and performing abroad in high profile reggae festivals in Europe. Reggae hasn’t disappeared; you just have to know where to find it.

In South Africa, with the help of artists like THE little KINGS, Levi Slewdada Josephs and 7ft Soundsystem, reggae is definitely on the rise. More and more, people are starting to realise that the dubstep they listen to every time they are out on the jol is has its roots in reggae and we have some real talent on our shores. South African reggae artists today have reignited the old magic of reggae with an electronic twist. Showcasing events such as Cold Turkey do their bit for exposing people to music that has been forgotten. Judging from the success of Cold Turkey, the reggae beat has only gotten better. However, reggae needs support in South Africa. The rest of the world seems to truly appreciate reggae even without bass so why don’t we? Reggae has brought a lot of love to the world and even if that has sometimes been laced with a little herb, the legacy has permeated far beyond Jamaica’s wildest dreams. Such a legacy must be respected and loved in return.