reggae

American  

[reg-ey] / ˈrɛg eɪ /

noun

1. a style of Jamaican popular music blending blues, calypso, and rock-'n'-roll, characterized by a strong syncopated rhythm and lyrics of social protest.

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reggae British  

/ ˈrɛɡeɪ /

noun

1. a type of West Indian popular music having four beats to the bar, the upbeat being strongly accented

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reggae Cultural  

1. A form of pop music that originated in Jamaica, combining elements of calypso and rhythm and blues (see blues) with a strongly accentuated offbeat. Bob Marley was the first internationally known reggae musician.

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Etymology

Origin of reggae

< Jamaican English, respelling of reggay (introduced in the song “Do the Reggay” (1968) by Frederick “Toots” Hibbert), a dance name based on rege, *strege a dowdy or raggedy fellow; compare rege-rege ragged clothing, quarrel, row

Explanation

Reggae is a popular style of music that began in Jamaica and often has political and spiritual themes. Bob Marley, who died in 1981, is still the most well-known reggae musician. The origins of the word reggae are a bit unclear, although most experts think it comes from the Jamaican English rege-rege, which means both "a quarrel or protest" and "ragged clothing." It first appeared in the title of a Toots and the Maytals song, "Do the Reggay," in 1968. Reggae grew out of ska and rocksteady, slowing the rhythm and adding a distinctive upbeat. Reggae is closely connected with the Rastafarian religion.

Example Sentences

The exhibition illustrates how those early reggae bands were championed by venues like the Four Aces, which was founded by Newton Dunbar in East London.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

The show traces how imported genres like jazz, reggae and the blues gave rise to the distinctly British sounds of Two Tone, Garage, Trip Hop and Grime.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

He is one of its greatest cultural coalitionists, fusing Pan-American sounds — hip-hop, Jamaican reggae, Haitian kompa, gospel, salsa, folk — into music that is party-ready and politically alert.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

“Company,” a reggae tune with a guest appearance from Jamaican dancehall vocalist Buju Banton, gives Ms. Lennox an opportunity to try on a sing-song melodic guise and it suits her.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

It was on such a holiday that Robert Fumulani, the holy father of Malawian reggae music, came to sing at Dowa District Hall, and my father—then twenty-two years old—was determined to go.

From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba